Parish Church of St Deiniol

Parish Church of St Deiniol

An exceptionally fine example of a Georgian church built in red brick with stone dressings. The dressings include a plinth, cornice, and end pilasters, with a slate roof. The church comprises a rectangular nave, narrower chancel, and apsidal sanctuary that are articulated externally. A square tower of three stages stands at the west end, topped with a balustraded stone parapet. The parapet's corners are surmounted by urn finials supporting weathervanes, with crucifix finials positioned between them. The crucifixes are styled after one removed from Emral Hall Chapel before its demolition, which is now preserved inside the chancel. The tower also features two circular windows with radiating keystones at the cardinal points and a semi-circular sculpture niche. The third stage has louvred windows. Throughout the church, semi-circular headed windows with keystones, capitals, and aprons appear, as do similar semi-circular headed doorways to the north and south. The roof is hidden by a brick parapet with stone copings, while the apse features stone balustrading. Stone blocks set into the nave parapet suggest further urn finials were originally intended.

Interior

The church retains a complete set of box-pews with fielded panelling, mostly from the 18th century, bearing the family crests of the Puleston family and other local families. The pew doors are painted and hung on H-hinges, with some retaining inscribed brass plates such as "Lord Kenyon" and "Half this seat to Nath. Spakeman, 1791". Stone paving runs throughout. In the chancel, two particularly fine squirearchical box-pews each contain a cast-iron fireplace and a later principal seat. The pews are arranged in descending order of social standing, from the minister's pew beneath the pulpit to estate staff and parishioners towards the rear. The rear pews, which have semi-circular fielded panels and balustrading, were not installed until 1810, when they were removed from the parish church at Gresford. A wooden gallery to the west end is supported on cast-iron columns of 1830 and displays the Royal coat-of-arms painted to its front.

Beneath the gallery stands a Georgian font dating from 1745, comprising a roach-bed marble cup on a slender stone baluster stem set upon a round dais. Three hatchments to members of the Puleston family hang above the pews of the Churchwardens, alongside a painted and framed glebe terrier dated 13 August 1796. To the south of the chancel stands a wooden three-decker pulpit with backdrop and heavy tester. A coved plaster ceiling with Rococo decoration and enriched cornice decorates the chancel. Two brass chandeliers hang within the church: one of two tiers dating from 1816, and another single-tiered example from 1899.

Four stained glass windows are present. The east window was made by Betton & Evans of Shrewsbury and features a central section composed of medieval fragments reputedly saved from Winchester College around 1393, bequeathed to the church by Lady Emma Elizabeth Puleston. The medieval fragments are said to have arrived via Emral Hall Chapel (demolished 1775) and Albrighton Hall, Shropshire. A south wall window depicts St Michael in memory of Captain Summers, who was killed in the First World War.

Carved marble monuments line the walls. These include a monument to Broughton Whithall (died 1734), the eldest son of John Whitehall of Broughton, composed of fluted pilasters and an urn in a broken pediment. Another monument commemorates Sir Richard Puleston (died 1840), 1st Baronet, carved by John Carline III, featuring a draped segmental entablature with volutes and foliation to the base.