St Mary's Church has stood on this spot for hundreds of years. Churches of that name are almost always over 1,000 years old and located near to a Roman Road. We can certainly confirm such a road through Tilston.
The church has had many periods of restoration and building to reflect the faith and care of the community. Much of the church shows signs of a Victorian restoration by the famous architect John Douglas. However, you can see in the Chancel arch, and in parts of the north and south walls, signs of the older church, including some very old stained glass.
The stained glass over the altar is 19th Century. It was placed there by Lord Stanley of Alderley, who owned land around Tilston, a few years after he had converted to Islam. The flower patterns in those windows show signs of Islamic design.
The Leche Chapel (previously called the Stretton chapel, or the Wright Oratory - an oratory being a place where prayers are offered for the dead) was built in the 17th Century without permission during the Civil War. A retrospective faculty was granted when Charles II returned to the throne. The Chapel has a beautifully vaulted crypt under the floor for the repository of the bones of the former owners of Stretton Hall.
The oldest part of the church is the Tower, a 15th Century construction. Much of the older stone, especially in the upper parts of the Tower, shows its age, and the gargoyles on the corners of the Tower are original. There is a niche over the door which would almost certainly have contained a statue of Mary, but it was no doubt removed during the reign of Henry VIII or during Cromwell's Commonwealth.
“If anybody would like to expand to this series please contact Sadexploration at churchmicro@gmail.com so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication. There is also a Church Micro Stats & Information page found via the Bookmark list”