St Mary the Virgin's Church, Leigh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Leigh |
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Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin
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| 53°29′54″N 2°31′11″W / 53.49830°N 2.51966°W | |
| OS grid reference | SD 656 003 |
| Location | St Mary's Way, Leigh, Greater Manchester |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | Leigh Parish Church Website |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | St Peter |
| Status | Parish church |
| Dedication | Saint Mary the Virgin |
| Consecrated | Present building 12 February 1873 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 7 November 1966 |
| Architect(s) | Paley and Austin, Paley, Austin and Paley, Austin and Paley |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Completed | 1873 |
| Construction cost | £8,738 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 710 |
| Materials | red sandstone |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Leigh |
| Deanery | Salford & Leigh |
| Archdeaconry | Salford |
| Diocese | Manchester |
| Province | York |
The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin is an important Church of England parish church located in Leigh, England. It is part of the diocese of Manchester. This church is recognized as a Grade II* listed building, which means it's a very special historic place.
Leigh was once part of the Diocese of Lichfield and Coventry until 1541. It then moved to the Diocese of Chester. In 1847, Leigh became the only parish in its area to join the new Diocese of Manchester. Leigh has had its own deanery (a group of parishes) since 1933.
Contents
History of St Mary's Church
St Mary's Church is right in the middle of Leigh. It stands near the Civic Square, which used to be the town's market place. The church is also close to the library and across from the town hall.
Early Beginnings of the Church
Records show that a church existed on this spot in the 1200s. We don't know the exact date it was first built. The very first church here was called the Church of Westleigh. It was dedicated to St Peter. Later, around the end of the 1300s, its dedication changed to St Mary the Virgin. The church was built right on the old border between the areas of Westleigh and Pennington. The main part of the church (the nave) and the churchyard were in Westleigh. The chancel (the area around the altar) was in Pennington.
St Mary's as a Mother Church
For hundreds of years, St Mary's was the main church for six nearby areas. These were Westleigh, Pennington, Bedford, Astley, Atherton, and Tyldesley. People from these areas had to come to St Mary's for important events like baptisms, weddings, and funerals. If they didn't come to St Mary's, they had to go to churches outside their parish.
To make things easier, smaller churches called "chapels of ease" were built. The first one, Astley Chapel, was finished in 1631. Another, St John the Baptist at Chowbent, was built in 1645. Later, St George's Church, Tyldesley was built in 1825, St Thomas in Bedford in 1840, and Christ Church, Pennington in 1854.
Rebuilding the Church
The early history of the church is connected to the Westleigh family. They were the local lords of the manor. A priest named John de Westleigh served the parish during the time of King John (1199–1216). The church was likely rebuilt in the 1400s. The church tower dates back to about 1500.
By the late 1860s, the church building was not safe. So, from 1871 to 1873, most of the church was rebuilt. Only the old tower remained. The work was done by architects Paley and Austin from Lancaster. It cost £8,738, which was a lot of money back then! The new church could seat 710 people. James Fraser, the Bishop of Manchester, officially opened the new building in February 1873. Later, in 1890, the architects added new features to the chancel, including an altar. In 1909–10, they added a choir vestry (a room for clergy and choir) and worked on the tower.
During the rebuilding, a roof beam from 1616 was found. However, it's believed that the roof of the St Nicholas Chapel, which was reused, dates from around 1500.
Church Design and Features
The church was rebuilt using red sandstone in the Gothic Revival Perpendicular style. This style was popular for churches in England. The church has a long main hall called a nave and a shorter section near the altar called a chancel. Both are under one continuous roof. There's also a clerestory (a row of windows high up) and a crenellated (castle-like) top edge. The windows in the side aisles have three lights (sections) with stone patterns.
The Tower and Interior
The church tower also has a castle-like top. It still has its original 16th-century wooden west doors under a rounded arch. The tower has strong diagonal buttresses (supports) and a large three-light window. There are two-light openings for the bells on all sides, below the clock faces. The north vestry was added in 1910.
Inside, the church is very impressive because of its large size. You can still see the old roofline of the previous church on the tower wall inside.
Inside the Church: Fittings and Furniture
The tower holds a ring of eight bells. Six of these bells were made in 1740 by Abel Rudhall of Gloucester. The other two were made in 1761 by the same company. These bells replaced four older ones. In 2010, the bells were taken down and restored.
The roof of the north aisle was reused from the old church. The main nave has a special "hammer beam" roof design.
Art and Windows
The reredos (a decorated screen behind the altar) and the altar were designed by Austin and Paley. They are beautifully painted in gold, red, and green. Many of the stained glass windows were installed between 1887 and 1933. These include windows in the Lady chapel, the south aisle, and several in the north aisle. Some were made by Shrigley and Hunt, while others, like the large west window, are by Charles Eamer Kempe. The Speakman window is very interesting because it shows scenes from the local industries of Leigh, like weavers, engineers, and coal miners.
Musical Instruments and Woodwork
The church has an organ case from 1910, also by Austin and Paley. An older organ case from 1777, made by Samuel Green of London, is also preserved. The organ itself was built in 1776–78 by Samuel Green. It has been rebuilt and improved over the years. This organ has a special "Historic Organ Certificate" because of its importance.
Other wooden items saved from the older church include an altar table from 1705 and oak canopies (decorative covers) from the churchwardens' seats from 1686.
Above the nave, near the tower, hangs a beautiful 18th-century brass chandelier. It was kept from the old church and later changed to use electricity.
Outside the Church
The churchyard has an 18th-century boundary wall, gates, and gate piers. These are also listed as a Grade II historic building.
Rectors and Vicars of St Mary's
The first known parson (priest) listed for Leigh was John, Parson of Westleigh, who served between 1189 and 1199. This suggests that a church might have been in Leigh even before the Norman Conquest in 1066.
See also
- List of churches in Greater Manchester
- List of ecclesiastical works by Paley and Austin
- List of ecclesiastical works by Austin and Paley (1895–1914)
- Listed buildings in Leigh, Greater Manchester
