St Mary's Church, Eccleston

St Mary's Church as it appears today is a red sandstone building which dates from the 19th century. It was built between 1897 and 1899 to a design by G. F. Bodley for the 1st Duke of Westminster at a cost of £40,000 (£{{Formatprice|{{Inflation|UK|40000|1899|r=-4}}|0}} today).{{citation | last =Salter | first =Mark | title =The Old Parish Churches of Cheshire | publisher =Folly Publications | year =1995 | location =Malvern | page =35 | isbn =1-871731-23-2 }}{{Inflation-fn|UK|mode=cs2}} The new church was consecrated on Ascension Day 1900.Revd Ian M. Thomas, Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin Eccleston: A Short History ([http://www.ecclestonstmary-chester.org.uk/page3.html online]), access date 24 August 2015

The present building is the third parish church to have been built in Eccleston. It stands some {{convert|100|m|ft}} southwest of the site occupied by its predecessors, which stood in what is known today as the Old Churchyard. A church was certainly in existence in Eccleston in 1188, and in the late 18th century a print was made of a dilapidated medieval church which dates back to the 14th century. The medieval church was entirely replaced in 1809 by one of similar size, built on the site by William Porden for the Earls Grosvenor. A chancel was added in 1853, but by the end of the 19th century the 1st Duke of Westminster decided to replace Porden's church with an entirely new structure. After the new church had been completed, Porden's church was demolished, although the south wall of its nave was retained as a "picturesque feature" and remains in the Old Churchyard.{{NHLE |num= 1138376|desc= Remains of former Church of St Mary, Eccleston|access-date= 13 May 2012|mode=cs2|fewer-links=x}}

The church is built in red ashlar sandstone. Its plan consists of a west tower, a continuous six-bay nave, a chancel with a clerestory, north and south aisles, and north and south porches. A long vestry block projects to the north. The tower has long bell-openings, irregular buttresses and an embattled top. Canopied niches above the south door contain statues.{{Citation | last = Hartwell | first = Clare |last2 = Hyde | first2 = Matthew |last3 = Hubbard | first3 = Edward | author3-link=Edward Hubbard (architectural historian) | last4 =Pevsner | first4 =Nikolaus | author4-link =Nikolaus Pevsner | series= The Buildings of England| title = Cheshire | publisher =Yale University Press| year =2011| orig-year=1971| location =New Haven and London| pages = 352–353| isbn =978-0-300-17043-6 }} The church is considered to be an example of Bodley's mature style anticipating features of Liverpool Cathedral.

St Mary's has a nave with north and south aisles and a South porch. Under the tower in the West is the baptistery with a font.

The east end of the north aisle houses the organ loft and the vestry. There is also a large brass plaque listing those members of the Grosvenor family who were buried in the vault once part of Porden's old church. Their resting place in the northeast part of the Old Churchyard is now marked with a simple memorial and surrounded by a low wall with crosses in the corners.

The organ was built in 1899 by Gray & Davison. It was modified around 1910 by Henry Poyser and further modified in 1984.{{National Pipe Organ Register|id=D08363|mode=cs2|access-date=30 June 2020}}

File:St Mary's Church, Eccleston - geograph.org.uk - 966659.jpg|The high altar

St Mary's Church Eccleston, nave looking south-east.JPG|The nave, looking south-east

File:St Mary's Church Eccleston, north aisle - Grosvenors buried in the old church.JPG|Tablet in the north aisle with list of Grosvenors buried in the old church (now part of the Old Churchyard)

St Mary's Church Eccleston, nave - Grosvenor foundation tablet.JPG|Tablet commemorating the foundation of the church by the 1st Duke of Westminster

The east end of the south aisle, next to the church's chancel, is occupied by the Grosvenor Chapel. Above its altar are the carved figures of Jesus, Saint Augustine and Saint Paulinus.{{Citation | last = Anon.| year = 1977| title = A Guide to the Parish Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Eccleston, Chester| publication-place = Eccleston, Cheshire| publisher = St Mary's Church, Eccleston }}

Separating the Grosvenor Chapel from the church's chancel is a monument to the memory of the 1st Duke of Westminster dated 1901, which consists of a tomb-chest and canopy designed by Bodley with an effigy by Farmer and Brindley, sculpted by Léon-Joseph Chavalliaud. Opposite, on the Grosvenor Chapel's south wall, is a bronze bust to the 2nd Duke as well as a memorials to Captain Lord Hugh William Grosvenor, who was killed in the First World War, the 3rd, 4th and 5th Dukes of Westminster. The Grosvenor Chapel has two accesses: a door to the churchyard and a grille leading into the south aisle.

