St Mary's Church, Lymm

St Mary’s Church stands on a raised bank beside Lymm Dam, overlooking the water and the village green. Built of buff sandstone, it is a Grade II listed building and remains an active parish church in the diocese of Chester. The present structure dates from 1850–52, when John Dobson of Newcastle designed the nave and aisles after the older 15th-century fabric was removed. Later additions came from John Douglas in the 1870s, including an organ chamber and reredos, while the tower was rebuilt by J. S. Crowther between 1888 and 1890. The church contains a range of architectural details spanning several centuries. The chancel has a panelled ceiling, and the transepts still hold galleries added by Douglas. A 1623 pulpit and an octagonal font from the 1660s survive, along with a 1322 ogee-headed tomb recess moved from the earlier church. Stained glass includes work by David Evans, Wailes, Kempe and Shrigley and Hunt, while sgraffiti on the walls bear dates of 1883 and 1906. Memorials commemorate local families such as the Leighs of Oughtrington Hall and the Fox family, and the churchwardens’ staves date from the early 19th century. Outside, the churchyard holds war graves for twelve service personnel from the two world wars. Inside, an electronic organ by Hugh Banton replaced the earlier Forster and Andrews instrument in 2005, and a ring of eight bells was cast in 1891 by John Taylor and Company. Parish registers kept here trace Lymm’s inhabitants back to the Reformation, including notable families like the Booths.