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| St. Giles in late afternoon, August 2003 | ||
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| The West Gallery, Sept 2021 |
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| St. Giles in late afternoon, August 2003 | ||
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| The West Gallery, Sept 2021 |
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| The Organ, Sept 2021 | East Window, Sept 2021 |
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| St. Giles the Abbot, Sept 2021 | The font, Sept 2021 | |
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| The fountain just below the church, Feb 2014 | Ceiling of the Nave, St. Giles the Abbot Oct 2003 | |
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| The spire of St. Giles (Catholic church) Feb 2014 | Street scene, Feb 2014 | |
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| Pugin church from the Market Cross in 2003 | Alternative view from the sunnier side | |
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| Millennial Armillary Sphere in 2003 | Cumberland House in 2003 | |
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| Floral bollard cover, 2021 | Bear with a daisy crochet work, 2021 | |
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| Toadstool theme, 2021 | Bee hive themed bollard cover, 2021 |
When I visited the Anglican church of St. Giles the Abbot in October 2003, it had just reopened after refurbishment. A neat partition has been placed across the back of the nave, under the west gallery, to give a meeting room and kitchen so that the building can be used more readily for parish events. The changes are very pleasing and do not detract from the overall balance of the church. The nave is light and lofty with a stunning red ceiling. The church itself is not ancient, being built in 1837-9 to the design of J. P. Pritchett. It formerly had three galleries but now only the west gallery remains. The original church was closer to the road on the same site. The church is not easy to photograph as it is on an eminence and the south side has many mature trees blocking the view.
Cheadle is perhaps best known for its Roman Catholic church, St. Giles, built by Pugin between 1841 and 1846. The church was funded by the Earl of Shrewsbury, from the Catholic family at nearby Alton. If you like Victorian Gothic Revival, this is the place to see it at its height, but on my visits so far I have not been able to photograph the interior. The steeple of St. Giles is so tall that one is forced to stand well back to photograph it and then other buildings intrude.
On my visit in 2021, under Covid restrictions, it was amusing to see the many bollard cosies made by knitting or crochet work, which gave locals and visitors a smile.
The Buildings of England, Staffordshire, by Nikolaus Pevsner, Penguin, 1974, ISBN 0 14 071046 9
1.0 Strict 