THE PARISH OF ST PETER, HARGRAVE (0510)
In the DIOCESE of CHESTER, MALPAS DEANERY
PARISH PROFILE
November 2013
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CONTENTS
Introduction
The Make-up of the Parish
Church and Associated Buildings
Church Worship
Church and Village Activities
Finance
Growth Action Planning
Hargrave and Huxley Happy Days
The Incumbent
(This Parish Profile was prepared by the Strategy Committee of Hargrave and Huxley
Parochial Church Council and approved by members of the P.C.C.)
INTRODUCTION
The Parish of Hargrave, including Huxley, lies some 7 miles south east of Chester, between the
roads to Whitchurch (A41) and Nantwich (A51). The Parish area coincides with the two civil
parishes named Huxley and the medieval sounding Foulk-Stapleford. It is the intention that the
civil parishes are merged and expanded further by incorporating the parish of Hatton.
The Parish is predominantly farmland, situated on the Cheshire Plain, and overlooked by the
Peckforton Hills and the castles of Beeston and Peckforton. The river Gowy flows through the
Parish. The Parish (0510) forms part of the Malpas Deanery in the Diocese of Chester and is
one of 21 (CHECK) Parishes in that Deanery.
THE MAKE UP OF THE PARISH
Having been predominantly a farming community for most of its history, the Parish area is now
attracting residents who mostly travel to work. As is occurring nationally, the number of farms is
reducing as they merge to form larger enterprises. However several still remain and there are
about another 140 dwellings. The total population is less than 500 of all ages.
All age groups are represented with perhaps a predomination of the middle aged.
There is a very successful C of E controlled school in Huxley together with a Village Hall and a
soon to be reinstated public house (The Inn at Huxley). Hargrave has the benefit of the Church
Hall which also doubles up as a Village Hall. The Parish Church is St. Peter’s at Hargrave. There
is a Methodist Chapel still active in Huxley.
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CHURCH AND ASSOCIATED BUILDINGS
ST. PETER HARGRAVE
The picture shows St Peter’s Church with the Vicarage in the background.
The Parish Church is dedicated to St. Peter and was built in the year 1627. It was founded by
Sir Thomas Moulson who, as a boy, had lived locally but had to walk each day to the village of
Tarvin where the nearest school was then located. As an adult Thomas moved to London
becoming a member of the Hanseatic League of merchants and in 1638 was made Lord Mayor
of London. As a result of his success as a merchant and remembering his childhood home, he
was able to make endowments of land and money that permitted the construction of the Church,
and which initially doubled up as the School. Church records commence in 1631. The Moulson
Trust exists to this day to administer the endowment and provides an annual income to the
Church, its related activities and to young people who live in the parish towards their education.
Present trustees include the Venerable Michael Gilbertson, Archdeacon of Chester and the
incumbent.
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The Church is a simple building of sandstone constructed walls and buttresses and hammer—
beam roof construction covered with handmade tiles. The five bay chancel and the nave are of
one width. The floor is covered by a mixture of timber blocks, ceramic tiles and carpet, the
internal walls being undecorated fair sandstone and the ceiling boarded. In 1888 the East
window was blocked in and a carved oak Reredos was erected behind the altar — the cost of
this work was paid for by the then Duke of Westminster. The fitted pews are of stained pine. The
stone font is octagonal and believed to be contemporary with the original building.
In more recent years, Quinquennial Inspections have regularly taken place and various remedial
works undertaken to keep the Church in good order. A Sound System was installed in 2010.
Proposed works in the next 5 year period include a new central heating boiler and housing,
repairs to window glazing, possible major overhaul of the organ and ongoing maintenance to
keep the Church in good order.
The graveyard surrounding the church was extended to include the new churchyard across the
lane leading up to the Church Hall in the 1920’s and since then burials have largely taken place
in the new graveyard. The “old” graveyard, nevertheless, is closed but does remain open for
ashes following cremation.
CHURCH HALL HARGRAVE
The Church Hall adjoining St Peter doubles up as the Village Hall and was originally the Village
Primary School. It closed in 1954 and the children transferred to Huxley, again cementing the
ties between both villages. The old School building suffered from primitive facilities but when the
Moulson Trust became reactivated with local Trustees some years ago, it was agreed that
substantial improvements would be undertaken, funded both by the Trust and Church resources.
The building was then rented by Hargrave PCC from the Trust and became the Church Hall and
is run by a committee under the auspices of the PCC.
A major restoration of the Hall was undertaken in 2005/06 and further works are now planned to
build a new kitchen and store. There is much local support for this and some £35,000 has
already been donated/pledged by individual villagers and local societies. This includes £10,000
pledged by the PCC
Many Villagers give freely of their time to help maintain the Church Hall in good order and many
church-related fundraising events occur in the Hall, as well as many organised by other
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organisations. It now stands as a symbol of the Christian fellowship that exists in Hargrave and
Huxley.
