St Mary's Church, Goosnargh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary the Virgin, Goosnargh |
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St Mary's Church from the north
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| OS grid reference | SD 55951 36922 |
| Location | Goosnargh, Lancashire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Specifications | |
| Height | 60 feet (18 m) |
| Administration | |
| Deanery | Garstang |
| Archdeaconry | Lancaster |
| Diocese | Blackburn |
| Province | York |
The Church of St Mary the Virgin is an Anglican church. It is located in Goosnargh, a village north of Preston in Lancashire, England. This church is very old, dating back to the Middle Ages. It was made bigger in the 1500s and fixed up twice in the 1800s.
St Mary's is still an active parish church today. It is part of the Diocese of Blackburn. English Heritage has given it a special Grade II* listed building status. This means it is a very important building.
Contents
History of St Mary's Church
St Mary's Church began a long time ago, in the Middle Ages. It was probably built by the year 1281, and definitely by 1330. It might have started as a small church, called a chapel of ease. This chapel would have helped people who lived far from the main church in Kirkham.
Most of the church you see today is from the 1400s or later. This includes the tower and the north side of the church. The church was made larger starting in the 1500s. The main part of the church, called the chancel, was rebuilt around 1553. Other parts were likely rebuilt in the late 1500s or early 1600s.
Later, in the late 1700s, extra seating areas called galleries were added. One was put in the west in 1788, and another in the east in 1800. In 1868–1869, a company called Paley and Austin did big repairs. They fixed the roof, stone around the windows, and lowered the floor. More repairs happened in 1895.
St Mary's Church Today
St Mary's was officially named a Grade II* listed building on November 11, 1966. This Grade II* title is the second highest award. It means the church is a "particularly important building" with special historical interest.
The church is still active in 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 Garstang.
Church Design and Features
Outside the Church
St Mary's is built from rough sandstone rocks. It has smooth gritstone pieces for details and slate roofs. The church has a main area called a nave. On either side are long rooms called aisles. At the east end is the chancel, and at the west is a tall tower. There's a small entrance area, a porch, on the south-west side. A small room for the priest, a vestry, is north of the chancel.
Many parts of the church look like they are in the Romanesque style. The roof over the nave has three small gabled windows on the north side. There are two on the south side. These windows, called dormers, let light into the church for the people inside.
The tower is about 60 feet (18 meters) tall. It has three main levels. A small stair tower is on the south-east side. Strong supports, called buttresses, are at the corners. The top of the tower has a crenellated edge, which looks like the top of a castle wall. The tower also has three-light belfry louvres where the bells are. These have fancy stone patterns called Perpendicular style tracery.
Inside the Church
The main part of the church, the nave, is about 70 feet 6 inches (21.4 meters) long and 20 feet 6 inches (6.2 meters) wide. It is separated from the side aisles by arcades. These are rows of pointed arches supported by eight-sided pillars, called piers.
At the east end of the north aisle is the Middleton Chapel. It has wooden screens from the late 1600s or 1700s. In the south aisle, there is a stone baptismal font. It is about 1 foot 5 inches (43 cm) tall and has a large square bowl. This font might be from the 1400s.
The tower has six bells that are still used today. Each bell has a special message on it. For example, one bell from 1713 says, 'God preserve the Church and Queen Ann'. Another from 1753 says, 'I to the Church the living call and to the grave do summon all'.
The church also has special items used in services. There is a silver cup, a chalice, from 1746. A small plate, a paten, has a message remembering Charles Osborne Gordon, a former vicar, who died in 1892. Other items include a plated chalice, a flagon (for wine), and a breadholder.
A pipe organ was once in the west gallery. The organ used today is at the east end of the south aisle. It was built in 1906. The church has beautiful Stained glass windows. Some of these were made by famous artists like Shrigley and Hunt, Harry Stammers, and Heaton, Butler and Bayne.
Churchyard Features
The churchyard has many old gravestones, with one dating back to 1668. There are also graves for five soldiers. Four soldiers died in World War I, and one died in World War II.
To the south of the church, there is a sandstone sundial. It has two round steps and a vase-shaped base. A plate on it says July 1746 and has the name of Rev. C. Swainson. This sundial is also a Grade II listed building. South of the chancel, you can find the stone base of a preaching cross from the Middle Ages. This cross base is also a Grade II listed building.
See also
- Listed buildings in Goosnargh
- List of ecclesiastical works by Paley and Austin
