St Mary's Church, Widnes

St Mary’s Church stands on the West Bank in Widnes, a town in Cheshire. It is a Grade II* listed building, meaning it is recognised for its special architectural or historic interest. The church belongs to the Anglican diocese of Liverpool and forms part of the South Widnes Team with two other local churches. It was designed by the Lancaster architects Austin and Paley, who created what has been called their last great church masterpiece. The building sits near the promenade, replacing an earlier church that had been built on unstable ground. The church is worth visiting for its impressive architecture and craftsmanship. The exterior is built from red flecked sandstone with lead roofs on the aisles and Ruabon tiles on the nave. The tower features buttresses and an inscribed frieze of the Te Deum around its top. Inside, the oak furnishings were designed by the same architects, including a font made of Darley Dale stone. The east window holds stained glass by Shrigley and Hunt depicting the Ascension and an Apocalyptic Vision. The organ, built in 1902, was restored and enlarged in the mid-20th century. Visitors find a spacious nave with a clerestory, north and south aisles, and transepts forming a Lady chapel. The north transept contains the organ, while the tower has a projecting octagonal staircase. An octagonal wayside pulpit stands in the boundary wall, also designed by Austin and Paley. The church’s Perpendicular style and careful detailing make it a notable example of early 20th-century ecclesiastical architecture. Its setting near the promenade adds to the quiet dignity of the site.