St Peter's Church, Ashton-under-Lyne facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Peter's Church, Ashton-under-Lyne |
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The Church of St Peter from the south
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| OS grid reference | SJ 931 986 |
| Location | Manchester Road, Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester |
| Country | UK |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Churchmanship | Open evangelical |
| Website | St Peter, Ashton-under-Lyne |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Dedication | Saint Peter |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 12 January 1967 |
| Architect(s) | Francis Goodwin |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1821 |
| Completed | 1824 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Stone, slate roof |
| Administration | |
| Parish | The Good Shepherd, Ashton-under-Lyne |
| Deanery | Ashton-under-Lyne |
| Archdeaconry | Rochdale |
| Diocese | Manchester |
| Province | York |
St Peter's Church is a historic church located in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, England. It is an active Anglican church, meaning it belongs to the Church of England. This church serves the local community as a parish church, which is a church for people living in a specific area.
St Peter's is part of a group of five churches that make up the Parish of the Good Shepherd in Ashton-under-Lyne. It is a very important building, listed as a Grade II* listed building on the National Heritage List for England. This means it's considered a particularly special building that needs to be protected because of its history and architecture. It's also known as a "Commissioners' Church" because it received money from a special government fund to help build new churches after the Napoleonic Wars. Experts describe it as a "large and ambitious" and "imposing and elaborate" church.
Contents
History of St Peter's Church
St Peter's Church was built a long time ago, between 1821 and 1824. It was designed by an architect named Francis Goodwin. The government helped pay for its construction, giving a large grant of £13,191. The land for the church was given by a wealthy local leader, George 6th Earl of Stamford and Warrington.
In 1840, a special clock was put in the church. Its face was at the front (east end), but the working parts were at the back (west end). A long rod connected the two parts, running all the way through the church! Later in the 1900s, the back part of the church under the balcony was divided to create more space.
Church Design and Features
Outside the Church
St Peter's Church is built from stone blocks called ashlar, and its roof is made of slate. The church has a long main area called a nave with seven sections, and a rounded area at the east end that acts as the chancel (the part of the church where the altar is).
At the west end of the church, there is a tall tower. This tower has three levels and strong supports called buttresses at its corners. These supports rise up to tall, pointed decorations called pinnacles. The tower has a main door at the west, and above it, a tall window with three parts. Higher up, you can see clock faces under small pointed roofs. At the very top of the tower, there are pairs of open arches where the bells are. The top edge of the tower, called the parapet, is also open and decorated with stone patterns.
Each section of the nave has a large window with three lights (sections) and a horizontal bar called a transom. These windows have decorative stone patterns, but they are actually made of cast iron and painted to look like stone! Between each window, there are more buttresses that rise up to pinnacles. The pinnacles at the corners of the church have small, hook-like decorations called crockets. At the very front of the church (east end), there is a beautiful round window called a rose window, and above it, another clock face.
Inside the Church
Inside St Peter's, there are balconies, called galleries, on three sides. These balconies are held up by special cast iron columns shaped like four-leaf clovers. The church used to have individual seating areas called box pews, but these have been removed over time, along with many other original furnishings.
The stunning stained glass in the east rose window was made in the 1830s by David Evans. It shows the twelve apostles, who were Jesus's closest followers. On the north side of the church, there is a window from 1923 by W. Pointer, and three more windows from the 1890s and 1901 by Curtis, Ward and Hughes. The south side has windows made by Lavers and Westlake.
The church has a large pipe organ with three keyboards, built in 1831 by Samuel Renn. It was later rebuilt in 1959 by J. J. Binns. There is also a set of eight bells, all made in 1871 by a famous bell foundry called Mears and Stainbank, located in Whitechapel.
Churchyard Features
The area around the church, called the churchyard, is a burial ground. It contains the war grave of a soldier from the Royal Garrison Artillery who died during World War I.
More to Explore
- Grade II* listed buildings in Greater Manchester
- Listed buildings in Ashton-under-Lyne
- List of churches in Greater Manchester
- List of Commissioners' churches in Northeast and Northwest England
- List of works by Francis Goodwin