THE VICARAGE HARGRAVE
The late Victorian building was owned by the Moulson Trust until 1981 when it was given to the
Parsonages Board. A considerable amount of fundraising within the Villages, and in conjunction
with the PCC, ensured essential improvements were undertaken to the House before it was
handed over. This was another example of the dedication of the Parishioners of the two Villages
to ensure the Ministry was maintained in the locality.
HUXLEY C OF E CONTROLLED SCHOOL
The School serves both Villages and has at present some 45 children, the highest number for
many years. The Vicar attends the School each week to take worship and the children hold
special events in St Peter’s. School and Church activities are intertwined though there is always
scope for improvement. The school is strongly supported by the village community and has been
kept open in the past mainly due to huge active support from residents and parents on two
occasions when it was threatened with closure by the local authority. The school now goes from
strength to strength and has recently had a new kitchen, and is in the process of adding a new
classroom.
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CHURCH WORSHIP
The pattern of weekly services is currently as follows;
St. Peter
First Sunday
Second Sunday
Third Sunday
Fourth Sunday
Fifth Sunday
9.45 am Parish Communion (Common Worship)
6.30 pm Evensong (BCP)
9.45 am Parish Communion (Common Worship)
9.45 am Family Communion
6.30 pm Holy Communion (BCP)
9.45 am Parish Communion (Common Worship)
9.45 am Parish Communion (Common Worship)
6.30 pm Evening Praise (BCP)
Special services are held of course at the Christian Festivals, e.g. a Crib Service and a Midnight
Eucharist at Christmas. In addition special services are conducted particularly at Harvest and on
Plough Sunday in January (as a recognition of the rural nature of the Parish area). In recent
years the special service held on the morning of Remembrance Day has resulted in a very large
attendance and it is hoped will be continued. The Happy Days Weekend also always includes
special services on the Sunday.
Attendances are generally good and particular (unsolicited) mention is often made by new
comers that they have been very pleased with the lovely welcome they receive.
There is a general willingness within the PCC and congregation to be open-minded to new ideas
for the pattern and format of services
There are formal lists of sides-persons, Bible readers and persons to do the intercessions, and
the rotas for these are regularly updated. There are usually persons who help with the
distribution of the wine during Holy Communion
CHURCH AND VILLAGE ACTIVITIES
The local Historical Group has identified nearly twenty different activities regularly organised
within the Parish. This must be exceptional for a Parish of this size. The Church is the focal point
for most activities with Church members either leading or taking an active part in almost all of
them. Some of them are listed as follows —
Parochial Church Council and Sub Committee
Church of England Controlled School
Church Choir
Church Sunday School
Ladies who Lunch
Men who Munch
Church Hall Committee
Huxley Village Hall Committee
Church Fellowship
Happy Days Committee
Women’s Institute (Founded in 1921)
Historical Group (Established over 30 years)
Bowling Club (Established over 30 years)
Huxley Parish Council
Foulk Stapleford Parish Council
Charity Quiz Nights
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The pre-school play group has recently closed due to lack of children of a suitable age, and the
Youth Club has been closed due to lack of suitable volunteer leaders, but there are hopes that
both can soon be restarted
FINANCES
Hard work and generous giving in the 2000s put the parish’s finances on a firm footing and we
currently have a healthy level of reserves; however, we are aware of some potential liabilities
that might eat into these. The PCC has authorised up to £10,000 to be spent on the building
fabric following a recent quinquennial inspection, and there is the possibility of a significant sum
needing spending on the organ. In addition, the PCC has agreed to underwrite the Moulson
Trust's plans for the hall improvements up to £10,000. Clearly, these issues may have a notable
impact on our reserves.
Energetic organisation and running of community and fund raising events has allowed us to
support a wide range of local, national and international charities at about £3000 per year. An
annual collection for Christian Aid raises about a further £1500.
The Moulson Trust continues to provide generous support for parish’s work in the community.
The level of giving remains steady, fully meeting the parish’s liability for parish share; however,
the departure of our vicar will increase our costs (covering visiting clergy expenses etc.).
The commitment of the PCC to securing its financial base in order to remain a viable,
independent parish is clearly evident from this brief financial review.
GROWTH ACTION PLANNING
GAP actions for 2013 include:
1. Revise our Eucharistic Service booklets to include, on each facing page, an “explanation
of what is going on”. Font to be “easy-read” and layout simplified
2. Build on links with Tarvin, where Godly Play is established, to initiate Godly Play on a
gradual basis as a way of introducing Sunday School children to the great Biblical
stories.