St Mary's Church Eccleston, Grosvenor Chapel 2.JPG|Grosvenor Chapel, interior

File:St Mary's Church Eccleston, Grosvenor Chapel - Cenotaph for 1st Duke of Westminster.JPG|Cenotaph for the 1st Duke of Westminster

St Mary's Church Eccleston, Grosvenor Chapel - 2nd Duke Memorial.JPG|Memorial to the 2nd Duke of Westminster

St Mary's Church Eccleston, Grosvenor Chapel - 3rd Duke Memorial.JPG|Memorial to the 3rd Duke of Westminster

St Mary's Church Eccleston, Grosvenor Chapel - 4th Duke Memorial.JPG|Memorial to the 4th Duke of Westminster

File:St Mary's Church Eccleston, Grosvenor Chapel - 5th Duke Memorial.JPG|Memorial to the 5th Duke of Westminster

File:Memorial, St Mary's Church Eccleston - geograph.org.uk - 966675.jpg|Memorial to Captain Lord Hugh William Grosvenor

St Mary's Church, Eccleston, Cheshire - exterior Grosvenor Chapel.JPG|Grosvenor Chapel, exterior

St Mary's Church, Eccleston, Cheshire - dedication stone.JPG|Dedication stone on the eastern facade

In the tower there is a ring of eight bells which were cast by John Taylor & Co in 1899.{{citation |url= http://dove.cccbr.org.uk/detail.php?searchString=Eccleston&Submit=++Go++&DoveID=ECCLESTONC |title= Eccleston S Mary |access-date=14 August 2008 |publisher= Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers }}

Under the tower is the baptistry with a font. The font is made from Thessaly marble, and has a lifting oak cover decorated with the carvings of eight saints.

In the baptistry is part of a memorial to the Grosvenor family dated 1624 that has been moved from the old church.

St Mary's Church Eccleston, Baptistery.JPG|View of the Baptistery

St Mary's Church Eccleston, Baptistery - Grosvenor memorial 1624.JPG|Grosvenor memorial (1624) in the Baptistery

St Mary's Church Eccleston, Baptistery - Grosvenor memorial 1894.JPG|Grosvenor memorial (1894) in the Baptistery

St Mary's Church Eccleston, Baptistery - Grosvenor memorial 2003.JPG|Grosvenor memorial (2003) in the Baptistery

File:St Mary's Church Eccleston, nave looking east.JPG|The nave, looking east towards chancel

File:St Mary's Church Eccleston, chancel floor Grosvenor arms.JPG|Floor of the chancel with Grosvenor arms

The authors of the Buildings of England series were impressed by the furnishings of the church, in particular the reredoses by Farmer and Brindley, the chancel screens, the organ case and the bench ends. All the stained glass is by Burlison and Grylls.

File:Gates of St Mary's Church, Eccleston, Cheshire 2.JPG

File:Eastern Elevation - geograph.org.uk - 512406.jpg

St Mary's Church is accessed from Church Road through a set of wrought-iron gates bearing the Duke of Westminster's coat of arms. These gates date from the early 18th century and were originally at Emral Hall, Flintshire. They were made by the Davies Bros. An avenue of lime trees leads from these gates to the south entrance of the church. Most of the enclosure around St Mary's Church is covered by lawns, although the section immediately east of the church and north of the Rectory is used as parish cemetery.

