St Mary's Church, Acton

St Mary’s Church stands in Acton, a village west of Nantwich in Cheshire. The church occupies a site used since before the Domesday Survey and has held Grade I listed status since 1967. Its tower, the oldest in Cheshire, was rebuilt after collapsing in 1757. Inside, old stone seating lines the walls, and the south aisle contains carved stones from the Norman era. Architectural historian Alec Clifton-Taylor chose the church for his list of outstanding English parish churches. A tall 17th-century sundial stands in the churchyard. The church’s history is recorded in the Domesday Book, and its lands were granted to Combermere Abbey in the 12th century. The tower, built around 1180, once reached over 30 metres before the storm damage. The north aisle dates from the late 14th century, while the south aisle and chancel were added early in the 15th. After damage in the Civil War, restorations in the 17th and 18th centuries repaired the interior. In 1897–98, Lancaster architects Austin and Paley refloored and reroofed the church, rebuilt the north wall, and installed heating and new fittings. The church is built in red sandstone with a lead roof and a tower that mixes 13th-century arches with later Gothic Revival upper stages. Inside, the nave has four bays, and the chancel holds a vestry on its north side. Notable fittings include the alabaster tomb of Sir William Mainwaring in the Mainwaring chapel and a marble tomb for the Wilbraham family in the south aisle. Ancient piscinas and a 17th-century screen add to the interior’s character. The churchyard contains a tall sundial converted from a medieval cross, war graves, and the burial place of Crimean War Victoria Cross recipient Thomas Egerton Hale.