3. Build on contacts made following the Diamond Jubilee questionnaire to work towards the
formation of a village Youth Club
These are a continuation of previous GAP objectives following successful completion of several
earlier GAP objectives, including the installation of a sound system in the Church, new notice
and display boards, and support for the Huxley School minibus.
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HARGRAVE AND HUXLEY HAPPY DAYS WEEKEND
The Happy Days weekend evolved in the mid-eighties from a small garden fete held on a
Saturday afternoon to a full weekend’s activities – a traditional rural village fete.. It has been a
successful and important part of village life for nearly 30 years. The programme for the 2013
Happy Days was as follows —
Friday 28th June 2013
7.30 for 8.00 p.m. In the marquee
Coronation Classic Concert
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Saturday 29th June 2013
10.00 a.m. Bowling Competition organised by Hargrave and Huxley Bowling Club
Bacon Butties, etc., at the Church Hall Served all morning
1.00 p.m. Floats and Procession Leave Newport’s farm at Huxley
Led by the Air Cadet Band
1.45 p.m. Parade of Floats followed by judging.
2.00 p.m. Official Opening of the Fete and award of the Churchwardens’ Trophy for the
best float by Olympic Medal Winner Beth Tweddle.
Crowning of the Rose Queen by Beth Tweddle
2.15 p.m. Air Cadets’ musical display
2.30 p.m. Maypole dancing – Huxley C of E School
Through the afternoon – basket weaving, Falconry demonstration, Puppet show,
4.10 pm Sports for the Young (and not so young)
4.30 p.m. Tug-o’-War Huxley vs Hargrave
Strawberry Cream Teas are available in the Marquee throughout the afternoon
8.00 p.m. Barn Dance with Flaxmere Band and fish & chips supper.
Sunday 30th June 2013
10.00 a.m. Service of Holy Communion (said BCP)
12.00 noon. Family Service in the Church with the Rose Queen and attendants
Preacher: Rev Paul Barrow. In attendance the Lord Mayor of Chester
1.15 p.m. Sunday Lunch in the Marquee. Guest: The Lord Mayor of Chester.
2.00 p.m. Finals of the “Lianne Julie Wilson Bowling Trophy’ – on the bowling green
3.00 p.m. Rounders for all on Church Field
The Happy Days are always held on the last weekend in June, also being nearest
to St. Peter’s Day
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THE INCUMBENT
The new incumbent will find an active and committed Church membership who readily see the
need for change and progress and will support this fully. He/she will need to be able to direct
and motivate this active Church community and in return will receive every support from them.
He/she should have the ability to mix tradition and innovation in services and in his/her
involvement in village life. He/she should have a genuine desire to involve and encourage young
people and adults within the church community. He/she should be a good social mixer and
contributor to vibrant village life
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Role description
The overall purpose of this post is to share with the Bishop the responsibility under God for
advancing His Kingdom through the mission of His Church. The main duties of office are
governed by the Ordinal and the Canons and other legislation which apply to the Church of
England, as interpreted by the Preface of the Declaration of Assent. However each parish and
post has different emphases and this role description sets out those duties that are specific to
this post at the current time. These will change and will be the subject of agreement through the
process of Ministerial Development Review, at which targets will be set and development needs
identified.
In terms of the general duties set out below the Bishop expects that:
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He/she will be diligent in leading the worship of the benefice, both daily and weekly, in
pastoral care and in teaching the Faith to those in their charge.
He/she will attend the Deanery Chapter and Deanery Synod, and work collaboratively for
the wider ministry and mission of the deanery
He/she will attend the Clergy Conference and other corporate obligations where the
office holder represents the parish
He/she will take part in the Ministerial Development Review process as appropriate to
ensure that development needs are identified and addressed
Within this parish the following are the specific duties currently identified from drawing up the
parish profile These may be changed from time to time following Ministerial Development
Review and the future needs of the parish and taking account of the GAP review and action
plans.
Specific duties include:
Trustee responsibilities for:Huxley C 0f E Primary School
Sir Thomas Moulson Trust,
Duties of significant importance
The support and development of the Youth Organisations in the Village, in particular
the Church Sunday School
Maintenance and development of good relations with Huxley C of E School and
encouragement of involvement in each others’ activities.
The Parish is noteworthy for the generally excellent relationship existing between the
Church and the non-Church organisations in the community. It is vital that the
incumbent maintains and improves this relationship. This of necessity entails active
participation in village social events, whether organised by Church or non-church
organisations
The incumbent will be expected to attend
1. Happy Days fete organising committee (as appropriate)
2. Church fellowship meetings (monthly)
3. Worship activities at Huxley C of E Primary School (weekly)
The incumbent will also be expected to maintain and improve the current good relationship with
Huxley C of E school and the local Methodist Church in Huxley.
Leadership responsibilities
- This is a small, albeit very active, Parish. There are no assistant clergy or licensed lay
readers. The only paid employee is one organist.
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