St Wilfrid's Church, Halton-on-Lune

St Wilfrid's Church is an

St Wilfrid's is constructed of yellow sandstone rubble and has red tile roofs.^[7] Its plan consists of a nave, with a tower to the west, north aisle and chancel to the east. There is a two-storey porch on the south side of the nave, with timber framing to the upper storey.^[5] The three-stage tower is 55 feet (17 m) tall.^[4] The west corners have five-stage diagonal buttresses. It has a crenellated parapet with pinnacles.^[5] At the north-east corner there is a vice (spiral stair).^[4] There are two-light belfry louvres with hood moulding.^[7]

The windows in the south walls are in the

Internally, the tower measures 12 feet 10 inches (3.91 m) square.[4] It has a ring of three bells. Inside the tower there are some remains of Anglo Saxon sculpture.^[5] The nave measures 49 feet 9 inches (15.16 m) by 18 feet 9 inches (5.72 m).^[4] It is accessed from the tower through a segmental arch with a single chamfered order.^[4] The nave has four bays.^[7] The chancel measures 25 feet (7.6 m) by 18 feet (5.5 m).^[4] It contains an organ chamber and a vestry.^[4]

Stained glass in the church includes images of Joan of Arc and Saint George by Lancaster-based firm Shrigley and Hunt.^[5] There is a baptismal font dating from 1848.^[4]

Churchyard

The churchyard surrounds the church, particularly to the south and east.^[4] There are sandstone gates and gate piers that date from the late 18th century.^[8][9] A lychgate dates from 1907.^[4] To the north, there is a two-tiered burial vault built into a hill, with the remains of the Bradshaw family.^[5]

South of the church lies an Anglo Saxon high cross. The cross is carved sandstone and consists of a base, measuring 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) by 1.4 metres (4 ft 7 in), with a shaft and cross head. 11th-century carvings on the shaft depict the legend of Sigurd.^[10]

Approximately 4 metres (13 ft) south-east of the porch there is a 17th-century sundial.^[11] The base is sandstone and is inscribed with "For Saint Wilfrite Church at Halton 1635. Pereunt et imputantur".^[4]

Assessment and administration

St Wilfrid's was designated as a Grade II listed building on 4 October 1967.^[7] The Grade II designation is the lowest of the three grades.^[12] Architectural historians Pevsner and Hartwell (2009) say that the church is "easily recognizable" as the work of Paley and Austin.^[5] The 18th-century gates and piers and the sundial have received separate Grade II designations.^[8][9][11] The high cross has been designated a scheduled monument as a "good example of 11th century art styles".^[10]

St Wilfrid's is an active

• Listed buildings in Halton-with-Aughton
• List of ecclesiastical works by Paley and Austin
• Scheduled monuments in Lancashire

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

• Official website
• Media related to St Wilfrid's Church, Halton-on-Lune at Wikimedia Commons