July 2024
West Door of St. Giles of Cheadle
St Giles was designed by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812- 1852) and is considered his most splendid work. This Gothic Revival wonder was created by the same man who created the interiors of the House of Parliament.
St. Giles was originally to be a modest-sized parish church sufficient for the Catholic population of Cheadle. As it took shape, it continued to grow.
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The encaustic tile floor of St. Giles of Cheadle
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The pews of the nave are made of elm from Lord Shrewsbury’s estate.
The piers, arch molding, and upper walls are entirely covered with stenciling, a feature that was not part of the original scheme but one of the many alterations that took place as the building progressed.
The sedilia are marked for the priest, deacon, and subdeacon at High Mass. Normally, they would be all on one level, but Pugin reverted to the medieval arrangement.
The stenciling behind the sedilia
The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament
Doom painting over the chancel arch
Doom is a representation of the Last Judgement. The Doom was painted on canvas in Rome by Eduard Hauser.
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The rood screen marks the separation between the faithful and the sacrifice.
St Giles was a seventh-century French abbot widely venerated in England and France.