Christ Church, Lancaster facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Christ Church, Lancaster |
|
|---|---|
Christ Church, Lancaster, from the northeast
|
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Location | Wyresdale Road, Lancaster, Lancashire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Churchmanship | Liberal Anglo-Catholic |
| Website | Christ Church, Lancaster |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Founder(s) | Samuel Gregson |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 13 March 1995 |
| Architect(s) | Henry Martin, Paley and Austin Paley, Austin and Paley Austin and Paley |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1855 |
| Completed | 1889 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Sandstone, slate roofs |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Lancaster Christ Church |
| Deanery | Lancaster and Morecambe |
| Archdeaconry | Lancaster |
| Diocese | Blackburn |
| Province | York |
Christ Church is a beautiful old church located on Wyresdale Road in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. It's an active Anglican church, which means it's part of the Church of England. It serves as a local church for the community. This special building is also recognized as a Grade II listed building, meaning it's an important historical site.
Contents
History of Christ Church
Christ Church was built between 1855 and 1857. It was designed by an architect from London named Henry Martin. The church was first built to serve as a chapel for Lancaster Grammar School and the local workhouse, which was a place where poor people could live and work.
A wealthy local businessman and MP named Samuel Gregson paid for the church and helped set up its funding. In 1889, a south aisle was added to the church. An aisle is a passageway in a church, usually along the sides. This addition was designed by local architects Paley and Austin. It created 152 more seats and cost about £1,000.
Later, in 1894–95, a west baptistry was added. A baptistry is the part of a church where baptisms take place. This was done by the same architectural firm, which was then known as Paley, Austin and Paley. The architects, now called Austin and Paley, also changed the organ chamber into a special area called the Storey chapel. The organ was moved to a different part of the church called the south transept. A transept is a part of a cross-shaped church that sticks out on either side.
In 1919, a war memorial was put up in the churchyard. It was made of Derbyshire stone and stood about 25 feet (8 m) tall. This memorial cost £400 and was designed by Henry Paley.
Architecture and Design
Outside the Church
Christ Church is built from squared sandstone, which is a type of stone, and has slate roofs. The church's layout includes a main area called the nave, a baptistry at the west end, and a porch on the north side. It also has a north transept and a north vestry, which is a room used for changing robes. There is a chancel (the area around the altar) with a lower roof, a south aisle with a chapel, and a south porch.
At the west end of the church, there are two tall, thin towers called turrets. Most of the windows have pointed arches and feature Geometric tracery, which are decorative stone patterns. The turrets have square bases that turn into eight-sided shapes at the top. They have bell openings that look like small houses with gabled roofs, and above these are small spires.
The west end of the nave has a large window with five sections, featuring Perpendicular tracery. Below this window and between the turrets is the baptistry. From the baptistry, you can see gargoyles, which are carved stone figures that often act as waterspouts. The south aisle has a window with three sections at its west end. This aisle is divided into six bays (sections) by buttresses, which are supports built into the wall. Five of these bays have windows with two sections and trefoil (three-leaf) shapes at the top. The sixth bay has a three-section window.
On the north side of the church, there is a porch. The north transept has a three-section window on its north side and a two-section window on its west side. The north wall of the vestry has a four-section window and a doorway. The east wall has two two-section windows. The east wall of the chancel has a three-section window. The south aisle and chapel each have two-section windows, and the south wall of the chapel has two two-section windows.
Inside the Church
Between the nave and the south aisle, there is a four-bay arcade. An arcade is a row of arches supported by columns. The font, used for baptisms, was made in 1914 from sandstone and marble. It has a wooden cover carved to look like a Gothic spire. Above this is a wrought iron crane with a fancy arm.
The reredos, which is a decorative screen behind the altar, is made of marble and dates from 1916. Some of the stained glass windows were made in the mid-1800s by a company called Powell. Other parts of the church have "magnificent" stained glass created by Carl Almquist and E. H. Jewitt of Shrigley and Hunt. These were installed between 1892 and 1909 and are considered some of their best work.
The church's organ has three manuals (keyboards). It was first installed in 1857. In 1937, it was rebuilt, made larger, and moved into the north transept by Henry Ainscough of Preston.
War Memorial
To the north of the church, there is a war memorial made of sandstone. It was put up in 1919. This memorial is also a Grade II listed building, meaning it's an important historical structure.
See also
- Listed buildings in Lancaster, Lancashire
- List of ecclesiastical works by Paley and Austin
- List of works by Paley, Austin and Paley
- List of ecclesiastical works by Austin and Paley (1916–44)
