St Saviour's Church, Ringley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Saviour's Church, Ringley
St Saviour's Church, Ringley, from the southwest
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OS grid reference	SD 764,052
Location	Kearsley, Greater Manchester
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St Saviour, Ringley
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	1625
Founder(s)	Nathan Walworth
Consecrated	10 June 1854
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	31 May 1966
Architect(s)	Charles Barry, Sharpe and Paley
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1850
Completed	1854
Specifications
Materials	Stone
Administration
Parish	Stoneclough
Deanery	Bolton
Archdeaconry	Bolton
Diocese	Manchester
Province	York

St Saviour's Church is located in Ringley, Kearsley, near Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England. It is an active Anglican parish church, which means it's a local church for the community. It belongs to the diocese of Manchester. St Saviour's Church is recognized as a Grade II listed building, meaning it's an important historical building.

History of St Saviour's Church

Building the First Churches

The very first church building on this spot was built in 1625. Later, in 1826, a new church was built. This second church was designed by a famous architect named Charles Barry.

The Current Church Building

Between 1850 and 1854, the church from 1826 was mostly taken down. Only its tower was left standing. A brand new church was then built a bit further back from the road. This new church was designed by architects Sharpe and Paley from Lancaster.

The church cost about £2,500 to build. A grant of £200 was given by the Church Building Commissioners. A wealthy person, the 13th Earl of Derby, also donated £500. The new church was officially opened and blessed on 10 June 1854 by the Bishop of Manchester.

Exploring the Church's Design

Outside the Church

The church is built from stone with smooth, cut stone details. Its roof is made of stone slates. The church has a main area called a nave with five sections. It also has side sections called aisles on the north and south sides. There's a porch on the north side and a chancel (the area around the altar) with a small room called a vestry on the south.

At the southwest corner, there's a tall, eight-sided tower called a turret. This turret has pointed windows for bells and a pointed top called a spire. At the west end of the church, there's a main doorway. Above it are three tall windows, each with two lights.

Inside the Church

Some parts of the inside of the church were moved from the older building. These include the decorative rails around the chancel, which are in a fancy style called rococo. There's also a communion table in the north chapel from 1654. Some of the beautiful stained glass windows on the north side of the chancel are from the 1600s.

Other parts were added later. In 1879, a decorated screen behind the altar, called a reredos, and special seats for clergy, called sedilia, were added. These are made of alabaster and have mosaic and statues. A large wooden beam with figures, called a rood beam, was added in 1925. There's also an altar with a roof-like cover, called a canopy, in a chapel from 1921.

You can also find memorials inside the church. These remember Matthew Fletcher, who owned a coal mine and died in 1808, and his nephew Ellis Fletcher, who died in 1834.

The Separate Tower

Standing Alone by the Road

Next to the road, you'll see a tower standing by itself. This is the tower from the original church building. A sign above its door says it was built in 1625. Another sign mentions that a vestry was added in 1726 and the church was rebuilt in 1826.

The tower has three main levels. On the lowest level, there are entrances, though some are now blocked up. The middle and top levels have windows with three sections, called mullioned windows. Above these, on the very top level, there's a clock face on each side. The top of the tower has a decorative edge and a wall with square shapes, called a battlement. There's also a pointed decoration, called a pinnacle, at each corner. This tower is also a Grade II listed building.

Churchyard Memorials

The churchyard is the area around the church where people are buried. It contains the graves of soldiers who died in the First World War. There are also graves for airmen, a soldier, and a naval officer who died in the Second World War. These are known as war graves.

See also

• Listed buildings in Kearsley
• List of works by Sharpe and Paley
• List of Commissioners' churches in Northeast and Northwest England