Christ Church, Walmsley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Christ Church, Walmsley |
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Christ Church, Walmsley, from the northwest
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| 53°37′25″N 2°26′20″W / 53.6236°N 2.4389°W | |
| OS grid reference | SD 711,142 |
| Location | Blackburn Road, Walmsley, Egerton, Greater Manchester |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | [1] |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Consecrated | 3 October 1839 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 19 August 1986 |
| Architect(s) | Edmund Sharpe |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Years built | 1837-1867 |
| Groundbreaking | 1837 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Walmsley |
| Deanery | Walmsley |
| Archdeaconry | Bolton |
| Diocese | Manchester |
| Province | York |
Christ Church is a beautiful old church located in Blackburn Road, Walmsley, a village near Egerton in Greater Manchester, England. It is an active church that belongs to the Church of England. This church is very special because it is listed as a Grade II building on the National Heritage List for England. This means it is an important historical building that needs to be protected.
Contents
History of Christ Church
Walmsley was the old name for the village we now call Egerton. The very first building known on this spot was a small chapel. We do not know exactly when this original chapel was built. However, church records show it existed in 1500. The first official document mentioning it is from 1552.
This early chapel was rebuilt in 1771. But it was later taken down in 1839. In the early 1900s, a man named Colonel JW Slater dug up the old site. He found three older layers of buildings underneath the chapel from the 1700s. The lowest layer, he thought, might have been from the late Saxon times. It was shaped like a cross with equal arms. The layers above it had a longer main arm.
The current Christ Church was finished in 1839. It was designed by a famous architect named Edmund Sharpe from Lancaster. This was the first large church Sharpe designed that had aisles. The church was supposed to cost about £2,150. But it ended up costing £3,557, which is a lot of money even today! A group called the Incorporated Church Building Society gave £300 to help. The church had enough seats for 512 people. It was officially opened on October 3, 1839. This ceremony was led by Bishop John Bird Sumner.
Later, in 1843, an organ and a choir gallery were added. More parts were added in 1867. These included the chancel, an organ chamber, the vicar's vestry, and transepts. These additions were designed by Edward Paley. He worked for Sharpe and Paley, another architectural firm in Lancaster.
Church Design and Features
Outside the Church
Christ Church is built from Pennine sandstone. This stone came from a local quarry called Cox Green. It has smooth stone dressings and a slate roof. The church's layout includes a long main area called a nave. This nave has six sections, with a row of windows high up called a clerestory. There are also aisles on the north and south sides. The church has north and south transepts, which are like arms extending from the main building. There is also a chancel, which is the area around the altar. On the south side of the chancel is an organ loft, and on the north is a small vestry.
The church has a tall tower at its west end. The tower has three main levels, separated by stone bands. The bottom level has two narrow windows. The middle level has single narrow windows. The top level has stepped narrow windows with wooden louvers for the bells. The top edge of the tower is flat and has decorative supports. Stone supports called buttresses go up each corner of the tower, ending in pointed decorations called pinnacles.
Inside the Church
Inside Christ Church, the arched walkways are supported by large, single pieces of stone called monolithic piers. These piers are about 12 feet (3.7 meters) tall, not counting their tops or bases. They are carved into four shafts around a central stone. The gallery at the west end of the church is held up by two cast iron columns.
The decorative screen behind the altar, called the reredos, was added in 1872. Side panels were put in place in 1908. All these panels show scenes made from small pieces of colored glass or stone, called mosaic.
In the south transept, there is a small chapel. It has an altar with a canopy and another reredos. These were added in 1952. They were put there to display a painted predella from the 1400s. A predella is a long panel at the bottom of an altarpiece. This one is divided into three parts. It shows scenes like Christ before Pilate, the Man of Sorrows, and the Lamentation. Gold tracery separates these scenes.
The war memorial in the church is from around 1920. It is made of alabaster, a soft white stone. It shows an angel and a wreath. The stained glass in the east window is from 1872 and was made by William Wailes. The glass in the south transept is from 1896 and was made by Ballantyne and Gardiner. In the nave, there are windows facing each other with glass designed by Edward Burne-Jones. This glass was made by Morris & Co. in 1889.
The font, which is used for baptisms, has a dedication from 1845. It was moved to Christ Church in 1952 from Bolton Parish Church. The church's organ has three keyboards. It was built in 1934 in Liverpool. This organ was originally in the Bolton Odeon Cinema. It was moved and installed in Christ Church in 1968. It replaced an older organ from 1892, which itself was a rebuilt version of an even older organ.
Churchyard and Memorials
The churchyard around Christ Church is also important. It contains the graves of soldiers who died in wars. There are war graves for seven soldiers from World War I. There are also graves for a soldier, an airman, and a Royal Navy sailor from World War II.
More to Explore
- List of architectural works by Edmund Sharpe
