Listed Building: CHURCH OF ST WERBURGH (1108973)

'This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 30 March 2022 to update text and reformat to current standards SK 45 NW 12/49 PARISH OF BLACKWELL CHURCH HILL (South Side) Church of St Werburgh 8.7.66 GV II Parish church. 1824-7 by Daniel Hodkin, rebuilt except for tower 1878-9 by J B Mitchell-Withers, re-using some earlier fragments. Tooled ashlar with plain ashlar dressings and slate roofs with stone coped gables plus ridge cross to chancel gable. West tower, three bay nave with south porch and single bay chancel with north vestry. Three stage tower has deep plinth, wide band between first and second stage with narrower band over, and plain sill band to bell stage. First stage has double chamfered pointed west door with plaque over inscribed 'Rebuilt AD 1824 J Gill and Adlington Church Wardens', and pointed Y-tracery window above. Clockfaces to all except east side to second stage and pointed louvred, Y-tracery bell openings over. Stepped eaves band and embattled parapets with crocketed corner pinnacles. Nave and chancel with continuous chamfered sill band. North nave elevation has three pointed three-light windows with assorted geometric and intersecting tracery below wide bracketed eaves. To east, a gabled vestry with ogee headed single light window to west, pointed two-light cusped ogee traceried window to north and pointed chamfered doorcase to east. Chancel has three-light geometric traceried pointed window with returned hoodmould to east and cusped ogee headed single light window to south. Buttresses between nave and chancel, nave south elevation similar to north elevation plus gabled porch to west with pointed doorcase below ridge cross. Below central window there are two attached early C18 tombstones with incised decoration, to Elizabeth Sampton and her son. Interior has tall double chamfered chancel arch with soffit on moulded column corbels, small pointed doorcase into tower and pointed arch into north vestry from chancel. Plain late C19 fittings including octagonal stone font. One re-set C12 column to north wall and a C9 cross shaft in the porch. Several re-set monuments in the tower, one c1780 with shouldered architrave on moulded consoles to Lucy Boot, similar to Ann Wilkinson, who died 1762 and slate and white marble wall memorial to Stephen Wilkinson, died 1793 signed 'An Ince Maton'. Similar mid C19 memorial and one early C19 charity plaque. Listing NGR: SK4439858404'