Whilst describing Wilmslow Church, although I avow myself a Protestant, and a member of the Church of England, without any kind of leaning towards the Church of Rome, and without even admiration of her rites or ceremonies, I feel myself called upon, as an act of common justice to our Roman Catholic predecessors, to mention, that I have remarked, both in Wilmslow Church, and in various other ancient churches erected before the Reformation, that they appear better calculated for hearing, or, in other words, for the transmission of sound, than more modern churches; yet we might suppose that the large arches and massive pillars in the former would militate against that effect. It may be that the architects of an age gone by, understood the science of acoustics better than those of our time, and I throw out the suggestion (without giving any confident opinion), whether the pillars, arches, and carved oak roof, may not have the effect of preventing the too great number of pulses, or repetitions of sound in a given time, by returns from the walls, on the principle, that although the human voice in a large room, quite devoid of furniture, carpets, curtains, or a crowded assembly, will often produce a confused and indistinct echo, yet the resonance of the room becomes diminished, and the reverberation of sound becomes less, and consequently we can sometimes hear better, when the speaker is delivering his address in the room, when it is properly furnished, and contains a number of auditors. I may also add, that there is not any place of worship which I have been accustomed to attend, where I am more impressed (if so much) with feelings of devotion, than when attending divine service in this and other ancient churches erected before the Reformation; whether those feelings may arise from the reflection forcing itself upon the mind, that generations after generations of our fellow-creatures have worshipped there, and died since the walls of the sacred edifice were erected, or whether the massive walls, pillars, arches, and Gothic windows, naturally produce a certain degree of solemnity or seriousness on the mind, I cannot say; I can only speak to the effect which I have mentioned, be the cause what it may. There is a very ancient chest in the vestry, in which are contained the parish books, which is said to be 500 years old. It is formed out of one solid block of oak, nearly four feet wide, by five feet long, and three feet deep.