St Silas' Church, Blackburn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Silas' Church, Blackburn
St Silas' Church, Blackburn, from the southeast
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OS grid reference	SD 667,285
Location	Blackburn, Lancashire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St Silas, Blackburn
History
Status	Parish church
Dedication	Saint Silas
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	19 April 1974
Architect(s)	Paley and Austin
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1894
Completed	1914
Specifications
Spire height	104 feet (32 m) (tower)
Materials	Sandstone, slate roofs
Administration
Parish	St Silas, Blackburn
Deanery	Blackburn with Darwen
Archdeaconry	Blackburn
Diocese	Blackburn
Province	York

St Silas' Church is a beautiful old church located on Preston New Road in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. It's an active Anglican church, which means it's part of the Church of England. It serves as a local parish church for the community. This special building is recognized as a Grade II* listed building on the National Heritage List for England, meaning it's very important and protected for its history and architecture.

History of St Silas' Church

Building the Church

The plans for St Silas' Church were first drawn up in 1878 by famous architects Paley and Austin from Lancaster. However, construction didn't begin until 1894. The first part of the church was finished by 1898. This first phase did not include the tall tower.

The church cost about £10,000 back then, which would be a lot more money today! It was built to hold 609 people. The tower, which stands 104 feet (32 meters) tall, was added much later, between 1913 and 1914. At the same time, a porch was built. A spire was planned for the tower, but it was never added. This second phase of building cost over £6,000.

Early Services

Before the church building was completed, people in the area held church services. From 1846, they met in a nearby Sunday school. Later, from 1884 to 1885, services were held in a school building that was specially built for this purpose.

Church Architecture and Design

Outside the Church

St Silas' Church is built from sandstone with special cut stone called freestone for details. The outside walls are made of yellow sandstone, while the inside walls are red sandstone. The roofs are covered with slate.

The church's layout includes a main hall called a nave with smaller sections on either side called north and south aisles. There's also a porch at the southwest entrance. On the north side, there's a transept (a part that sticks out) where the organ is kept. On the south side, another transept holds a small chapel. The main altar area is called the chancel, with a room for clergy (the vestry) on the north side. Another vestry is located between the south transept and aisle. Finally, there's a tall tower at the west end.

The church's style is Gothic Revival. Experts describe it as either Perpendicular or Decorated Gothic.

The Tower and Porch

The tower has three main sections. It has strong corner supports called buttresses. A round stair turret on the southwest corner rises even higher than the tower itself. At the very top of the tower, you can see decorative walls that look like castle tops, called embattled parapets, and pointed decorations called pinnacles.

The tower has a main entrance on the west side. Above this door is a large window with five sections. In the middle part of the tower, there are pairs of windows with curved tops, clock faces, and a decorative band of shields. The top section holds the louvred openings for the bells.

The porch is tall and also has an embattled parapet. It has angled corners and buttresses. Above its fancy entrance arch, there's a statue of Saint Silas in a special carved space called a niche, topped with a pinnacle. The transepts have pairs of square-headed windows and embattled parapets. The chancel has a south window, a large east window with seven sections, and a decorative parapet. There's also a small turret with a tiny spire on the southeast corner.

Inside the Church

The inside of St Silas' Church feels very spacious and grand. It's filled with rich decorations, following a "high-church" style. The arches inside are beautifully carved. The main arches leading to the tower, chancel, and transepts are all double or triple-chamfered, meaning they have angled edges. The main rows of arches, called arcades, rest on square pillars that are set diagonally.

Special Features and Art

In the chancel, there are special seats for clergy called sedilia and a basin for washing sacred vessels called a piscina. The eight-sided font, used for baptisms, was made in 1896. It's carved with buttresses and decorative patterns. It has a tall wooden cover from the 20th century, designed in the Gothic style.

The square pulpit, where sermons are given, also dates from 1896. It was made from Runcorn stone by Dent and Marshall and is carved with decorative patterns. The beautiful alabaster reredos, a screen behind the altar, was brought from Italy in 1915. It features carved niches, canopies, and statues.

Stained Glass Windows

Some of the stained glass windows are very special. Two of them were made by the famous company Morris & Co. in 1908 and 1911. The design for the earlier window was based on drawings by William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones, even though they had passed away by the time the window was made. This window shows Saint Anne and the Adoration of the Magi. The later window was designed by J. H. Dearle and shows the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple.

There's also a window designed by Henry Holiday between 1921 and 1923, near the end of his career. This window shows figures from the Old Testament, including David and Gideon, along with angels.

Organ and Bells

The church has a large three-manual organ, which was built in 1904 by Harrison & Harrison of Durham. It was updated in 1925 by the same company and again in 1991 by J. Corkhill. The church also has a ring of eight bells. All of these bells were cast in 1888 by John Taylor and Company of Loughborough.

See also

• Grade II* listed buildings in Lancashire
• Listed buildings in Blackburn
• List of ecclesiastical works by Paley and Austin
• List of ecclesiastical works by Austin and Paley (1895–1914)