Christ Church Tower, Crewe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Christ Church Tower, Crewe |
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Christ Church Tower seen from the south
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| Location | Prince Albert Street, Crewe, Cheshire, England |
| OS grid reference | SJ706556 |
| Built | 1877 |
| Built for | Grand Junction Railway |
| Architect | JW Stansby |
| Architectural style(s) | Gothic Revival |
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Listed Building – Grade II
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| Official name: Tower of Christ Church | |
| Designated | 14 June 1984 |
| Reference no. | 1138680 |
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The Christ Church Tower is a cool old church tower in Crewe, England. It's built in a style called Gothic Revival. This means it looks like buildings from the Middle Ages.
It was built way back in 1877 for a church called Christ Church. Even though most of the church was taken down in 1977, the tower was kept! Now, where the rest of the church used to be, there's a peaceful garden to remember people.
Inside the tower, there are ten big bells. They were all made by a company called Gillett & Johnston in 1912. This tower is so special that it's a 'Grade II listed building'. This means it's an important historical building that needs to be protected.
History of the Tower
The original Christ Church was built in 1843 for the Grand Junction Railway. This was a big railway company. An architect named John Cunningham probably designed it.
The church was officially opened and blessed on December 18, 1845. This was done by Bishop John Bird Sumner of Chester. More parts were added to the church over the years. Side sections, called aisles, were built in 1864. The tower, which we see today, was added in 1877. A special area near the altar, called the chancel, was built in 1898. A small chapel was added in 1906.
Sadly, in 1977, the main parts of the church had to be taken down. This was because of a problem called dry rot, which damages wood. The Diocese of Chester decided in 1980 that the tower and the baptistry (where baptisms happen) were no longer needed for regular church services. However, services continued in the remaining part of the church until November 2013.
What the Tower Looks Like
The Christ Church Tower is made of yellow sandstone. It has strong corner supports called buttresses. At the bottom, there's a west door. Above the door, there's a decorative arch called a hood mould. It has faces carved into its ends.
Higher up, there's a window with fancy stone patterns called tracery. Even higher, there are more windows. Some are tall and narrow, called lancet windows. Others have a three-leaf shape at the top, known as trefoil heads.
On each side of the tower, you can see a clock face. These clocks are set into panels with a diamond pattern, called diapering. The very top part of the tower has openings for the bells. These openings have wooden slats, called louvres, and three narrow windows.
At the very top of the tower, there's a stepped and pointed wall called a parapet. At each corner, there are tall, pointed decorations called pinnacles. These pinnacles have small, hook-like carvings called crockets. When it was first built, the tower even had an iron crown on top. This crown was made in the railway workshops!
Some of the church's original walls are still standing. This includes parts of the red brick chancel. You can also see two large columns. These are the only ones left from a set that used to hold up balconies inside the church until 1901.
See also
- Listed buildings in Crewe
