Parish Church

A Short History of Saughall Parish Church

The Church in Saughall before 1895

Although Saughall has an Anglo-Saxon name and was a small but thriving settlement before the Domesday Book was compiled in 1086, there was no church building in the village until the nineteenth century when the Methodists, the Church of Christ and the welsh Calvinists all built chapels.

For Church of England worship, however, it was still necessary to journey to the ancient church of St. Michael in Shotwick, where there are many memorials to Saughall people to be found. When the church of St. Bartholomew’s in Sealand was built in 1867, some Saughall Anglicans went there to worship, even though this church was in another Diocese and in another country, albeit part of the same Anglican Communion.

A Church is Built (1895-1911)

The 1891 census revealed that the combined population of Great Saughall and Little Saughall had reached 800 and the building of a parish church in the village was considered. A site at the south end of Saughall Green was donated by the Trelawny family and on July 31^st 1895 the foundation stone was laid by the Hon. Mrs Trelawny of Shotwick House.

All Saints Church was designed by the Manchester architect J Medland Taylor and includes several of his well known architectural eccentricities in its unusual design. According to his plans and ‘schedules’ produced in 1894 it would consist of Nave, apsidal Chancel, north Side Aisle…with low Tower over westerly part of the Chancel, West Baptistery, Organ Chamber and heating cellar. There would be seating in ‘pews or seats’ for 204 in the nave, 19 in the chancel and 135 in the side aisle, making a total of 358 seats in the church for a village of 800 people! The total estimated cost came to £1,288.

The first stage of the church building, comprising nave, baptistery and south porch and built of fiery Ruabon brick, was used for worship from September 1896 and had its first celebration of Holy Communion on November 22^nd 1896, attended by 29 communicants. The incomplete church was consecrated on October 23^rd 1901 by Bishop Jayne of Chester, even though it remained a Chapel-of-ease to Shotwick and not a parish church in its own right.

On October 7^th 1909 a Faculty was granted for the enlargement and completion of the church, stating that Such enlargement is desirable on account of the increase in population of the Township of Great Saughall and for the more seemly conduct of Divine Worship and the convenience of the Worshipper. The Vernon Family, who had bought the Shotwick Park Estate from the Trelawnys in 1906, offered to pay for the completion of the east end (chancel, sanctuary, organ chamber, vestry and spire) if the parishioners would meet the cost of the north aisle (later to be used for the first time in 1938 as a side chapel for communion and subsequently known as a ‘lady chapel’). The completed church was consecrated by the Bishop of Chester on January 4^th 1911.

Many of the church furnishing was given by the Vernon Family over several years, Thomas Thorneycroft Vernon, third son of the first baronet, giving the fine Poyser organ and crypt and commissioning the painting by Herman Salomon R.A. on the ceiling of the sanctuary apse. However, the church remained a Church-of-ease to Shotwick since there was insufficient money to establish Saughall as a separate parish.

The Benefice of All Saints, Saughall (1919 onwards)

In 1911 the above mentioned Colonel T.T. Vernon died tragically young and bequeathed money and property to the church in order that a benefice might be established, All Saints become a parish church and have its own parish priest appointed. Colonel Vernon left The Cottage (formerly Saughall Manor House) to be developed as a vicarage, and next door Pear Tree Cottage was sold to raise money to part finance the new benefice. The parish, taken from the ancient parish of Shotwick, consisted of Great Saughall (except for Parkgate Road west of Powey Lane), Little Saughall and Shotwick Park.

In 1921 the benefice of All Saints, Great Saughall was constituted by an Order in Council and the trustees of Colonel Vernon’s estate appointed the first Vicar of the new parish, after which the patronage of the living was given to the Bishop of Chester. Between 1922 and the start of the new millennium there have been only 7 vicars spanning 90 years:

Stewart Jasper Marston 1922 – 1932

Edward L. Bond 1932 – 1951

J. Williams 1951 – 1954

Sidney Dawson 1954 – 1958

Geoffrey Robinson 1958 – 1995

David Hay 1996 – 2003

Brian Harris 2004 – 2012

Dave Nugent 2013 – 2017

Steve Mansfield 2018 –

In September 1998, the Parochial Church Council launched an Appeal to provide improved facilities inside the Church by re-ordering the whole of the north aisle. Over £100,000 was raised and architect Graham Holland produced plans for a weather proof north aisle roof, wheelchair access, a disabled friendly toilet, kitchen, large meeting room, crèche and storage facilities. All these were dedicated by the Archdeacon of Chester, Christopher Hewetson, on September 9^th 2001, and mark a new direction in the life of the Parish Church in Saughall. Please add your prayers to all those longing for the growth of God’s Kingdom in this village of Saughall – and throughout the world.

Special thanks are due to Mr Eric Lowe for much of the research and information which form the basis of this church history.