All Saints' Church, Stand Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids All Saints' Church, Whitefield
West end
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
OS grid reference	SD 803 060
Location	Church Lane, Stand, Whitefield, Greater Manchester
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
History
Status	Parish church
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	15 August 1966
Architect(s)	Charles Barry
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1821
Completed	1826
Construction cost	£13,729
Specifications
Materials	Millstone grit
Administration
Parish	All Saints, Stand
Deanery	Radcliffe and Prestwich
Archdeaconry	Bolton
Diocese	Manchester
Province	York

All Saints' Church from the northeast

All Saints' Church, also known as Stand Church, is an important Anglican church in Whitefield, England. It is a parish church, which means it serves the local community. The church is very special because it is a Grade I listed building. This means it is considered to be of exceptional historical and architectural importance. It's a tall building, standing on high ground, and is built on a raised platform.

History of All Saints' Church
- Building a Special Church
- Choosing the Architect
Exploring the Church's Design
See also

History of All Saints' Church

Building a Special Church

All Saints' Church was built between 1821 and 1826. It was one of many "Commissioners' churches" built around that time. These churches were often built to celebrate important events, like the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. The land for the church was kindly given by the Earl of Derby.

Choosing the Architect

A famous architect named Sir John Soane was first asked to design the church. The idea was to make a church big enough for about 1,800 people and costing no more than £12,000. However, Sir John Soane decided not to take the job. Instead, he passed the project to a young architect named Charles Barry. This was Charles Barry's very first church design! The government helped pay for the church, giving a grant of £13,812. The first stone was laid on 3 August 1821, and the church was officially opened on 8 September 1826.

Exploring the Church's Design

Outside the Church

All Saints' Church is built from a strong stone called millstone grit. This stone comes from the nearby Pennines hills. The church's style is described as "fanciful" Gothic. This means it has a decorative and imaginative look, inspired by older Gothic churches.

The church has a rectangular shape with five sections, called bays. At the east end, there's a slightly angled part called a canted apse. At the west end, there's a porch and a tall tower. The bottom part of the tower forms the entrance porch, which has tall, narrow, pointed archways. The openings for the bells in the tower are pairs of narrow, pointed windows called lancets. Along the sides of the church, there are two rows of windows. Both the tower and the main part of the church have embattled parapets, which look like the tops of old castles. They also have decorative pointy parts called crocketed pinnacles.

Inside the Church

Inside All Saints' Church, you'll find galleries on three sides. These galleries are supported by slender pillars, known as Perpendicular piers. The ceilings are made of plaster and are shaped like vaulted arches.

Many parts of the church's interior were added or updated later. The altar, the screen, and the pulpit were put in place in 1921. The choir stalls (where the choir sits) and side screens were added in 1937. All these pieces were designed by architects named Austin and Paley.

The beautiful stained glass in the east window was made in 1841 by D. Evans. Other windows have stained glass by different artists, including some from 1921. You can also see interesting monuments inside, like one from 1826 that shows a lady lying on a long chair.

Music and Bells

The church has a large organ, which is a musical instrument. The original organ was built in 1827. It was later moved and then replaced in 1957 by the current organ. This organ was updated again in 1997.

All Saints' Church also has a ring of eight bells. All of these bells were made in 1912 by a company called Gillett and Johnston. In the 1930s, there was a long project to decorate and refurnish the church's sanctuary and chancel areas. This included adding new choir stalls and an organ screen in 1937.

All Saints' Church, Stand facts for kids

Contents