Prestbury, St Peter's Church 1898

Photo ref: 42616

More about this scene

Prestbury was the mother church of Macclesfield. Its ancient parish, one of the largest in the country, stretched right up to Rainow and Kettleshulme in the hills, north as far as Poynton, and out in the south and west to Bosley and Chelford. Macclesfield town was in the parish of Prestbury until the 19th century, although it had long outgrown its parent. A walk round Prestbury churchyard (especially recommended in crocus time) will leave an outstanding impression of the antiquity of the place, as evidenced by the carved Saxon cross and the little Norman chapel that stand near the church, and of the sheer size of the graveyard which is a reflection of the size of the parish. The windows of the Norman chapel at Prestbury are glazed with a delightful modern series of pictures relating to the following poem: When as a child I laughed and wept, time crept. When as a youth I dreamed and talked, time walked. When I became a full-grown man, time ran. And later as I older grew, time flew. Soon I shall find while travelling on, time gone. Will Christ have saved my soul by then? Amen. This seems a good note on which to finish this book.