St Anne's Church, St Anne's-on-the-Sea facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Anne's, St Annes-on-the-Sea |
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St Anne's from the south-west
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| OS grid reference | SD 32675 29392 |
| Location | St Annes-on-the-Sea, Lancashire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Completed | 1873 |
| Administration | |
| Deanery | Kirkham |
| Archdeaconry | Lancaster |
| Diocese | Blackburn |
| Province | York |
St Anne's Church is an important Anglican church located in St Annes-on-the-Sea, a town on the coast of Lancashire, England. It is a busy Church of England parish church and is part of the Diocese of Blackburn. This church is considered a special building and is listed as a Grade II listed building because of its history and architecture.
Contents
Church History and Growth
St Anne's Church was built between 1872 and 1873. It started as a "chapel of ease" for St Cuthbert's Church, Lytham. This meant it was a smaller church built to serve people who lived far from the main parish church. It was one of the very first buildings in what would become the town of St Annes-on-the-Sea.
The land for the church was given by the local Clifton family. They were important landowners in the area. The church was designed by famous architects from Lancaster, named Paley and Austin. It cost £4,229 to build, which was a lot of money back then!
In 1877, St Anne's became its own independent church parish. The seaside town that grew up around the church was named after it. The church was made bigger in 1885–1886 by Richard Knill Freeman. He added a transept (a part of the church that crosses the main body) and a vestry (a room for the clergy). He also added an aisle (a walkway) on the north side.
A tall tower was added in 1890. In 1909, a lady chapel was built. This is a special chapel often dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Later, in 1919, Henry Paley, who continued the Lancaster architectural practice, added a baptistry. This is a place where baptisms take place. He also oversaw repairs and added a memorial vestry between 1929 and 1931.
Special Building Status
St Anne's Church was officially named a Grade II listed building by English Heritage on February 15, 1993. A Grade II listing means the building is "nationally important and of special interest." It's the third highest level of protection for historic buildings in England.
The church is still an active part of the Church of England. It belongs to the diocese of Blackburn, which is part of the Province of York. It is also part of the archdeaconry of Lancaster and the Deanery of Kirkham. The church's parish and its area of responsibility are both called St Anne (Heyhouses).
Church Design and Features
Exterior Design
The church is built in a mixed Gothic style. It uses red brick laid in a pattern called English bond. It also has sandstone dressings, which are carefully cut stone blocks used for decoration. The roof is made of red tiles.
The church's layout includes a nave (the main part where people sit) and a chancel (the area around the altar) under one roof. It has a tower at the west end, and aisles on both the north and south sides. There is a south transept and a baptistery located west of the tower. A memorial lady chapel is found to the north of the chancel.
The tower is square and has two main sections. It has strong buttresses (supports) on the west side. There is also a small stair turret for accessing the upper parts. The top of the tower has a stepped parapet (a low wall) with pointed pinnacles (small, decorative spires) at each corner.
Inside the Church
Inside the church, there is a special area for the organ. This area has an archway with interesting brickwork patterns. The lady chapel has a beautiful reredos (a screen or decoration behind the altar) made of Caen stone. The Stained glass windows in the church are very artistic. Some were made by John Hayward, and others by E. H. Jewitt from the company Shrigley and Hunt in Lancaster.
Churchyard and Memorials
The churchyard of St Anne's is shaped like a triangle. It holds an important sandstone memorial. This memorial remembers six members of the St Anne's Laura Janet lifeboat crew. These brave people died trying to rescue the Mexico ship during the terrible 1886 Southport and St Anne's lifeboats disaster. Another memorial for more of the lost crew members is in the churchyard of St Cuthbert's in Lytham. The famous footballer and manager Harry Catterick is also buried in this churchyard.
You enter the churchyard through a rectangular Tudor-style lychgate. A lychgate is a covered gateway to a churchyard, often used to shelter coffins before a burial. This one is built of timber and has a red tiled roof. A red brick wall surrounds the entire churchyard. Both the lychgate and the boundary wall are also listed as Grade II buildings by English Heritage.
See also
- Listed buildings in Saint Anne's on the Sea
- List of ecclesiastical works by Paley and Austin
