St Boniface's Church, Bunbury

St Boniface’s Church stands in the centre of Bunbury, a small village in Cheshire. Built mainly in the 14th century from red sandstone, it is one of England’s most important parish churches. The church has a tall west tower, broad nave with aisles, and a narrower chancel. Its exterior shows Perpendicular tracery, battlements and crocketed pinnacles. The north aisle parapet is openwork stone and the south aisle parapet is crenellated. The church contains notable monuments and fittings. Sir Hugh Calveley’s alabaster tomb with ironwork enclosure sits in the chancel. Sir George Beeston’s tomb in the sanctuary records his service against the Spanish Armada at the age of eighty-nine. Painted medieval panels from the 15th century survive along the south wall. Wall paintings, a 1662 font and a 1756 brass chandelier add to the interior. Experts such as Raymond Richards and Simon Jenkins have praised its architecture. Visitors find a spacious nave with carved oak choir stalls and pulpit. The Ridley chapel, added in 1527, holds the only substantial painted medieval screen in Cheshire. Fragments of original stained glass remain in several windows. The churchyard contains a standing effigy of Jane Johnson, returned indoors in the 19th century. The building remains an active place of worship in the diocese of Chester.