St Catharine's Church, Scholes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Catharine's Church, Scholes |
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| OS grid reference | NZ 274,513 |
| Location | Lorne Street, Scholes, Wigan, Greater Manchester |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Consecrated | 6 June 1841 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Architect(s) | Edmund Sharpe |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1839 |
| Completed | 1841 |
| Construction cost | £3,180 |
| Specifications | |
| Spire height | 190 feet (58 m) |
| Materials | Sandstone, slate roofs |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Wigan, St Catharine |
| Deanery | Wigan |
| Archdeaconry | Warrington |
| Diocese | Liverpool |
| Province | York |
St Catharine's Church is located on Lorne Street in Scholes, a part of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. It is an active Anglican parish church. This means it is a local church for people who follow the Anglican faith. It is officially protected as a Grade II listed building, which shows its historical importance.
Contents
History of the Church
Building the Church
The church was built between 1839 and 1841. A famous architect named Edmund Sharpe designed it. The building cost about £3,180 at the time. This was a lot of money back then! The Church Building Commission helped pay for it, giving a grant of £962. John Woodcock of Springfield Hall gave the land for the church.
Early Days and a Leaning Spire
The church was officially opened on June 6, 1841. A bishop named John Bird Sumner led the special ceremony. Around 1860, the church's name changed from "Catherine" to "Catharine," which is still used today.
Around the same time, people found out that the church was built on a geological fault. This is like a crack in the Earth's crust. Because of coal mining nearby, the ground shifted. This caused the church's tall spire to lean and twist! Local coal mines helped pay for the repairs needed to fix it. In 1864, St Catharine's became a full parish church.
How the Church Looks
Building Materials and Style
St Catharine's Church is made from sandstone from Billinge. Its roofs are covered with slate. The church is built in a style called Early English, which is a type of Gothic Revival design.
Inside and Out
The church has a long main area called a nave. On each side of the nave are aisles. There is also a small room for the clergy called a vestry and a short chancel at the east end.
At the west end of the church, there is a tall steeple. This steeple has a square base with two levels. It has pointed buttresses and pinnacles at the corners. On top of the square part is an eight-sided belfry. Above that is an eight-sided spire that reaches 190 feet (58 meters) high. The spire has two levels of small windows called lucarnes.
Inside the church, there are balconies called galleries on three sides. These are held up by cast iron columns. The church organ is in the west gallery. The church also has old-fashioned box pews, which are like enclosed seating areas. A glass screen now separates the west end of the church.
What Experts Think
Experts in architecture, Richard Pollard and Nikolaus Pevsner, have studied the church. They think the steeple is "awkwardly too big" for the rest of the church. However, other experts say that the inside of St Catharine's is one of the most complete and original of Edmund Sharpe's church designs, especially with its box pews and galleries.
Other Parts of the Church Area
The stone wall around the churchyard is also a Grade II listed building. This means it is historically important too. The brick house where the vicar lives, located south of the church, is also a Grade II listed building.
Fixing the Spire
In 2012, St Catharine's received money from the Heritage Lottery Fund. This money was for a very important project: to straighten the leaning spire. If the spire had not been fixed, it might have fallen down! Work began that same year. It involved carefully taking apart, strengthening, and then rebuilding the spire.
More to Explore
- List of architectural works by Edmund Sharpe
- List of Commissioners' churches in Northeast and Northwest England
- List of churches in Greater Manchester
- Listed buildings in Wigan
