St Bartholomew's Church, Great Harwood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Bartholomew's, Great Harwood |
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St Bartholomew's Church, Great Harwood, from the southeast
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| OS grid reference | SD 73387 32716 |
| Location | Great Harwood, Lancashire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 11 July 1966 |
| Architect(s) | Paley and Austin (alterations) |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Perpendicular |
| Administration | |
| Deanery | Whalley |
| Archdeaconry | Blackburn |
| Diocese | Blackburn |
| Province | York |
St Bartholomew's Church is a historic church in Great Harwood, a town in Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican church, meaning it belongs to the Church of England. The church is very important because it is listed as a Grade II* building. This means it is a particularly important building of more than special interest.
Contents
History of St Bartholomew's Church
For a long time, Great Harwood was part of a larger church area called the parish of Blackburn. Records from 1389 mention a small church, or chapel of ease, in Great Harwood. This chapel was dedicated to a saint named St Lawrence.
Later, a special prayer area called a chantry was added to St Lawrence's. It was created by Thomas Hesketh of Martholme and dedicated to St Bartholomew. Over time, the entire chapel became known as St Bartholomew's.
The tall tower you see today was likely built in the 1400s. Most of the rest of the church seems to be from the 1500s. Thomas Hesketh might have rebuilt parts of it around that time.
In 1880–81, some big changes were made. Architects named Paley and Austin from Lancaster added a new section to the main part of the church, called the nave. They also built a new chancel (the area around the altar), a vestry (a room for clergy), and an organ chamber. A new pulpit (where sermons are given) was also added. These changes increased the number of seats from 377 to 470. All these updates cost about £2,000 back then, which was a lot of money!
Architecture and Design
Outside the Church
St Bartholomew's Church is built in a style called Perpendicular Gothic. This style was popular in England from the late 1300s to the early 1500s. The church walls are made of rough, cut stones, and the roofs are made of stone tiles.
The church has a main area called the nave and a tower at the west end. On each side of the nave are aisles. At the east end is the chancel. There is a small entrance porch on the south side and a vestry on the north.
The tower has four main levels and strong supports called buttresses at its corners. There's a small, round tower for stairs at the southeast corner. The top of the tower has a decorative, castle-like edge called a crenellated parapet.
The west window of the tower has three sections and a pointed arch. It also has decorative moulding. The openings for the bells, called belfry louvres, have two sections and moulding too.
The nave and aisles have windows with three sections, divided by stone bars called mullions. The south wall of the chancel has two windows, each with two sections. The large east window has four sections and beautiful stone patterns called tracery, typical of the Perpendicular style.
Inside the Church
Inside, the tower measures about 9 feet by 10 feet. The main part of the church, the nave, is about 66 feet 9 inches long and 15 feet 6 inches wide. You enter the nave from the tower through a tall arch.
In the tower, you can see a special decorated screen from the 1800s called a reredos. It shows a picture of the Annunciation, which is when the Angel Gabriel told Mary she would have Jesus.
The church also has an old, eight-sided baptismal font from the 1600s. The beautiful stained glass windows in the church were made by different artists. These include Henry Holiday, Ballantine & Gardner, and A. Seward & Co.
Recently, the lights in the main church area were changed to modern LED lights. This update helps save energy and makes the church much brighter. It was done without changing the traditional look of the hall.
Churchyard and War Graves
The churchyard, which is the burial ground around the church, has a special extension. This area contains the graves of two soldiers and an airman who died during World War I. Their graves are looked after by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Important Status
St Bartholomew's Church was officially named a Grade II* listed building on July 11, 1966. This is a very high honor. It means the building is considered very important to England's history and architecture.
The church is an active parish church. It is part of the Diocese of Blackburn, which is a larger area of churches. This diocese is part of the Province of York, which covers many churches in the north of England.
See also
- Listed buildings in Great Harwood
- Grade II* listed buildings in Lancashire
- List of ecclesiastical works by Paley and Austin
