Church Of St Winifred

Church of St Winifred

Parish church built 1913-16. Designed by Mr McIntyre and approved, with minor modifications, by Louis Ambler for the Duke of Portland. The design is based on Steetley, Derbyshire. The church is constructed in rock-faced ashlar with ashlar dressings and slate roofs. A single rock-faced ashlar stack rises to the north east. Stone coped gables with kneelers run along the roofline. Two moulded ashlar eaves bands encircle the building. A bellcote surmounted by a cross sits at the west gable, with a further ridge cross at the east end. The structure is buttressed throughout.

The plan comprises a nave, north aisle, north porch, north vestry and organ chamber, chancel and east apse.

The west end features a recessed panel containing a central arched light flanked by two smaller similar lights. Each of the three lights is flanked by a single engaged column with cushion capital supporting an arch of chevron and an arch of billet. All three are contained within a flush ashlar quoin surround. Below runs a string course, and above is a Lombard frieze with an oeil de boeuf in raised ashlar surround. To the left extends a lean-to with a single small arched light in flush ashlar quoin surround, which continues into the gabled porch. The porch has stone coping and kneelers, with a band of dentil running under the gable which bears carved lozenge decoration. The central arched doorway has two engaged columns either side, each with cushion capital supporting an inner arch of key pattern and an outer arch of chevron with nodules. The side walls of the porch each contain a single small arched light in flush ashlar quoin surround, with an arched inner porch doorway.

The north nave wall has a sill band extending around the north and east vestry walls, with five small arched lights in flush ashlar quoin surrounds. The projecting vestry has two gables to its north front, each containing two pairs of arched lights with flush ashlar quoin surrounds. The east wall has an arched doorway with three small arched lights in flush ashlar quoin surrounds to the left.

The east chancel gable apex contains three small arched openings with flush ashlar surrounds. The semi-circular apse has dentil and moulded, raised ashlar eaves bands, and sill and impost bands. Three small arched lights are each flanked by single engaged columns with cushion capitals supporting an arch of billet moulding. The south chancel contains two arched lights with flush ashlar quoin surrounds and sill band. The south nave has four larger arched lights with similar surrounds and sill band.

Interior

The interior has a four-bay nave arcade with round columns and scalloped capitals supporting round arches with billet moulding. The moulded north aisle and organ chamber arch and the moulded chancel and organ chamber arch are each supported on two responds with capitals decorated with mythical animals. The moulded chancel arch, decorated with key pattern, chevron and billet, is supported either side on three engaged columns with similarly decorated fanciful capitals. The apse arch is decorated with key pattern and supported either side on two columns with similarly decorated fanciful capitals. The beamed roofs of the apse and north aisle feature narrow decorated and coloured panels.

The ashlar colonnaded and decorated altar rails are decorated with wooden carved angel heads. The stone altar has an arcaded front. The oak pulpit, dating to 1931, is decoratively carved. The stone font has a bronze cover designed by William Reid Dick in 1921. On the west wall is a wooden collection box with carved Madonna over, dedicated to William Lord Lovat on 18 February 1933. The memorial lectern of 1919 is decorated with a bronze eagle by Walter Gilbert. In the nave is a decorative wood and iron chest dated 1930. Two carved chairs are placed in the apse.

The church contains several silver lanterns, crosses and candlesticks, some by Bainbridge Williams from 1927. A 17th-century Dutch lantern is hung in the chancel. On the north aisle wall is a memorial tablet to Ottoline Morrell by E. Gill, dating to 1939. A tablet to Major Lord William Augustus Cavendish Bentinck is located on the south chancel wall. A Garter Banner belonging to the Dukes of Portland hangs on the north chancel wall.

The stained glass in the apse and chancel is by Mr Meteyard of Birmingham.