St John the Evangelist's Church, Sandiway

St John the Evangelist’s Church stands in the village of Sandiway, Cheshire, beside the older settlement of Cuddington. It is an active Anglican church designed by John Douglas, who was born in Sandiway and donated the land. The building is made of red sandstone with a Lakeland slate roof and includes a four-bay nave, a three-bay chancel, a south porch, a vestry and a west tower. The tower has three stages, diagonal buttresses and an embattled parapet with strip pilasters rising to the top. A projecting stair turret on the south side leads to a door at the second stage. The church is worth visiting for its fine craftsmanship and history. Douglas designed most of the furnishings, including the stone sedilia in the chancel and the choir stalls carved with poppyheads and angels. The pulpit shows carved scenes, and a ceramic plaque by Della Robbia Pottery of Birkenhead hangs inside. Early 20th-century stained glass by Lavers, Barraud and Westlake fills the windows, and the organ was built in 1903 by Wadsworth. The lych gate, also by Douglas, stands near the entrance and is listed at Grade II. Inside, the nave combines Perpendicular style with Decorated elements elsewhere. The tower’s west window has three lights, and the stair turret’s door leads up to the second stage. The church’s furnishings and fittings reflect Douglas’s skill and the work of local craftsmen. Visitors find a quiet place of worship with fine stonework, carved wood and colourful glass set against the red sandstone walls.