St George's Church, Stalybridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St George's Church, Stalybridge |
|
|---|---|
St George's Church, Stalybridge
|
|
| 53°29′15″N 2°03′28″W / 53.4874°N 2.0579°W | |
| OS grid reference | SJ 963 990 |
| Location | Church Walk, Stalybridge, Greater Manchester |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Churchmanship | Liberal Catholic |
| Website | St George, Stalybridge |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Founded | 3 September 1838 |
| Dedication | Saint George |
| Consecrated | 24 June 1840 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 6 February 1986 |
| Architect(s) | Edmund Sharpe |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1838 |
| Completed | 1840 |
| Construction cost | £4,012 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Stone, slate roof |
| Administration | |
| Parish | St George, Stalybridge |
| Deanery | Ashton-under-Lyne |
| Archdeaconry | Rochdale |
| Diocese | Manchester |
| Province | York |
St George's Church is a historic church located in Church Walk, Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, England. It is an active Anglican parish church, meaning it serves the local community. The church is officially recognized as a Grade II listed building, which means it's an important historical building. It also received money from the Church Building Commission to help with its construction.
Contents
History of St George's Church
For many years, there was a smaller church, called a chapel of ease, dedicated to Saint George near the River Tame. This chapel was built in 1776 after an older one was damaged by a landslip (when a mass of earth slides down a slope) in 1774.
By the early 1800s, the chapel was getting old and unsafe. In 1835, the church leader, known as the incumbent, asked Lord Stamford for new land. Lord Stamford was the patron of the living, meaning he had the right to choose the church's leader. They found a new spot about 0.25 miles (0.40 km) away.
Building the New Church
The first stone for the new church was laid on September 3, 1838. This was done by Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere, who was a important leader (a Grand Master) of the local Masonic Lodge, a social and charitable organization. The church was officially opened and blessed (consecrated) on June 24, 1840, by the Bishop of Chester.
The new St George's Church was designed by Edmund Sharpe, an architect from Lancaster. It cost £4,012 to build, which was a lot of money back then! A large part of this cost, £2,712, was paid for by the Church Building Commission. The church was built to hold 1,022 people.
Challenges and Changes
Even though a new church was built, many people from the old St George's Church didn't want to leave their original building. They asked for the old church to stay open instead of being torn down. It reopened on September 29, 1843, with its own separate leader. This caused some disagreements between the two churches, which finally ended when the leader of the new church passed away in 1847.
Over the years, the church changed inside. In 1881, the galleries (balconies inside the church) on the north and south sides were taken out. The west gallery was removed much later, in 1976. At that time, a brick wall was built inside the church. The part of the church to the east of the wall continued to be used for services. The part to the west was changed to be used for other community activities, like social events and education.
Architecture of St George's Church
The church is made of stone with a slate roof. It has a long main area called a nave with seven sections, and smaller areas on the sides called aisles. All of these are under one roof. There's also a small area at the front called a chancel and a tall tower at the west end.
The tower has three levels and strong supports called buttresses at its corners, which rise up to pointed tops called pinnacles. The windows are tall and narrow, known as lancet windows, and have detailed stone patterns called Geometrical tracery. The large window at the east end has two pairs of lancet windows, each with a round window above it, and another round window even higher up.
Inside, the church has arches supported by eight-sided pillars called octagonal piers. The baptismal font (a basin used for baptisms) is made of alabaster and shaped like an angel holding a shell. The beautiful colored glass windows were made by an artist named Lightfoot. The church also has a large organ with three manuals (keyboards), built by Renn & Wadsworth.
See also
- Listed buildings in Stalybridge
- List of architectural works by Edmund Sharpe
- List of Commissioners' churches in Northeast and Northwest England
