St Mary's Church, Stockport

St Mary's Church is the oldest parish church in Stockport, a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on Churchgate overlooking the market place. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building.^[2] It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Stockport.^[3]

A church stood on the site by 1190. A sandstone church was built during the incumbency of Richard de Vernon (1306–1320), and only its chancel survives.^[4] The remainder of the present church was constructed between 1813 and 1817 to the design of Lewis Wyatt.^[2] A further restoration took place in 1848 to replace weathered masonry,^[5] and additional restoration was carried out in 1882. The tower originated in the 14th century and was rebuilt between 1612 and 1616, and again in 1810.^[6]

The chancel is built in local red sandstone in the decorated style. The rest of the church is Runcorn sandstone in the perpendicular style.^[5] Its plan consists of a west tower, a wide nave with galleries, a south porch, and a chancel with a vestry to its north.^[5]

The roof of the chancel is the original single-framed timber roof. In the sanctuary is a double piscina, a large triple sedilia and, in a recess, the damaged effigy of Richard de Vernon, who was rector of Stockport from 1306 to 1334.^[4] In the church are several monuments, including one dated 1753 by Daniel Sephton to the memory of William Wright.^[2] Other memorials include one to Sir George Warren who died in 1801 by Sir Richard Westmacott depicting a standing female figure by an urn on a pillar, to Rev Charles Prescott who died in 1820, also by Westmacott, showing a seated effigy, to James Antrobus Newton who died in 1823 by Bacon Junior and S. Manning showing a kneeling female figure, and to Mrs Hawall who died in 1852 by Latham of Manchester showing angels hovering over her body.^[7] On the chancel arch are the coat of arms of George III in plaster.^[4] The parish registers begin in 1584.^[4] There is a ring of 10 bells. Seven of these were cast by John Rudhall in 1817 and the other three by John Taylor & Co in 1897.^[8]

The gateway to the church and a nearby drinking fountain are listed at Grade II*. The gateway was designed by Lewis Wyatt and consists of three pointed archways, with crocketed finials above the centre arch.^[9]

A rectory was built for the church in the 1740s to replace an earlier timber-framed building of 16th-century origin. It served as the home of rectors, and later of the bishops of Stockport, until 1965. The building was converted into a pub-restaurant in 1991, is now part of the Hungry Horse pub chain,^[10] and is a Grade II* listed structure.^[11] The old ice house still survives within the grounds.

• The bell tower of St Mary's Church
• St Mary's Church, with the historic glass market in the foreground on the left
• St Mary's Church
• The drinking fountain
• The gate of St Mary's Church
• St Mary's Church from Millgate, Stockport
• St Mary's Church from High Street, Stockport
• The bell tower of St Mary's Church
• One of the pinnacles of St Mary's Church
• The eastern window of St Mary's Church
• One of the remaining graves around St Mary's Church
• St Mary's Church from Upper Brook Street, Stockport

• Grade I listed churches in Greater Manchester
• List of churches in Greater Manchester
• Listed buildings in Stockport