Church of St Cross, Clayton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Church of St Cross, Clayton |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Tradition | Modern Catholic |
| History | |
| Dedication | Holy Cross |
| Consecrated | 1874 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | William Butterfield |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Years built | 1863-1866 |
| Administration | |
| Benefice | Clayton St Cross with St Paul |
| Deanery | Manchester North and East |
| Archdeaconry | Manchester |
| Diocese | Manchester |
The Church of St Cross is a historic church located in Clayton, Manchester. It was built between 1863 and 1866. A famous architect named William Butterfield designed this church. It's considered a very important building and is a grade II* listed building.
The church is quite tall and made of red bricks. It has cool stripes of blue bricks and light-colored stone. The style is called Middle Pointed, which is a type of Gothic Revival architecture. On one side, there's a tall, narrow tower with a pointy roof made of striped slate. There's also a porch at the front entrance.
Inside, the church still shows Butterfield's unique style. It has a wooden roof and arches supported by columns. You can see patterns of colored stone and tiles, which have been copied in later decorations. Some of the stained glass windows are very special. They show the patron saints of the British Isles.
In the churchyard, there are graves of soldiers who died in World War I and World War II. These are cared for by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
History of St Cross Church
The area where St Cross Church stands today used to be part of a different church's parish. In the early 1860s, some land was given to Reverend Charles Henry Lomax by Peter Hoare. This land was specifically for building the new St Cross church. The well-known Gothic Revival architect William Butterfield was asked to create the plans for this new building. Construction started in 1862.
When the church was being built, Bishop Prince Lee was in charge of the Manchester Diocese. Bishop Lee had different ideas about church decoration. He didn't like the fancy, detailed style of St Cross. Because of this, he initially refused to officially bless the church, even though services began in 1866.
Another bishop, James Fraser, finally consecrated (officially blessed) the church in 1874.
Originally, St Cross Church did not have many stained glass windows. However, in 1970, another church, St Peter in Oldham, closed down. Its sixteen beautiful stained glass windows were then given to St Cross. You can now see these windows in the main part of the church.
See also
- Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester
- Listed buildings in Manchester-M11
