Marchwiel Conservation Area Assessment and Management Plan

character in det ail16to mid 19th Century. Openings have both round archedand square heads and a simple pediment is positionedabove the southern entrance.4.8 Inside thereare wide archedopenings to thechancel andtransept. Thesearches rise fromimposts and arecoffered on theunderside. Thepine pews andentrance lobby date from the 19th Century with thelobby incorporating part of the 18th Century entrancescreen. The Church containssome exceptional stainedglass including a 21 panedwindow signed "Fr Eginton"detailing heraldry relatingto the Edisbury, Yorke andCust families. The windowdated 1788 also displays aninscription commemoratingthe rebuilding of the churchin 1778. A fine collection of18th and 19th Century wallmemorials to the Yorkefamily are also retained.4.9 The Church lies within substantial grounds boundedto the south by impressive grade II listed walls, gatepiers, railings and gatesbelieved to becontemporary with theGeorgian church. The wallsconsist of large, yellowsandstone ashlar blockssurmounted by cast ironrailings of a simple, plaindesign. There are twomatching gateways into theChurchyard at the east andwest sides. Here the wallcurves in a quadrant formtowards the gatewayswhich have primary and secondary monolithic circularstone piers with low domed caps. The gates are cast ironin a matching simple, plain design. A cast iron bracketrising from the top of the primary piers supports a largecast iron lamp. This boundary, visible from the mainroute through and into the village, contributessignificantly to the prominence of the Church.4.10 Large trees, remnant of the historical ruralcharacter of this part of the Conservation Area, line theChurchyard boundaries to the north, east and westframing views of the Church from the south andscreening the more modern developments that lie to therear.4.11 Facing west and orientated diagonally away fromthe Church are numbers 1 and 4 Bates Cottages. Theproperties date from the mid 19th Century and arenamed after the Bates family who funded theirconstruction andlived nearby atthe Old Rectoryon WoodhouseLane. Formerlycomprising a rowof 4 cottages,they have sincebeen combinedand enlarged toform 2 separatedwellings but and the original 4 bay symmetrical plan isstill visible with larger gablets to the end cottages andsmaller gablets to the inner cottages. Poorly matchedbrick infilling make the former door openings to numbers2 and 3 an unfortunate prominent feature. Originaldetailing includes decorated bargeboards to the gabletsand side elevations, pointed timber finials andpolychromatic brickwork, to decorate the cottages in theform of window heads, diamond motifs on the sideelevations and quoins to the chimney stacks provide anattractive and distinctive contrast to the common redbrick. Number 1 has been sympathetically extended tothe side.4.12 To the north of the cottages lies Piercy Hall, namedafter Benjamin Piercy who lived at Marchwiel Hall in thelate 19th Century. The hall was erected in the early 20thCentury and is of red brick construction with a red plaintile roof. Thebuilding is of astandardutilitarian designwith littlearchitecturalmerit. The mainaccess to the Hallis now via PiercyAvenue althoughthe historicalpedestrian access between Bates Cottages and StoneCottages remains.4.13 The Red Lion public house sits opposite to BatesCottages. The contrasting black and white paintedrender of the pub, the orientation and detailing to BatesCottagesand thecurvatureof the roadcombine toprovidevisualinterestand createintimacywithin thestreetscape helping give the Conservation Area a sense ofplace.4.14 The public house, originally of brick construction,has since been rendered obscuring much of the original