St Mary's Church, Coddington

St Mary’s Church stands in the quiet village of Coddington, Cheshire, a Grade II listed building that has served the parish since Saxon times. Built of local sandstone with a grey slate roof, the present church replaced an earlier timber structure in 1833. Designed by John Atkinson, it follows a simple plan of nave and chancel under a single roof, with a small bellcote at the west end. A west porch was added in 1914 as a memorial to Canon F. Royds, who led the parish for nearly fifty years. The churchyard once held a sundial dated 1795, now removed for safekeeping. The church’s interior holds many memorials from the 17th to the 20th centuries. A three-sided altar rail and a 17th-century parish chest survive from the earlier building. Three stained-glass windows by William Wailes and George Frampton recall local families and clergy. A monumental brass marks the Massie family, while the altar and reredos were gifts in 1912. Two historic Bibles, a Breeches Bible and a Bishop’s Bible, rest at the west end. Outside, the churchyard is bordered by low stone walls and mature trees. The west front shows a clock by Joyce of Whitchurch, installed after the First World War. Inside, the west gallery and communion rails from 1833 frame the nave. The simple furnishings and memorials tell the story of a village community over many centuries.