Church Heritage Record 609232

5-bay aisled nave, and chancel in one, west tower clasped by the aisles, canted north-west portico.

Nave 22m (75ft) long, 16m (55ft) wide including the aisles.

Prehistoric

A large Neolithic chamber tomb (the Bridestones) stands on the hill to the east of Congleton above the river. There are a number of scattered findspots of flints along the river, and Bronze Age artefacts including a hoard are also known in the town, though none in the immediate vicinity of the site. Stray finds from all these periods are possible.

Roman

Several Roman coins have been found including a 4th-century coin hoard, but little evidence of permanent settlement has been found in the town.

Anglo-Saxon

Domesday Book (1086) notes that Earl Godwin of Wessex (King Harold) held the town, where it is listed as Cogelton. There was therefore an Anglo-Saxon settlement here, though no church or chapel is mentioned.

Norman
William the Conqueror granted the whole of Cheshire to his nephew, who became the 1st Earl of Chester.

Medieval

In the 13th century Congleton belonged to the de Lacy family.  Henry de Lacy, 3rd Earl of Lincoln granted the town its first charter in 1272, enabling it to hold fairs and markets, elect a mayor, form a merchant guild, and also to build a mill, and Congleton became an important centre of textile production, especially leather gloves and lace.

A chapel existed known as Lower or Bridge Chapel, probably a 14th century Oratory thought to have been where the A54 bridge is now. The chapel was built into the foundations of the bridge. At the end of the 16th century it was used for storage. No trace of the bridge or chapel remain. In the late 14th century a chapel was built on the site of St Peter’s. The construction of these chapels may have been as a consequence of the town charter and the subsequent expansion of the settlement, which looked to Astbury as its parish church.

The earliest fabric remaining in the church is in the base of the tower, though underground remains of this Medieval chapel are likely to survive beneath the nave. A disastrous flood of 1451 destroyed a number of buildings, leading to the rebuilding of the town away from the river to the south, around St Peter’s.

Post-Reformation

Congleton became notorious in the 1620s when bear-baiting, as well as cockfighting, were popular sports. The town used money for these sports which it had saved to buy a bible, and it replenished the fund with the income from the increased number of spectators. The story took hold that Congleton sold its bible to pay for a new bear, earning Congleton the nickname “Beartown”.

Congleton had an early Silk throwing mill, built by John Clayton and Nathaniel Pattison in 1753. There is a monument to Pattison in the south aisle More mills followed, and cotton was also spun, leading to growing wealth and population.

After the Reformation the church continued to be used as a chapel-of- ease to the parish church at Astbury. However as industrialised production gained momentum and the population increased, the town felt the need for more space.  They wrote to the Bishop Chester saying it was old, decayed and too small, and in 1740 the decision was taken to demolish and rebuild the church rather than try and expand it.

The Bishop’s letter of 1742 indicates enlarging the church 6 yards north into the churchyard. The nave and chancel was therefore demolished and replaced with a typical preaching box of a nave and chancel in one with box pews and galleries, however the old tower was retained. The architect / builder was William Baker of nearby Audlem (died 1771, buried in Audlem St James churchyard). The tower was heightened with a somewhat Gothick Perpendicular belfry stage in 1786.  

19th Century

In 1839-40 Joshua Radford extended the galleries at the west end by one bay on each side of the tower, and a porch was added on the south side at the west end.  Tightly packed raked seating was inserted in these spaces, often referred to as “paupers pews”. The ICBS would have insisted on them being free, unlike the best seats elsewhere in this building. Clearly space was at a premium at this time. The ICBS records state this work, which they supported with a grant, was “for enlarging side galleries, fixing benches and pews in aisles and pews under belfry”. It can be seen from the ground plan that Radford added a storey each side of the tower to achieve this, and installed staircases, which are still there.

The town continued to prosper and a new town hall was built in 1866, designed in the Gothic style by Edward William Godwin. At this time the mills were converted to fustian cutting. The population continued to increase, and St Peter’s became a parish church for the first time, as other churches were built in the town to cope with the increase.

20th Century

A limited silk ribbon weaving industry survived into the late 20th century. Many mills survive as industrial or residential units. Today there are light engineering factories near the town, although Congleton is now also a dormitory for Manchester and other large towns in the region. The church was restored in 1920 which however left the Georgian interior mostly intact, with a vestry added within the north side and chapel on the south flanking the chancel added in 1940. There were restorations again in 1983, when the pulpit was cut down and made mobile. A further move in 1984 removed the dividers and benches from the front pews to ostensibly create more comfortable and flexible seating spaces, however these now house the piano and serve as space for storing chairs etc.

The  tower is in three stages and forms the most architecturally and archaeologically complex part of the building. The west door has an ogee arch and moulded frame, with 8-panelled divided door. There are lean-to extensions with single narrow round-headed lights, with steep pitched roofs rising against the tower. Theere is a shallow canted Roman Doric column porch at the north-west corner, directly onto the road, and so placed because of the road. Above the doorway is a broad round-headed window with ogee finial. Clock faces to the narrow middle stage. The belfry stage has ogee headed 2-light openings. Crenellated parapet with corner and intermediary pinnacles.

The nave and chancel are under one roof, a typical simple rectangular brick box. The side aisles are full height with two tiers of windows with iron casements, the upper semi-circular headed, the lower segmental headed.

The east end has a 3-light Venetian window (serliana) within a gable, with blind arches to each side. The gabled roof is slated with stone coped gables. The timber structure beneath this is in poor condition.

There is a concrete boiler house half sunk into the ground on the south side, the construction of which entailed the movement of a monument and the reinterment of human remains.

Entering through the main west door, the tower space functions as an internal porch, with the war memorials on the walls. A door on the south side gives access to a small kitchen. On the other side there is a single toilet built into the space under the north staircase, accessible from the north aisle. Stairs give access to the gallery.

The nave is reached through partly glazed double doors. It has a 3-sided gallery with dark-stained fielded panels, Roman Doric columns to galleries with square piers below. The seating consists of a virtually complete set of box pews to nave, aisles and galleries, of the finest quality, with original fittings such as hinges and latches. The pair at the front, with curving sides to the central alley have had their dividers and seating removed in the 1980s, against the advice of the CCC at that time. The space is used to house the piano and for storage. 

The interior is plastered and whitewashed. There are raked “paupers” pews to the west ends of the galleries. These appear to be of low quality in the wood, joinery, and fittings, and are not part of the original scheme as they were added in 1841. Lighting is provided by a fine brass candelabrum from 1748 (visible below), and attractive early 19th-century gas lamps converted for electricity. The floors are of stone slabs, the chancel has blue carpet. The chancel is raised by three steps and has a fine reredos and stained glass, described in detail below. There is a Lady Chapel at the east end of the south aisle.