St Edith's Church, Shocklach

St Edith's Church, Shocklach
St Edith's Church, Shocklach, from the southwest
St Edith's Church, Shocklach Location in Cheshire
Coordinates: 53°02′45″N 2°50′56″W / 53.0459°N 2.8490°W / 53.0459; -2.8490
OS grid reference	SJ 431 502
Location	Shocklach, Cheshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St Edith, Shocklach
History
Dedication	St Edith
Architecture
Status	Parish church
Functional status	Active
Architectural type	Church
Style	Norman
Groundbreaking	c. 1150
Completed	1926
Specifications
Materials	Red sandstone, slate roof
Administration
Parish	Shocklach
Deanery	Malpas
Archdeaconry	Chester
Diocese	Chester
Province	York
Clergy
Vicar(s)	Rev Jane Stephenson
Laity
Reader(s)	David Black

St Edith's Church, Shocklach, stands at the end of an isolated lane running toward the River Dee about 1 mile (2 km) to the north of the village of Shocklach, Cheshire, England. It is a small Norman church, and is one of the oldest ecclesiastical buildings in Cheshire. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building and its simple Norman work is considered to be unique in Cheshire. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Malpas. Its benefice is combined with that of St Mary, Tilston.

The church was built probably about 1150 by Thomas de Shocklach. As the church is dedicated to Saint Edith of Wilton, an Anglo-Saxon saint, it is thought that an earlier church may have stood on the site. The chancel and chancel arch date from the early 14th century. In the 17th century the west wall of the nave was restored and altered to provide a small baptistry between two buttresses. The ceiling was added in 1813 and the belfry was built in 1815. Victorian restoration was carried out in 1878 when a new wooden floor was inserted, raising its level by some 12 inches (30 cm) to 18 inches (46 cm). The churchyard was extended in 1905, and again in 1922. In 1926 the vestry was rebuilt to the north of the chancel. During a restoration in 1974 a semicircular window was added to the west wall. To celebrate the 2000 Millennium, a new stained glass window designed by the pupils of Shocklach Primary School was installed in the north wall of the nave.