St James' Church, Poolstock facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St James' Church, Poolstock
St James' Church, Poolstock, from the southeast
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OS grid reference	SD 578,045
Location	Poolstock, Wigan, Greater Manchester
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St James with St Thomas, Wigan
History
Status	Parish church
Founder(s)	James C. Eckersley
Consecrated	15 September 1866
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	11 July 1983
Architect(s)	E. G. Paley
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1863
Completed	1866
Specifications
Materials	Sandstone, slate roofs
Administration
Parish	Wigan West
Deanery	Wigan
Archdeaconry	Wigan & West Lancashire
Diocese	Liverpool
Province	York

St James' Church is a beautiful old church located in Poolstock, a part of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. It's a busy Anglican church, meaning it belongs to the Church of England. It's also a very important building, listed as a Grade II* listed building on the National Heritage List for England. This means it's a special historical building that needs to be protected.

History of St James' Church

The first stone for the church was laid on 1 September 1863. It took three years to build this amazing church. It was officially opened and blessed on 15 September 1866.

This church was the main building in a village built for workers. A local businessman named Nathaniel Eckersley paid for it. He owned coal mines and was also a Member of Parliament for Wigan. He came from a family who owned many mills. The church was named St James in memory of his brother, James Eckersley. Building the church cost more than £15,000, which was a huge amount of money back then!

The church was designed by a famous architect named E. G. Paley from Lancaster. In 1970, another nearby church, St Thomas, closed down. Its parish then joined with St James' Church.

Church Design and Features

Outside the Church

St James' Church is built from sandstone that came from Parbold. The roofs are covered with slate. The church is designed in a style called Decorated Gothic. This style was popular in the 13th and 14th centuries.

The church has a long main area called a nave. It has five sections, with a high row of windows called a clerestory. There are also side sections, called aisles, on the north and south. A small entrance porch is on the south side. The church also has a chancel (the area near the altar) with a chapel and a room for the clergy (vestry).

The church has a tall tower at the west end. This tower has five levels and strong corner supports called buttresses. At the bottom of the tower, there's a large arched doorway. Above it is a window with four sections. Higher up, there's a special carved space called a niche with the year 1866 carved into it. The fourth level has clock faces. The very top level has pairs of windows where the bells are. The top of the tower has fancy decorations and a wall with openings, called a parapet, with pointed ornaments called pinnacles.

The walls along the nave and aisles also have battlements, like a castle. The windows in the high clerestory are in pairs. The aisle windows have three sections. The chancel is a bit lower than the nave. It has a decorative wall at the top. The chapel on the south side of the chancel has a round window called a rose window. The main east window is very large and has five sections.

Inside the Church

Inside, the church has rows of arches called arcades. These arches are supported by columns that are shaped like octagons and four-leaf clovers. The windows in the high clerestory have thin marble columns next to them.

The stone reredos (a screen behind the altar) is very detailed and decorative. Below the east window, there's another row of arches. On each side of the window, there are two levels of carved spaces with statues. The south chapel has furniture that was moved from the old St Thomas' Church.

The windows in the north and south chancel have beautiful stained glass made by a company called Hardman. The church's organ has two keyboards and was built in 1865–66. It cost £375 at the time. It's believed that the famous architect Paley designed the organ's wooden case.

The church has a set of eight bells. All of them were made in 1896 by Mears and Stainbank, a company from the Whitechapel Bell Foundry.

See also

• Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester
• Listed buildings in Wigan
• List of churches in Greater Manchester
• List of ecclesiastical works by E. G. Paley