St Edith's Church, Shocklach

St Edith’s Church stands at the end of a quiet lane near the River Dee, about two kilometres north of Shocklach village in Cheshire. A small Norman building, it is one of the oldest churches in the county and is recognised as a Grade I listed structure. The church is dedicated to Saint Edith of Wilton, an Anglo-Saxon saint, suggesting an earlier place of worship may have existed on the same spot. Thomas de Shocklach is thought to have built the present church around 1150. Its simple plan includes a nave, a small baptistry at the west end, and a chancel with a vestry to the north. The church’s history is visible in its many phases of change. The chancel and its arch date from the early 14th century, while the west wall was restored in the 17th century to add the baptistry. A ceiling was added in 1813 and a belfry in 1815, followed by Victorian restoration in 1878 that raised the floor. A stained glass window made by pupils of Shocklach Primary School was installed in 2000. The churchyard has been extended twice, in 1905 and 1922, and the vestry was rebuilt in 1926. Inside, the nave has a curved plaster ceiling with rosettes and a round chancel arch of medieval work. The pews date from 1697, the altar rails from the late 18th century, and the font has seven sides. On the north wall is a carved stone showing a figure on horseback, its meaning debated among experts. Outside, the churchyard holds part of a medieval cross with a missing head and the war grave of a soldier from the First World War. Nearby stands a restored stable from about 1700, adding to the quiet charm of the place.