Prestbury
- Part II
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The Norman Chapel in the
churchyard ...
... was built on the site
of an earlier Saxon building, possibly timber framed. It dates,
according to the booklet available in the church, from the reign
of Richard the First, Coeur de Lion (1190-99). The walls and roof
suggest it has been rebuilt at times but probably not remodelled.
A tablet inscribed in Latin high on the gable records one rebuilding
in 1747 by Sir William Meredith.
Whatever the status of walls
and roof there seems little doubt that the doorway at least is
original. The local sandstone has lost much of the detail in the
carvings due to atmospheric pollution (acid rain). The seven figures
ranged above the arch are said to be (from L to R); a warrior
figure with battleaxe; Richard I; Jesus, at the right hand of
God the father with a dove symbol of the Holy Ghost; St Peter;
a priest with staff. The two outer figures representing military
and ecclesiastical authority within the County Palatine the whole
can be read as "In the name of the Blessed Trinity, this
chapel dedicated to St Peter, was built by the abbot and monks
of St Werburgh in the reign of Richard I, when Randle Blundeville
was Earl of Chester". There were probably few able to read,
outside the church and nobility in those times but the symbolism
would have been sufficient.
Adjacent stands the remains
of an eighth century Saxon cross reconstituted from pieces found
in the wall of the chancel during renovations in 1841.
The west entrance to the
church, under the tower which probably dates from late fifteenth
century ...
....
... where, unusually, the
porch combines its purpose with that of War Memorial. 'Their name
liveth for ever more' is the inscription on the beam of the arrestingly
decorated ceiling. The names of the fallen are displayed inside
the church.
The main body of the church
and one of the magnificent candelabra. Between the arches are
paintings of the 12 apostles and the 12 tribes of Israel, executed
in 1719 by an itinerant painter for a sum of 32 pounds sterling.
There are many interesting features about the church that could
fill many pages but I'll take pity on my weary reader.
Opposite the Lych Gate stands
the old Priest's House, occupied, for some years now, by National
Westminster Bank ...
... and under the churchyard
wall, the village stocks awaiting their next malefactor.
Like Macclesfield, Prestbury
clings to the banks of the Bollin; showing here a good flow but
quite a bit short of being a spate.
The village east of the
Bollin also has good restaurants and the village's local ...
....
... The Rodney; while the
other pub, the Legh Arms, concentrates more on its restaurant
which holds its own with the many eateries gathered here.
This lovely old building
is in Pearl Street behind The Rodney. The stone plaque built into
the wall reads 'Rodger Brooks and then his wife Erected this house
In the 24 yeare of his Life Ano Dom 1686'.
As well as having historic
and interesting buildings, Prestbury is generally scenic; particularly
in the spring and autumn when the well-tended gardens and the
many trees show off their finery.
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