Holy Cross Church, Woodchurch

The church is built in stone. The roofs are of slate with copper covering the latest additions to the church. Its plan consists of a nave with north and south aisles, a chancel, vestry and south porch. The tower is in two stages, the lower stage being very high. At the northwest and southwest corners of the tower are massive stepped buttresses. To its southeast is a square stair turret. Its top is embattled. In the porch is a shallow piscina[2] and grooves said to be caused by the sharpening of arrows.[3] The windows in the porch contain some medieval stained glass.[6][7] The north wall of the nave is Norman and the chancel inclines to the north.[6] Built into the wall of the chancel is a Saxon wheel cross.[3] The chancel also contains old stained glass.[7]

On the north wall of the chancel are three 17th-century wooden epitaph panels containing the coats of arms of local people painted by Randle Holme.[8] The wooden carved bench ends in the chancel date from the 15th century. At the back of the church is a charity board dated 1741.[3] On the west wall are old bread shelves dated 1641 and 1670.[8] On the west wall of the south aisle are the remnants of a Jesse window by Kempe which was damaged by a bomb in 1941 and restored in 1945.[3] The octagonal font dates from the late 15th century and includes carvings of angels and scenes from the Passion. The floor contains some medieval encaustic tiles.[6] The rood screen, designed by Bernard A. Miller and carved by Alan Durst, was added in 1934. The south window of the chancel is by Kempe, and is dated 1875. A processional cross dated 1937 was carved in ivory by Alan Durst. In the chancel is a monument by W. Spence to Margaret Hughes who died in 1802.[9] The parish registers begin in 1571.[6] There is a ring of eight bells which were cast in 1971 by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry.[10] It is said to be one of the lightest rings in Britain.[3]

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  Chancel showing bench ends
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  Hocknell epitaph panel
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  Alan Durst's rood screen
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  Kempe's reconstructed Jesse window
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  East window