General Information
The Church.
John Bird Sumner, Lord Bishop of Chester, consecrated the Church in 1845 and it was built in Henbury at the instigation of Thomas Marsland who acquired Henbury Hall in 1842. At that time the local area contained some pretty unsavoury characters and had “…..long born an evil reputation, and was a colony of poachers and lawless men.” He decided that a church was needed and gave £800 to the building fund, the stained glass windows, a clock for the tower and £1000 to endow the living while his wife funded the organ. The total cost was about £1600.
The bell, weighing 7 cwt. and costing £40.8s, is much older than the Church being about 500 years old and came from a peal in Aldford Parish Church near Chester.
The Church is made of local stone, accommodates 200 and as you can see it occupies a very pleasant semi rural site adjacent to the A537 Macclesfield – Chelford road. Post code SK11 9NN.
See also the Wikipedia entry at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Thomas’_Church,_Henbury
The Church Hall.
The Church Hall was built in 1979 and extended in 1992.
It has 2 committee rooms, a large well equipped kitchen and a sizeable hall with a stage. There are two well lit car parks for people using the Hall.
The hall can accommodate 90 people for a sit down meal, 120 for a buffet, 100 closely seated and has an entertainment licence. It is well utilised and is available for hire at competitive rates. A high speed WiFi is available
Post code SK11 9NN
Contact Mrs. Lesley Brown
Tel :- 07789 744473
E-mail:- lesley-brown@hotmail.co.uk
Publications.
The Parish Church of St. Thomas Henbury and Broken Cross Magazine.
The Church publishes a monthly magazine, which contains information about the Church and its activities, local events, reports from the Parish Council, Henbury Millennium Green Trust and the Henbury Society.
A yearly subscription costs £5.00, which includes delivery in the Macclesfield area.
Individual magazines can be obtained in the Church price 50p each.
A History of the Church of St. Thomas Henbury and Broken Cross.
This is a very informative history of the Church and the surrounding area from the Norman Conquest onwards. It was written by a former Church Warden in 1994 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the building of the Church and contains some fascinating information about its founding and subsequent development up to the present day.
Copies are priced £3.00 and can be obtained from the Vicar.
The St. Thomas Cookery Book.
This entertaining little book again written for the Church’s 150th anniversary contains over 45 recipes contributed by members of the congregation. These are as varied as our congregation and as befitting a rural parish contain a fair proportion of country dishes and folk lore. Whether when “the cockerel goes crowing to bed, he’ll wake up with a wet head” is always correct we do not know but it is part of our folk lore and it and many other sayings are contained in the book.
Copies are priced 50p and can be obtained from the Vicar.
Post Cards.
A range of attractive post cards showing the Church and the surrounding area are available in the Church price 10p.
