St Mary's and St Helen's Church, Neston

St Mary and St Helen’s Church stands in the small town of Neston, Cheshire, on the Wirral peninsula. It is an active Anglican parish church with a Grade II* listing, meaning it is of special historic interest. The church combines the parishes of St Mary’s and St Helen’s, with St Thomas’ Church at Parkgate serving as a chapel of ease. A priest has served Neston since the Domesday Book of 1086. The earliest written record of a church here dates from about 1170, when Ralph de Montalt founded it. The church’s long history is visible in its fabric. During the 19th century, workmen found fragments of pre-Conquest crosses beneath the floor, later identified as Hiberno-Norse or Viking Age. These stones are now displayed at the west end. In the 18th century, disputes arose over the addition of galleries, which damaged the building. By 1871 the church was declared unsafe, so in 1874–75 J. Francis Doyle rebuilt the nave using some Norman materials in Early English style. Inside, the 16th-century octagonal font is where Emma Lyon—later Lady Hamilton—was baptised in 1765. The church contains stained glass by Edward Burne-Jones and Morris & Co., and by Kempe. A ring of eight bells includes four cast in 1731 and four in 1884. Outside, a sundial from 1717 and a hearse house stand in the churchyard. War graves of seven First World War soldiers lie among the gravestones.