St Michael and All Angels' Church, Howe Bridge facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Michael and All Angels' Church, Howe Bridge
St Michael and All Angels' Church, Howe Bridge, from the east
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OS grid reference	SD 665,025
Location	Leigh Road, Howe Bridge, Atherton, Greater Manchester
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	Parish Website
History
Status	Parish church
Consecrated	7 February 1877
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	31 July 1996
Architect(s)	Paley and Austin, Austin and Paley
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1875
Completed	1877
Specifications
Materials	Sandstone with tiled roofs
Administration
Parish	St Michael and All Angels, Howe Bridge
Deanery	Leigh
Archdeaconry	Salford
Diocese	Manchester
Province	York

St Michael and All Angels' Church is a historic and active church located on Leigh Road in Howe Bridge. This area is a suburb of Atherton, which is in Greater Manchester, England. It is an Anglican parish church, meaning it serves the local community. The church is part of a larger group of churches in the area. It is officially recognized as a Grade II* listed building, which means it is a very important building with special historical or architectural value.

Church History

The church was built between 1875 and 1877. It was designed by famous architects from Lancaster, Paley and Austin. A company called Fletcher, Burrows and Company, who owned coal mines in Atherton, paid for the church. Ralph Fletcher, one of the owners, paid £7,000 for its construction. This amount would be worth a lot more money today!

The church was officially opened and blessed on 7 February 1877. In August 1878, it became its own separate parish. Later, in 1928, the church got new seating, which cost £1,056. In 1938, a new room called a vestry was added at the east end of the church for £1,338. In 2002, St Michael's joined with other local churches to form a "United Benefice."

Church Architecture

St Michael's Church is built from strong, layered stone with special red sandstone details. Its roofs are covered with tiles. The church has a cross-shaped layout. This means it has a main long section (the nave), and two shorter sections sticking out on the sides (the transepts).

Outside the Church

The church does not have aisles along its main nave area. It has a porch on the north side and small chapels on the sides. There are also north and south transepts, which are the "arms" of the cross shape. The chancel, which is the area near the altar, has a clerestory (a row of windows high up) and aisles. There is also a meeting room and a choir vestry attached.

Above where the main parts of the church meet (the crossing), there is an eight-sided, two-story flèche (a small spire). This flèche has a tall, pointed spire on top. At the west end of the church, there is a large central support called a buttress. On either side of this buttress are two-light windows with pointed tops. Above these, in the triangular part of the wall (the gable), are three small, narrow windows called lancet windows.

On the north side, there is a porch made of wood with a gable roof and windows on the sides. Next to this porch are several windows, some with two lights and some with three. The south side of the church has similar windows. The chapels have two-light windows on their west sides and three-light windows on their other sides. The transept gables have a three-light window with buttresses on either side, and two lancet windows above them. The clerestory has three small lancet windows on each side. The large east window has five stepped lancet windows. There are more lancet windows in the rooms next to the chancel. On the north wall of the chancel, there is a small, gabled stair turret decorated with blind arcading (a row of arches that are just for decoration).

Inside the Church

The nave has an open roof, showing the wooden beams. The chancel, however, has a stone-arched ceiling called a vault. The arches in the chancel are supported by round and clustered piers (large supports).

The reredos, which is a decorative screen behind the altar, is made of marble and was added in 1903. The choir stalls, where the choir sits, were made in 1919 in a style called Perpendicular. The screens for the chapels are in a Decorated style. The screen separating the chancel and the pulpit (where sermons are given) were made in 1919 from wrought and cast iron.

The font, used for baptisms, is a round marble structure with decorative panels. Many of the beautiful stained glass windows were created by C. E. Kempe, with some dating back to 1896. There is also a window in the north transept from 1922 by Edward Moore. Inside the church, you can also find memorials, mostly dedicated to the Fletcher family. The church's large organ, which has three keyboards, was built in 1932 by Rushworth and Dreaper from Liverpool.

Today's Church

St Michael and All Angels' Church was officially listed as a Grade II* building on 31 July 1996. This special grading means it's a very important building with more than just typical interest. Experts who study architecture have called it "one of their most stimulating churches," referring to the architects who designed it.

The church holds regular services on Sundays and during the week. It has a choir that sings during services. It also has a Mothers' Union group. For younger people, the church runs a Sunday School, and hosts groups like Scouts and Guides.

See also

• Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester
• Listed buildings in Atherton, Greater Manchester
• List of churches in Greater Manchester
• List of ecclesiastical works by Paley and Austin