Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bowdon
| Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bowdon | |
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Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bowdon, from the southwest
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 Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bowdon
Location in Greater Manchester
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| Coordinates: 53°22′41″N 2°21′52″W / 53.3781°N 2.3644°W | |
| OS grid reference | SJ 758 868 |
| Location |
Bowdon, Altrincham, Greater Manchester |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | St Mary, Bowdon |
| History | |
| Dedication | Virgin Mary |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 12 July 1985 |
| Architect(s) | W. H. Brakspear |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Completed | 1860 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Sandstone, slate roof |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Bowdon |
| Deanery | Bowdon |
| Archdeaconry | Macclesfield |
| Diocese | Chester |
| Province | York |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar(s) | Ian Rumsey |
| Laity | |
| Reader(s) | John Fenton |
| Director of music | Michael Dow |
| Organist(s) | Roger Bryan |
| Churchwarden(s) | Will Tyler, Ann Ford, Susan Redford, Ian Scott-Dunn |
The Church of St Mary the Virgin is in the village of Bowdon near Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Bowdon.
The presence of a church on the site was noted in the Domesday Book. It is likely that a new church was built in the 14th century and remodelled in the 16th century. The church was completely rebuilt between 1858 and 1860 by W. H. Brakspear, although the 16th-century roofs of the aisles were retained and incorporated into the new structure.
The church is built in pink sandstone with a slate roof. Its plan consists of a west tower, a six-bay nave with clerestory, north and south aisles, north and south transepts, and a chancel with an organ loft and vestry on the north side, and a chapel on the south. The tower is in four stages and has diagonal buttresses, ornate clock faces, four-light belfry openings, gargoyles, and its top is castellated. The aisles and clerestory are also castellated. The transepts have corner pinnacles.
The 16th-century roofs of the aisles are camber beam in type and are elaborately carved with bosses and coats of arms. The nave roof is hammerbeam in type. In the north transept is an altar table from the early 18th century and a chest dated 1635. The sanctuary chairs are Jacobean and a 15th-century octagonal font has been placed in the north aisle.
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