St Peter and St Paul's Church, Bolton-by-Bowland Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids St Peter and St Paul's Church, Bolton-by-Bowland
St Peter and St Paul's Church, Bolton-by-Bowland, from the southeast
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OS grid reference	SD 787,494
Location	Gisburn Road, Bolton-by-Bowland, Lancashire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St Peter and St Paul, Bolton-by-Bowland
History
Status	Parish church
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	16 November 1954
Architect(s)	Paley and Austin (restoration)
Architectural type	Church
Style	English Gothic
Specifications
Materials	Sandstone, roofs of stone slate and lead
Administration
Parish	Bolton by Bowland
Deanery	Whalley
Archdeaconry	Blackburn
Diocese	Blackburn
Province	York

St Peter and St Paul's Church is a historic church located in Bolton-by-Bowland, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican church, meaning it belongs to the Church of England. This church serves as a parish church, which is the main church for a local community.

The church is part of a larger group of churches called a benefice, which also includes St Ambrose's Church in Grindleton. It is highly valued for its history and architecture. The church is officially recognized as a Grade I listed building, which means it is considered to be of exceptional national importance.

History of the Church Building
- Who Built the Church?
- Later Changes and Repairs
What Does the Church Look Like?
Churchyard Features
See also

History of the Church Building

A church has stood on this spot since at least the year 1190. Parts of the current building still contain materials from the 13th century. Most of the church you see today was built in the mid-1400s.

Who Built the Church?

Sir Ralph Pudsay, who was the local Lord of the Manor (a powerful landowner), built most of the church. It was finished around 1466. The Pudsay Chapel, a special part of the church, was added a bit later, in the early 1500s.

Later Changes and Repairs

In 1885–86, the church got a big makeover by architects named Paley and Austin. They added a new roof and decorative walls called parapets. The church tower was also repaired more recently, in 1994.

What Does the Church Look Like?

The church is built from sandstone, a type of rock. Its roofs are made of stone slate and lead.

Outside the Church

The church has a main area called the nave and a smaller area at the east end called the chancel. It also has side sections called aisles and a special chapel called the Pudsay Chapel. There's a porch at the south side and a tall tower at the west end.

The tower has a main entrance at the bottom.
Higher up, there are openings for the bells.
The top of the tower has a decorative, castle-like wall called an embattled parapet, with pointy decorations called pinnacles and carved water spouts called gargoyles.
The sides of the church have windows with two sections. The large window at the east end has five sections.
There's a special door in the south wall, possibly from the 13th century, used by the priest.
The inner door of the south porch has a stone beam above it, called a lintel, with interesting carvings.

Inside the Church

Inside, the main hall has rows of arches called arcades, supported by eight-sided pillars.

In the chancel, there's a special basin called a piscina (used for washing sacred vessels) and a recess in the wall that might have been for a tomb.
The font, where baptisms take place, is also eight-sided and made of sandstone from the early 1500s. It has carvings of local family coats of arms (family symbols) and brass plaques with Latin writings. The wooden cover for the font was carved by a famous craftsman known as Robert (Mouseman) Thompson.
The pulpit, where sermons are given, has panels described as "Flemish baroque," which is a fancy style of art.

Monuments and Art

Between the chancel and the chapel, you'll find a large monument to Sir Ralph Pudsay, who died in 1468. It's made of limestone and shows carvings of Sir Ralph, his three wives, and all 25 of his children, with their names! One of his sons, William, even became the church's rector (a type of priest).
There's also a tablet from the early 1800s by an architect named John Foster, designed in a style similar to ancient Greek buildings.
The church has four hatchments, which are special painted boards showing family coats of arms, often displayed after someone important has died.
Some of the windows in the south aisle have beautiful stained glass made by C. E. Kempe.

Music and Bells

The church has a large pipe organ with two manuals (keyboards), built in 1886 and repaired in 2009.
There is a ring of bells in the tower, meaning a set of six bells that can be rung together to make music. Two of these bells are very old, cast around 1420! The others were made in 1749, 1958, 1973, and 2005.

Churchyard Features

The churchyard, which is the area around the church, contains the grave of a soldier from World War I. This grave is cared for by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

St Peter and St Paul's Church, Bolton-by-Bowland facts for kids

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