Church History

There has been a church in Mobberley since before the Norman Conquest, the earliest reference to a church however dates from 1206 when Patrick de Mobberley founded a small Priory of regular canons of the Order of St. Augustine.  The Priory was annexed by 1240 the Priory of Rochester in Staffordshire.

 

The oldest part of the present building, the east end of the nave, date from 1245.  In 1450 the Clerestory and Roof were added and the aisles widened and in 1533 the tower was added to replace the original detached tower which had fallen into disrepair.

 

The church underwent a major reordering in the 1880’s when the Chancel and Vestry were rebuilt and the Chancel Arch erected replacing the tympanum above the choir screen.  It was during these works that what are believed to be the Saxon remains of an earlier chapel were found.

 During this restoration the nave corbels were also decorated with winged angels playing various instruments, as well as a model of the Virgin Mary, one of the original patrons of the church.

The church boasts a beautiful Rood screen which dates from around 1500 and which bears a number of coats of arms as well as other motifs.  The pillars of the screen are also richly carved and a number of faces can be discerned including that of a Green Man.

      

 

The church also has some magnificent 14th century stained glass also showing the armorial motifs of a number of local families.  The shields were in the original East window but were remade in the Victorian period and placed in their present position on the south side of the sanctuary.

 

Another important window is that in memory of George Leigh Mallory who died on Mount Everest in 1924.  The church has had a long connection with the Mallory family and there are numerous windows and memorial plaques to the family throughout the church.

 

 

Other items of note include the font which is a composite structure of a Victorian font on a pedestal from a medieval water stoop on an inverted Tudor font.  On the northern wall of the church can still be seen a medieval mural which appears to depict St. George slaying a recumbent dragon.  The other depictions are unfortunately less clear.

 

At the west end there is a Ringer Gallery which opens onto the church and which has a Jacobean carved rail dedicated to John Baguley and Henry Burges who were Churchwardens in 1693.

 

The organ chamber was built to accomodate an organ that was the property of Sir Charles Hallé and which once stood in the Manchester Free Trade Hall.  That instrument was replaced in the 1950's by another pipe organ which was itself replaced by the three manual electronic Phoenix organ present today.

 

Exterior features include the village stocks, a 13th century ‘Consecration’ cross cut in the stonework by the south door, and a ‘scratch’ sun dial to the right of the south door.  The south side of the church is also graced by an ancient Yew tree.

Powered by Church Edit