A footpath leads from St Mary's Church past the Old Coaching House to the Old Churchyard, which is about {{convert|100|m|ft}} northeast of the church. The walls and gates between Old Church Lane and the Old Churchyard are Grade II listed.{{NHLE |num= 1138375|desc= Walls and gates between Old Church Lane and the old churchyard, Eccleston|access-date= 13 May 2012|mode=cs2|fewer-links=x}}

File:St Mary's Church Eccleston, Old Churchyard2.JPG

File:St Mary's Church Eccleston, Old Churchyard - old parish church and Grosvenor family graves.JPG]]

File:St Mary's Church Eccleston, Old Churchyard - three Grosvenor graves.JPG, a grandson of the 1st Duke of Westminster]]

File:St Mary's Church Eccleston, Old Churchyard - old parish church and two Grosvenor dukes1.JPG, the 4th Duke and the latter's wife Sally]]

File:Grave of Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster.jpg]]

With its many tall trees, the Old Churchyard has features of a woodland. In its centre are the remains of Porden's old parish church, which consist of a sandstone wall with the lower parts of two windows measuring about {{convert|60|ft|m|0}} long by {{convert|18|ft|m|0}} high. It is designated as a Grade II listed building.

Along the south side of the remaining wall of Porden's old church are the graves of the Dukes of Westminster, other members of the Grosvenor family and their relatives. A square enclosure in the northeast part of the Old Churchyard, now covered with gravel and surrounded by a low wall with crosses in the corners, marks the spot where the Grosvenor family vault was located within Porden's church. The names of those ancestors of the Dukes of Westminster who are interred here are recorded on a brass plaque inside the present church building. The gravestone of Edward George Hugh, Earl Grosvenor (1904–1909), by Detmar Blow and Fernand Billerey, sculpted by Emile Madeline, is a Grade II listed building.{{National Heritage List for England| num=1330222 |desc=Tomb of Edward George Hugh, Earl Grosvenor |grade=II |access-date=4 July 2017|mode=cs2 |fewer-links=yes}}

The churchyard contains ten CWGC registered war graves. Of these, seven are from World War I and three from World War II.{{Citation | url = http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2075409/ECCLESTON%20%28ST%20MARY%29%20CHURCHYARD,%20CHESHIRE| title = Eccleston (St Mary) Churchyard, Chester| access-date = 14 September 2012| publisher = Commonwealth War Graves Commission}} There is also the grave of a Victoria Cross recipient, Alfred Ernest Ind.{{Citation| url = http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/cheshire.htm| title = Grave location for the holders of the Victoria Cross in the County of Cheshire| access-date = 14 September 2012| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120527162824/http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/cheshire.htm| archive-date = 27 May 2012}}

