St Cross Church, Appleton Thorn

St Cross Church is in the village of Appleton Thorn, Cheshire, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Great Budworth. Its benefice is combined with that of St Matthew's Church, Stretton.

History
The church was built in 1886 to a design by Edmund Kirby at the expense of Rowland Egerton-Warburton of Arley Hall.

Architecture
It is built in red sandstone with a red tile roof, in Decorated style. Its plan is cruciform with a two-stage tower over the crossing. It has a three-window nave without aisles, a one-window chancel, an oak-framed north porch on a sandstone plinth, and a baptistry projecting from the west end. Above the baptistry is a rose window. The stained glass in the east window is by Harcourt M. Doyle, dated 1970, and that in the rose window is by Celtic Studios of Swansea, dated 1986. The organ was built in 1906 at a cost of £220, by E. Wadsworth.

External features
The churchyard contains six war graves of British service personnel, three from World War I and three from World War II.

Connections
The church has connections with the Royal Naval Association because during the Second World War a Royal Naval Air Service station, HMS Blackcap, was in the village. Its ensign hangs in the church.