July 2024
It is often difficult to travel long distances and visit building after building and not have them run together. Then there is someone or something that makes the place, special and something you know you will remember for a very long time. Canon Paul Greenwall is the Vicar of Hoar Cross and he made this visit special.
Holy Angels of Hoar Cross is a classic Victorian Church. Its Gothic style, with its painted arches and rich carvings, is classic for an Anglican church as it was considered proper for the times.
The building is made of sandstone from Alton, Runcorn, and Bromsgrove and was designed by G. F. Bodley and Thomas Gardner.
The church was built by Emily Charlotte Meynell Ingram (sister of Charles Wood, 2nd Viscount Halifax) in memory of her young husband, Hugo Francis Meynell Ingram, who died in May 1871.
Vicar Greenwall in front of the tomb of Hugo Meynell Ingram
The tomb of Emily Charlotte Menell Ingram
The high altar faces south rather than east to allow light to flood in and illuminate the stone carving. The reredos (the gold screen you see way in the back) is a mass of stone angels and archangels supported by figures of bishops, apostles, and saints.
The organ was built by Bishop and Son and uses parts from an older organ from Bangor Cathedral. The case was designed by Canon Sutton and made by Farmer and Brindley. During Mrs. Meynell Ingram’s lifetime, children from the Orphanage were trained to sing in the choir to improve their chances of getting a job when they grew older.
Mrs. Meynell Ingram collected religious artifacts as she traveled around the world on her yacht, the Ariadne. On a visit to Antwerp in 1896, she saw the Stations of the Cross in St. Paul’s Cathedral. She commissioned wood carvers Boeck and De Wint to copy them, and once they were delivered, she had them covered in gold leaf.
The carved canopy of the Font is of the East Anglican type, richly painted and tall. It was made in the 1890s by John McCulloch of London.
The Vicar was exceptionally proud of the vestments that Mrs. Meynell Ingram collected in her travels and was more than happy to share them with us. The above is from France and is very rare. The following are rare but still worn today on special occasions and come from countries across the continent.
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The pews set aside for the livery boys.
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The choir loft
A sample of the lovely tile floor
Mrs. Meynell Ingram lived in an opulent home now a hotel and spa.
The Vicar’s enthusiasm, adoration and love of the church made this visit exceptionally special.