• The Rev. John Gibbons-Longueville, rector of Eccleston 1854 to 1880, and his wife [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Church_Eccleston,_Old_Churchyard_-_grave_of_Rev_John_Gibbons-Longueville.jpg]
• Beatrice Charlotte Elizabeth (née Vesey, died 1876), daughter of 3rd Viscount de Vesci, wife of Lord Richard Grosvenor, brother of the 1st Duke of Westminster [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Church_Eccleston,_Old_Churchyard_-_grave_of_Beatrice_Charlotte_Elizabeth_Grosvenor_(n%C3%A9e_Vesey).JPG]
• Constance Gertrude (née Leveson-Gower, 1834–1880), daughter of the 2nd Duke of Sutherland, wife of the 1st Duke of Westminster [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Church_Eccleston,_Old_Churchyard_-_grave_of_Constance_Gertrude_(n%C3%A9e_Leveson-Gower),_wife_of_1st_Duke_of_Westminster.JPG]
• Lord Robert Edward Grosvenor (1869–1888), son of the 1st Duke of Westminster [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Church_Eccleston,_Old_Churchyard_-_grave_of_Lord_Robert_Edward_Grosvenor_(1869%E2%80%931888).JPG]
• Dora Mina (née Erskine-Wemyss, 1856–1894), wife of Lord Henry George Grosvenor (1861–1914) and mother of the 3rd Duke of Westminster [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Church_Eccleston,_Old_Churchyard_-_grave_of_Dora_Mina_Grosvenor_(n%C3%A9e_Erskine-Wemyss,_1856%E2%80%931894).JPG]
• Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster (1825–1899) [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Church_Eccleston,_Old_Churchyard_-_grave_of_Hugh_Grosvenor,_1st_Duke_of_Westminster_(1825%E2%80%931899).jpg] (ashes, cremated in Woking Crematorium)
• Lord Edward George Hugh Grosvenor (known as Earl Grosvenor, 1904–1909), only son of the 2nd Duke of Westminster [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Church_Eccleston,_Old_Churchyard_-_grave_of_Lord_Edward_George_Hugh_Grosvenor_(1904%E2%80%931909).JPG]
• Richard Grosvenor, 1st Baron Stalbridge (1837–1912), brother of the 1st Duke of Westminster
• Lord Henry George Grosvenor (1861–1914), son of the 1st Duke and father of the 3rd Duke [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Church_Eccleston,_Old_Churchyard_-_grave_of_Lord_Henry_George_Grosvenor_(1861%E2%80%931914).jpg]
• Lord Arthur Hugh Grosvenor (1860–1929), son of the 1st Duke of Westminster [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Church_Eccleston,_Old_Churchyard_-_grave_of_Lord_Arthur_Hugh_Grosvenor_(1860%E2%80%931929).JPG]
• Lord Edward Arthur Grosvenor (1892–1929), son of the 1st Duke of Westminster [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Church_Eccleston,_Old_Churchyard_-_grave_of_Lord_Edward_Arthur_Grosvenor_(1892%E2%80%931929).JPG]
• Lord Gerald Richard Grosvenor (1874–1940), son of the 1st Duke of Westminster [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Church_Eccleston,_Old_Churchyard_-_grave_of_Lord_Gerald_Richard_Grosvenor_(1874%E2%80%931940).JPG]
• Katherine Caroline (née Cavendish, 1857–1941), daughter of the 2nd Baron Chesham, widow of the 1st Duke of Westminster [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Church_Eccleston,_Old_Churchyard_-_grave_of_Katherine_Caroline_(n%C3%A9e_Cavendish),_widow_of_1st_Duke_of_Westminster.JPG]
• Hugh Frederick Grosvenor (1927–1947), son of Robert Arthur "Robin" Grosvenor [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Church_Eccleston,_Old_Churchyard_-_grave_of_Hugh_Frederick_Grosvenor_(1927%E2%80%931947).JPG]
• Robert Arthur "Robin" Grosvenor (1895–1953), son of Lord Arthur Hugh Grosvenor (1860–1929) [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Church_Eccleston,_Old_Churchyard_-_grave_of_Robert_Arthur_Grosvenor_(1895%E2%80%931953).JPG]
• Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster (1879–1953) [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Church_Eccleston,_Old_Churchyard_-_grave_of_Hugh_Grosvenor,_2nd_Duke_of_Westminster.JPG]
• Lady Mary Cavendish Grosvenor (1883–1959), daughter of the 1st Duke of Westminster. She married firstly Henry Crichton, Viscount Crichton (1872–1914), and was the mother of 5th Earl Erne; and secondly, Colonel the Hon. Algernon Francis Stanley (1874–1962), a son of the 16th Earl of Derby [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Church_Eccleston,_Old_Churchyard_-_grave_of_Lady_Mary_Cavendish_Grosvenor_(1883%E2%80%931959).JPG]
• William Grosvenor, 3rd Duke of Westminster (1894–1963) [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Church_Eccleston,_Old_Churchyard_-_grave_of_William_Grosvenor,_3rd_Duke_of_Westminster_(1894%E2%80%931963).JPG]
• Lady Dorothy Alice Margaret Grosvenor (1890–1966), daughter of Lord Henry George Grosvenor (1861–1914) [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Church_Eccleston,_Old_Churchyard_-_grave_of_Dorothy_Alice_Grosvenor_(1890%E2%80%931966).JPG]
• Gerald Grosvenor, 4th Duke of Westminster (1907–1967) [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Church_Eccleston,_Old_Churchyard_-_grave_of_Gerald_Grosvenor,_4th_Duke_of_Westminster.JPG]
• Constance Edwina (née Cornwallis-West, 1876−1970), former wife of the 2nd Duke of Westminster [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Church_Eccleston,_Old_Churchyard_-_plaque_commemorating_Constance_Edwina_(n%C3%A9e_Cornwallis-West,_1876%E2%88%921970).JPG]
• Doris May (née Wignall, 1902–1975), wife of Robert Arthur "Robin" Grosvenor [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Church_Eccleston,_Old_Churchyard_-_grave_of_Doris_May_Grosvenor_(n%C3%A9e_Wignall).JPG]
• Robert Grosvenor, 5th Duke of Westminster (1910–1979) [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Church_Eccleston,_Old_Churchyard_-_grave_of_Robert_Grosvenor,_5th_Duke_of_Westminster.JPG]
• Sally (née Perry, 1909–1990), wife of the 4th Duke of Westminster [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Church_Eccleston,_Old_Churchyard_-_grave_of_Sally_Grosvenor_(n%C3%A9e_Perry,_1909%E2%80%931990).JPG]
• Anne Winifred "Nancy" (née Sullivan, 1915–2003), widow of the 2nd Duke of Westminster [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Church_Eccleston,_Old_Churchyard_-_grave_of_Anne_Winifred_Nancy_(n%C3%A9e_Sullivan),_widow_of_2nd_Duke_of_Westminster.JPG]
• Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster (1951–2016) [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Church_Eccleston,_Old_Churchyard_-_grave_of_Gerald_Grosvenor,_6th_Duke_of_Westminster.jpg]

