A few months ago, I wrote about the life and work of priest, missionary and beekeeper, William Charles Cotton, who was Vicar of Frodsham between 1857 and his death in 1879.

During his time in Frodsham, Cotton was responsible for the renovation of St Laurence Church, as well as the building of the Iron Church on Main Street.

There is a very interesting book on the subject, written by local schoolteacher and historian Arthur R Smith, which tells us all about how St Laurence's would have looked before its restoration.

St Laurence is of Norman origin, with some original arches still visible today.

A reference in the Domesday Book to a priest and church housed in its Overton location suggests that elements of the building could date back to as early as 1086.

The main framework of the church as we see it today was constructed in around 1180, its tower being added in the 1300s.

As the centuries rolled on towards the modern day, further extensions were added to the chancel, with north and south chapels also being built in the sixteenth century.

When Rev. Cotton arrived in Frodsham, that jigsaw of architectural features, that layering of different moments in time, was in disrepair.

Arthur Smith tells us that the church had gloomy galleries and ugly, high-backed pews, cracked, uneven walls and a chancel described by the Bishop of Chester as being in a "discreditable state".

It was even suggested that nature had begun to reclaim the building, as an 1870 newspaper article reported the presence of bats and owls in the rafters.

Despite a long battle over church endowments and a personal struggle with his own mental health, Cotton succeeded in raising funds for the restoration of St Laurence.

However, it was not until after his death that Gothic Revival architects Bodley and Garner, who were responsible for several projects at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, began work on the building.

Between 1880 and 1883, much of St Laurence's was rebuilt, the galleries removed and a new font and organ installed.

These renovations unveiled the church of today, a building which can now draw its vestiges of the past forward into the future.

Source: William Charles Cotton MA 1813-1879: Priest, Missionary and Bee Master, by Arthur R Smith

With thanks to Frodsham and District History Society for use of the image of St Laurence.