St John the Evangelist Ashton Hayes
St John's became a separate parish in 1849. In that year the church was built to a design by E. H. Shellard of Manchester at the expense of William Atkinson. A vestry was added and the chancel was altered in 1900 by Douglas and Minshull, and in 1932 a north chapel by Theodore Fyfe was added.
The church is built in ashlar buff sandstone and has a Lakeland green slate roof. Its plan consists of a four-bay nave and a two-bay chancel, a north aisle with a chapel at its east end, a south porch and a vestry. At the west end is a tower with a spire. The tower is in three stages on a plinth, with diagonal buttresses, plain bands at each floor, and an embattled parapet. A stair turret projects at the northeast corner. On the west side of the tower is a three-light window. A clock in is in the second stage and above this are three-light louvered bell openings. The spire is recessed with lucarnes at the expense of William Atkinson. A vestry was added and the chancel was altered in 1900 by Douglas and Minshull, and in 1932 a north chapel by Theodore Fyfe was added.
The churchyard contains a war grave memorial erected by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to a Cheshire Regiment soldier of World War II.
I will endevour to find more information about this beautiful church when I next pass it and have a spare moment.
“If anybody would like to expand to this series please do, I would just ask that you could let Sadexploration know first at churchmicro@gmail.com so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication. There is also a Church Micro Stats & Information page found via the Bookmark list”