File:St Mary's Church Eccleston, Old Churchyard - old Grovenor family gravesite1.JPG

Many ancestors of the Dukes of Westminster, including:

• Sir Richard Grosvenor, 1st Baronet
• Sir Thomas Grosvenor, 3rd Baronet
• Richard Grosvenor, 1st Earl Grosvenor
• Robert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess of Westminster
• Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster

A stone tablet in the enclosure (see [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Church_Eccleston,_Old_Churchyard_-_old_Grovenor_family_gravesite_-_plaque.JPG here]) bears the arms of the Grosvenor baronets with the dates 1599 and 1894 and the inscription: "This stone marks the resting place of those members of the Grosvenor family who were buried in a vault under the old church which was demolished in 1900 and who were reinterred in this plot and their names are recorded on the memorial tablet in Eccleston church." As the inscription indicates, the names of those family members buried here are listed on a large brass wall plaque in the north aisle of the church (see [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Mary%27s_Church_Eccleston,_north_aisle_-_Grosvenors_buried_in_the_old_church.JPG here]).

• Alfred Ernest Ind, VC (1872–1916). He served as a Farrier Sergeant in the Boer War, later worked on the estate of the Duke of Westminster and died in 1916.
• Sir Philip Hay, KCVO (1918–1986), Private Secretary to the Duchess of Kent
• Dame Margaret Katherine Hay, DCVO (née Seymour, 1918–1975), Woman of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II, granddaughter of Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster and wife of Sir Philip Hay
• Sir Henry Nelson Clowes, KCVO (1911–1993) and his wife Diana Katherine Kerr (1926–2010), daughter of Major Basil Kerr (1879–1957)
• Major Basil Kerr (1879–1957)

St Mary's Church Eccleston, Old Churchyard - gate.JPG|Gates to the Old Churchyard

St Mary's Church Eccleston, Old Churchyard - grave of Alfred Ernest Ind VC (1872–1916).JPG|Alfred Ernest Ind, VC (1872–1916)

St Mary's Church Eccleston, Old Churchyard - grave of Sir Henry Nelson Clowes (1911–1993) and wife.JPG|Sir Henry Nelson Clowes (1911–1993)

St Mary's Church Eccleston, Old Churchyard - grave of Major Basil Kerr (1879–1957) cropped.JPG|Major Basil Kerr (1879–1957)

File:St Mary's Church Eccleston, Old Churchyard - grave of Sir Philip and Lady Hay.JPG|Sir Philip Hay and Dame Margaret Katherine Hay

St Mary's Church Eccleston, Old Churchyard - grave of Lord Edward George Hugh Grosvenor (1904–1909) location.jpg|Lord Edward George Hugh Grosvenor (1904–1909)

{{Portal|Cheshire}}

• Grade I listed buildings in Cheshire West and Chester
• Grade I listed churches in Cheshire
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• [http://www.thornber.net/cheshire/htmlfiles/eccleston.html Photographs by Craig Thornber]

{{Churches in Cheshire}}

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Eccleston, St Mary's Church

Eccleston, St Mary's Church

Category:Churches completed in 1899

Category:19th-century Church of England church buildings

Category:Gothic Revival church buildings in England

Eccleston, St Mary's Church

Eccleston, St Mary's Church

Category:Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in England

Category:Burial sites of the Grosvenor family

Category:George Frederick Bodley church buildings