All Saints Church, Thornton Hough facts for kids

Quick facts for kids All Saints Church, Thornton Hough
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OS grid reference	SJ 305 809
Location	Raby Road, Thornton Hough, Merseyside
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	1867
Founder(s)	Joseph Hirst
Consecrated	5 May 1868
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	2 October 1986
Architect(s)	John Kirk and Sons
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1867
Completed	1868
Construction cost	£8,500
Specifications
Spire height	120 feet (37 m)
Materials	Sandstone, slate roof
Administration
Parish	All Saints, Thornton Hough
Deanery	Wirral, South
Archdeaconry	Chester
Diocese	Chester
Province	York

All Saints Church is a beautiful old church located in Raby Road, Thornton Hough, Merseyside, England. It is an active Anglican parish church, which means it's a local church where people still go for services today. The church is part of the diocese of Chester. It is also a special historic building, listed as Grade II, meaning it's important to protect.

History of All Saints Church

All Saints Church was built between 1867 and 1868. A wealthy man named Joseph Hirst paid for the entire church. He was a wool mill owner from a town called Huddersfield. Joseph Hirst's wife was from Chester, and he bought a house near Thornton Hough to relax from his busy work.

He bought the land for the church for £600 and laid the first stone in March 1867. The church itself cost about £8,500 to build. This was a lot of money back then! The church was officially opened and blessed on May 5, 1868, by the Bishop of Chester. Joseph Hirst also paid for the vicar's house, the local school, and the school house. He even paid for a school in a nearby village called Raby. Later, in the early 1900s, a small room called a vestry was added to the church.

Church Architecture

Outside the Church

The church is built from strong, reddish sandstone with lighter stone details. Its roof is made of slate tiles. The church's design is in a style called Gothic Revival, which was popular for churches at the time. It has a cross-shaped layout.

The church has a main hall called a nave, with a porch on the northwest side. It also has two side sections called transepts, a main area for the altar called a chancel, and a tower on the southwest side with a tall, pointed roof called a broach spire.

The tower has strong supports called buttresses and windows with two lights. It also has five clock faces! One clock face is placed higher than the others on the south side. This was because Joseph Hirst wanted to be able to see the time from his house. At the top of the tower, there's a decorative edge and pointed decorations called pinnacles. The spire itself is very tall, reaching about 120 feet (37 meters) high. Along the sides of the church, you can see a decorative band and more two-light windows with fancy stone patterns. The large window at the west end has five lights.

Inside the Church

Inside All Saints Church, you'll find a font (a basin for baptisms) and a reredos (a decorated screen behind the altar) made from a special stone called Caen stone. These were created by T. Ruddock and show scenes from the Bible.

The church has beautiful stained glass windows. The east window, made in 1868, is by a company called Clayton and Bell. In the south transept, there's a window from 1912 by H. G. Hiller, showing Saint Michael and angels. The west window is a war memorial from around 1920, also showing Saint Michael. Other windows were made by different artists over the years.

In the south transept, there is a fancy monument in the Gothic style dedicated to Joseph Hirst, who passed away in 1874. The church's original pipe organ was made by Gray and Davison. This was later replaced in 1912 by a new organ from Norman and Beard. It was updated again in 1985.

See also

• Listed buildings in Thornton Hough