Description

COCKSHUTT C.P. SHREWSBURY ROAD
SJ 42 NW
(north-east side)
12/59 Church of St. Simon and
- St. Jude [formerly listed
as Church of St. Helen
27.5.53 (or SS Simon and Jude)]
GV II
Chapel-of-ease, now parish church. 1777 on site of C16 or earlier
chapel; restored 1886. Red brick; slate roofs with coped verges on
carved stone kneelers. Nave; polygonal apsidal chancel and west tower;
south porch and north-east vestry of 1886-7 Tower. In 3 unequal stages,
top stage (belfry) slightly recessed with corner pilasters terminating
in stone pyramids to plain brick parapet; stone pyramids also to centre
of each face. Belfry has round-headed louvred windows on all sides
and round-headed window to second stage on west. Blind roundel to bottom
stage on west and round-headed plank door to south with clock dated
1789 above to second stage. Nave. South side has broad pointed
lancets with gauged heads, one to left and 2 to right of late C19 open
gabled timber porch over late C18 flush-panelled double doors. North
side also has broad lancets in corresponding position; corbelled eaves
cornices to both sides. West wall has round-headed window to either
side of tower and,east wall has narrow chamfered stone lancet inserted
above apse in early C20. Chancel. Late C19 broad stone lancets with
hoodmoulds to east, south-east and north-east faces corbelled eaves
cornice. Polygonal vestry (1887) projecting at 45° angle to north-
east has segmental-pointed cast-iron fixed-light windows to north and
east sides; moulded eaves cornice. Small chimney stack slightly project-
ing at north-east corner of nave. Interior. Crown-post roof in 5
bays to nave, boarded in late C19; ribbed wooden vault to apse probably
also c.1886. Pointed and chamfered chancel arch rests on late C19
corbelled responds carved with foliage decoration; pointed chamfered
doorway to left leads to vestry. No access from nave to tower but
apparently infilled half-arch (probably leading to former gallery) is
visible inside tower. Late C19 benches and octagonal font. Pulpit
installed in 1888 incorporates C17 decorated panelling and has C19 super-
scription around top "Be ye doers of the word not hearers only". Some
C17 rectangular oak panelling also reused as wainscoting to adjacent
wall. Screen (1937) at west end of nave originally stood at east end
around raised chancel. Late C17 or early C18 communion rails with
slender turned balusters, hinged in 3 sections, are also now situated
at west end. Sanctuary has black and white tile floor, alabaster reredos
(1904) and alabaster facing to walls (1912). Stained glass: sanctuary
windows by Kempe (1896) in memory of Charles Backhouse Robinson (died
1894) and family; glass in nave 1894. No monuments of note. Originally
a dependent chapelry of Ellesmere, the church was formerly dedicated
to St. Helen, and did not acquire parochial status until 1868. B.o.E.
p.111; D.H.S. Cranage, The Churches of Shropshire, Part 9 (1908), p.
748; appendix, p. 986.

Listing NGR: SJ4348129220

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26594569

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)