St John the Baptist's Church, Atherton

Coordinates: 53°31′26″N 2°29′25″W / 53.5239°N 2.4902°W / 53.5239; -2.4902
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

St John the Baptist's Church, Atherton
The Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Atherton
Style
Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking1878
Completed1896
Construction cost£10,000 (first phase)
Specifications
MaterialsStone, tiled roofs
Administration
ProvinceYork
DioceseManchester
ArchdeaconrySalford
DeaneryLeigh
ParishAtherton and Hindsford
Clergy
Vicar(s)Revd. Tracy Marshall

St John the Baptist's Church is in Market Place,

archdeaconry of Salford, and diocese of Manchester.[1] Together with St George's and St Philip's Churches in Atherton and St Michael and All Angels at Howe Bridge, the church is part of the United Benefice of Atherton and Hindsford with Howe Bridge.[2] It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.[3]

History

There have been three chapels or churches on the site of

St John the Baptist parish church. The first chapel at Chowbent was built in 1645 by John Atherton as a chapel of ease of Leigh Parish Church. It was sometimes referred to as the Old Bent Chapel.[4] It was not consecrated and used by the Presbyterians as well as the Vicar of Leigh. In 1721 Lord of the manor Richard Atherton expelled the dissenters who subsequently built Chowbent Chapel. The first chapel was consecrated in 1723 by the Bishop of Sodor and Man.[5]

The first chapel was replaced by a new St John's Chapel on the same site which was consecrated by the

From 1899 the church was affected by mining subsidence, causing the tower to separate from the south aisle. The tower has been stabilised, but remains out of alignment and is leaning. In 1991 the east end of the church was badly damaged by fire. It was repaired and re-ordered by Peter Skinner in 1996–97;[10] the re-ordering included dividing the chancel from the rest of the church to create a church hall.[10][11]

Architecture

Exterior

The church is constructed in

canopied niche. On the south side of the church the windows have four lights, while those on the north side have three lights.[3] Along the clerestory are square windows, two to a bay, which contain two different types of tracery.[10][11] To the east of the vestry and organ chamber is an octagonal turret.[3] The west and east windows are large, the west window having seven lights, and the east window six.[10] Under the east window is red and buff chequerwork carved with roses, the IHC christogram, leaves and swords.[11] The hour-chiming clock was installed by Potts of Leeds in 1895.[13]

Interior

The font

The interior is in

Hill, Norman and Beard,[14] replacing an earlier three-manual organ of 1888 by J. C. Bishop and Son.[15]

Appraisal

The church was designated as a Grade II listed building on 15 July 1966.[3] Grade II is the lowest of the three gradings given by English Heritage, and includes buildings that "are nationally important and of special interest".[16] The description in the National Heritage List for England states that it is "an imposing building which exhibits fine craftsmanship both inside and out".[3] The authors of the Buildings of England series describe the church as "monumental, one of Paley & Austin's best", and state that the tower is "magnificently monumental".[10] Brandwood et al. in their book on the architectural practice of Sharpe, Paley and Austin agree that it is "one of Paley & Austin's finest churches".[17]

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ Leigh Deanery, anglican.org, archived from the original on 17 August 2009, retrieved 17 February 2013
  2. ^ The United Benefice of Atherton and Hindsford with Howe Bridge, Atherton Parish, retrieved 17 February 2013
  3. ^ a b c d e Historic England, "Church of St John, Wigan (1068475)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 19 October 2012
  4. ^ Wright (1921), p. 37
  5. ^ a b c Farrer, William; Brownbill, J, eds. (1907), "Atherton", A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, Victoria County History, pp. 435–439, retrieved 8 January 2023
  6. ^ Brandwood et al. (2012), pp. 111–112
  7. ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017), "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)", MeasuringWorth, retrieved 11 June 2022
  8. ^ Brandwood et al. (2012), p. 230
  9. ^ Brandwood et al. (2012), pp. 112, 239
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Pollard & Pevsner (2006), pp. 136–137.
  11. ^ a b c Brandwood et al. (2012), p. 112
  12. ^ Market Place, Atherton: Conservation Area Appraisal (PDF), Wigan Council, April 2008, p. 14, retrieved 19 October 2012
  13. ^ Potts 2006, p. 378
  14. ^ Lancashire (Manchester, Greater), Atherton, St. John the Baptist (N00634), British Institute of Organ Studies, retrieved 19 October 2012
  15. ^ Lancashire (Manchester, Greater), Atherton, St. John the Baptist (N00635), British Institute of Organ Studies, retrieved 19 October 2012
  16. ^ Listed Buildings, English Heritage, retrieved 19 October 2012
  17. ^ Brandwood et al. (2012), p. 111

Sources

External links