St Mary the Virgin's Church, Deane facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary the Virgin, Deane |
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| 53°34′08″N 2°27′52″W / 53.5690°N 2.4644°W | |
| Location | Deane, Bolton |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | Deane Parish Church |
| History | |
| Status | Parish Church |
| Founded | 14th century |
| Dedication | Saint Mary the Virgin |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Sandstone |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Deane |
| Archdeaconry | Bolton |
| Diocese | Manchester |
| Province | York |
The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Deane is an Anglican church located in Deane, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It is a parish church, which means it serves a local community. This church is part of the Church of England and belongs to the diocese of Manchester. It is also a Grade II* listed building, meaning it's a very important historic building that needs to be protected.
A Look at History
St Mary's Church stands on high ground in an old area called Rumworth. It's near a stream known as Church Brook, which the Saxons (early English people) called Kirkbroke. This stream flows through a narrow, wooded valley called Deane Clough. The church gets its name from this valley.
Long ago, St Mary's was a "chapel of ease" for a bigger church in Eccles. This meant it was a smaller church built to make it easier for people in the area to attend services without traveling far. Later, it became the main church for the ancient ecclesiastical parish of Deane. This parish was created from the northern part of the Eccles parish.
The church building started in the 14th century. Back then, it had a main hall (called a nave), a special area for the altar (called a chancel), a steep roof, and a tower at the west end. Over time, the church has been made much bigger and changed quite a bit.
Church Building and Design
The oldest part of St Mary's Church is its west tower, which dates back to the 14th century. The church is built from rough stone walls. It has special decorated edges called parapets on the chancel, nave, and side sections (aisles). You can also see three pointed decorations called crocketed pinnacles at the east end of the church.
The windows have rounded tops. The upper part of the church walls (called the clerestory) has many square-shaped windows, each with three sections. The chancel has a large, pointed east window with seven sections. The chancel and nave share a continuous, flat, oak-paneled roof, which was put in place in 1884, following the design of the older roof.
In the early 15th century, the church was made longer by adding a new chancel. Later, it was made wider by adding a north aisle. After that, another section was added, and the south side was rebuilt with three arches. The 14th-century nave was taken down in the early 16th century. A new set of arches (nave arcade) and the clerestory were then built. The chancel was extended by about 3 meters (10 feet) in 1884, and a room for the organ was added in 1887.
Inside, the chancel is about 8.5 meters (28 feet) long and 5.9 meters (19 feet 6 inches) wide. The nave is about 21.8 meters (71 feet 6 inches) long and 6.3 meters (20 feet 9 inches) wide. The north aisle is about 4 meters (13 feet) wide, with the organ room at the east end and a vestry (a room for clergy) at the west end. The south aisle is about 4.5 meters (15 feet) wide and has a porch. The tower is about 2.7 meters (9 feet) square.
The Churchyard
The churchyard is where many people are buried. Some notable people buried here include Thomas and Joseph Rowland Heaton, who started the Lostock Junction Mills.
There are also war graves for 43 service members. Fifteen of these are from World War I and 28 from World War II. The churchyard also holds 27 graves of people who died in the 1910 Pretoria Pit Disaster, a terrible mining accident.
You can also find a memorial here for George Marsh, a Protestant martyr. This memorial originally stood about half a mile west of the church. The words on its base tell about his martyrdom and that the memorial was put up in 1893. There is also an outdoor stone pulpit in the churchyard.
Images for kids
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St Mary's Church, Deane
See also
- Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester
- Listed buildings in Bolton
- List of churches in Greater Manchester
- Hulton family
