St Mary's Church, Newchurch in Pendle
| St Mary's Church | ||
|---|---|---|
Style Gothic | | |
| Specifications | ||
| Capacity | 150 | |
| Materials | Hammer-dressed stone with ashlar to the porch. Slate roof | |
| Administration | ||
| Province | York | |
| Diocese | Blackburn | |
| Archdeaconry | Blackburn | |
| Deanery | Pendle | |
| Parish | Newchurch in Pendle | |
| Clergy | ||
| Vicar(s) | Revd Paul Payton (interim) | |
| Laity | ||
| Churchwarden(s) | Kathleen Wilkinson, Douglas Bull | |
| Parish administrator | John Parsons | |
St Mary's Church is in the village of
History
A chapel of ease was on the site of the present church in 1250. A later chapel was dedicated by the Rt Revd John Bird, Bishop of Chester, on 1 October 1544. It is not known when the tower was built, but it was restored in 1653, and again in 1712. The rest of the building dates from around 1740. In 1815 it was decided to raise to walls of the church to accommodate a gallery. This was built between 1816 and 1817 at a cost of £352 (equivalent to £27,000 in 2021).[3] In 1830 the church bell was purchased.[4] Restorations took place in 1850 and 1902.[5]
Architecture
Exterior
The church is built in hammer-dressed stone, with
Interior
In the porch is a memorial containing the names of the men from the parish who lost their lives in the World Wars together with the names of those who served in the armed forces in these wars. Inside the church, to the left of the entrance, are the churchwardens' seats and a board containing the names of the districts into which the parish was divided.[4] Inside the church is a north arcade of Doric columns and wooden panelled north and west galleries. The chandelier dates from 1756.[6]
Organ
The organ in the west gallery was made by Wordsworth and Company of Leeds, and was installed in 1890 at a cost of £550. It was refurbished in 1990 and then completely rebuilt in 2000 by Harrison & Harrison of Durham at a cost of over £75,000.[4]
External features
In the churchyard are two Grade II listed features. The Parker tomb is a table tomb dated 1691.
Present activities
St Mary's continues to be an active parish church, holding regular services.[5] In addition, it is one of the few remaining churches to hold an annual rushbearing service in August.[4]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Historic England, "Church of St Mary, Newchurch in Pendle (1361745)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 18 April 2014
- ^ St Mary, Newchurch-in-Pendle, Church of England, retrieved 11 September 2009
- ^ 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
- ^ a b c d e f g St Mary's Parish Church, Newchurch-in-Pendle: Official Guide
- ^ a b Home, St Mary's church, Newchurch-in-Pendle, retrieved 18 April 2014
- ISBN 0-300-09617-8
- ^ Historic England, "Parker tomb 5 metres south of porch of Church of St Mary, Newchurch in Pendle (1243399)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 18 April 2014
- ^ Historic England, "Nutter headstone 2 metres south of Church of St Mary, Newchurch in Pendle (1073362)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 18 April 2014
- ^ NEWCHURCH-IN-PENDLE (ST. MARY) CHURCHYARD, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, retrieved 16 February 2013
