St Saviour's Church, Astley Bridge facts for kids

St Saviour's Church was an Anglican church located in Deane Road, Deane, a part of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It was an important building in its community for many years before it was taken down.

A Look Back: History of St Saviour's Church

St Saviour's Church was built between 1882 and 1885. It was quite expensive for its time, costing about £20,000. This money was given by Thomas Greenhalgh, who owned a mill and was a very religious person. He used money he inherited from his brother, Nathaniel, to pay for the church.

Interestingly, St Saviour's was one of two churches built with Nathaniel's inheritance. The other was All Souls Church, also in Bolton. Both churches were designed by the same architects, Paley and Austin, from Lancaster. Sadly, St Saviour's Church was taken down in 1975.

What the Church Looked Like: Architecture

The church was built with red bricks and special stone from Longridge. It had a tall tower on the west side with a unique stepped top and pointed decorations called pinnacles. This tower reached an impressive height of about 41.8 meters (137 feet).

Inside, the main part of the church, called the nave, was about 26.2 meters (86 feet) long and 15.2 meters (50 feet) wide. It had five sections, and large side wings, known as transepts, near the front. These transepts led to walkways, or aisles, on either side of the chancel, which is the area around the altar. The church could seat 804 people.

The church had beautiful stained glass windows. The large window at the east end had seven sections with glass made by Burlison and Grylls. The window at the west end featured glass by Shrigley and Hunt. A famous expert on buildings, Nikolaus Pevsner, once said that St Saviour's was "one of their [Paley and Austin's] noblest churches," meaning it was one of their best designs.

The Church Bells

St Saviour's Church had a set of eight bells. They were made in 1885 by a company called John Taylor in Loughborough. When the church closed, these bells were moved to the Church of St Peter, which is also known as Bolton Parish Church. There, they became part of a larger set of twelve bells. Between 1890 and 1970, the bells at St Saviour's were rung for fifty special bell-ringing performances.

See also

• List of ecclesiastical works by Paley and Austin