Church of St James the Less, Tatham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Church of St James the Less, Tatham |
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Church of St James the Less, Tatham, from the southeast
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| OS grid reference | SD 606694 |
| Location | Tatham, Lancashire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | St James the Less, Tatham |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Dedication | Saint James the Less |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 4 October 1967 |
| Architect(s) | Paley and Austin (restoration) |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Norman, Gothic |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Sandstone, stone slate roof |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Wray |
| Deanery | Tunstall |
| Archdeaconry | Lancaster |
| Diocese | Blackburn |
| Province | Province of York |
The Church of St James the Less is a historic church in the village of Tatham, Lancashire, England. It is a church that belongs to the Anglican faith and is still used today. It is part of the Diocese of Blackburn. The church is very important, so it is listed as a Grade II* building on the National Heritage List for England. This means it is a particularly important building. The church stands on a hill above the River Wenning.
Contents
History of the Church
There has been a church on this spot since at least the Norman times, which was around 1066. Most of the church you see today was built in the 1400s. But some parts are even older, from the Norman period and the 1200s.
The church tower was rebuilt in 1722. Later, between 1885 and 1887, architects named Paley and Austin from Lancaster made big changes. They added a special roof to the tower, which looks like a saddle. They also did a major "restoration," which means they repaired and updated many parts of the church. This included adding a place for the organ and a room for the clergy (called a vestry). They also fixed walls, added new windows, and put in new floors and fittings. This restoration cost £3,269 at the time.
Church Design and Features
Outside the Church
St James' Church is built from sandstone rubble, which means rough, uneven stones. Its roof is made of stone slates. The church has a main area called the nave, a side area called a north aisle, and a south entrance porch. It also has a chancel (the area around the altar), a vestry, and an organ room on the northeast side.
The church has a tall tower at the west end. This tower has a special saddleback roof, which means it looks like a saddle with gables (pointed roof sections) on the north and south sides. On the south wall, you can see several windows. Some have three sections, and others have two. They all feature a style called Perpendicular tracery, which is a pattern of stone bars. There is also a buttress, which is a support built into the wall.
The outer door of the porch has a pointed arch. Above it, there is a slate sundial that tells the time using the sun. The inner doorway is from the Norman period but has been repaired a lot over time. On the north wall of the aisle, there are two more windows. One has two sections, and the other has three. Between them is another doorway with a pointed arch. The organ room has a pointed roof and a three-section window. The vestry has a two-section window. The large east window has three sections with a criss-cross pattern of stone bars.
Inside the Church
Inside the church, between the nave and the aisle, there is an arcade with three sections. This means there are three pointed arches supported by eight-sided stone piers. The bases and tops of these piers are thought to be from the 1100s.
In the floor of the chancel, there is a medieval grave-cover. Also in the chancel, you can find a triple sedilia (seats for the clergy) and a piscina (a basin for washing sacred vessels). Both of these have been repaired. The font, which is used for baptisms, is made of sandstone and is eight-sided with carvings. The choirstalls, pews (church benches), and pulpit (where sermons are given) were all designed by Paley and Austin.
The beautiful stained glass in the east window was made by Burlison and Grylls in the late 1800s. This window also includes older glass from the 1300s or 1400s. It shows the arms (symbol) of the Duke of Lancaster in a grey pattern. The west window in the aisle has glass made by Shrigley and Hunt in 1909. It shows Saint Helen.
Inside the church, you can also see brasses from the 1600s. There are also the painted royal arms of King George II. The organ has two keyboards and was built in the 1880s by Abbott. The church has a set of three bells. The oldest bell was made in 1771, and the other two were made in 1887 by John Taylor and Company.
Outside the Church Grounds
In the churchyard, there is a war grave for a sailor from the Royal Naval Patrol Service who died in World War II.
See also
- Grade II* listed buildings in Lancashire
- Listed buildings in Tatham, Lancashire
- List of works by Paley, Austin and Paley
