St Thomas' Church, Halliwell Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids St Thomas' Church, Halliwell
St Thomas' Church, Halliwell, from the southeast
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OS grid reference	SD 708,108
Location	Halliwell, Bolton, Greater Manchester
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Churchmanship	Central/Catholic
Website	St Thomas, Halliwell
History
Status	Parish church
Dedication	Thomas the Apostle
Consecrated	July 1875
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	26 April 1974
Architect(s)	Paley and Austin
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Completed	1875
Specifications
Materials	Brick, slate roofs
Administration
Parish	St. Thomas the Apostle, Bolton
Deanery	Bolton
Archdeaconry	Bolton
Diocese	Manchester
Province	York

St Thomas' Church is a beautiful old church located on Eskrick Street in Halliwell, a part of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It is an active Anglican parish church, meaning it's a local church for the community.

The church is part of the Diocese of Manchester. It also joins with five other local churches to form the Benefice of West Bolton. St Thomas' Church is very important historically, so it is listed as a Grade II* building in the National Heritage List for England.

History of St Thomas' Church
Architecture of St Thomas' Church
- Outside the Church
- Inside the Church
Why St Thomas' Church is Important
See also

History of St Thomas' Church

Building the Church (1874-1875)

St Thomas' Church was built between 1874 and 1875. It was designed by famous architects Paley and Austin from Lancaster. The church was needed because the local population was growing quickly.

A wealthy family named Cross, who owned mills nearby, were the main supporters. Thomas Cross gave the land for the church, a school, and a vicarage (the priest's house). He also donated £1,000. His son, James Percival Cross, gave the reredos, which is a decorated screen behind the altar.

Cost and Design

The architects used a lot of brick for this church, which was quite new for them on such a big building. Even though it was large, it was not very expensive. It cost £6,400 at the time. This amount would be worth much more today. The church could seat 849 people.

Consecration and Later Additions

The church was officially opened and blessed in July 1875. This ceremony was led by Bishop James Fraser of Manchester.

Later, in 1922, a special area called the Lady Chapel was created. It was made to remember those who served in the war. More rooms for the church staff, called vestries, were added in 1931–32. These cost £882 and were designed by Austin and Paley, who took over the original architectural firm. The church was planned to have a tower on the northwest side, but it was never finished.

Architecture of St Thomas' Church

Outside the Church

St Thomas' Church is mostly built from brick. It has green slate roofs. Only a few parts are made of stone.

The church has a wide main area called the nave. It also has long side sections called aisles, with eight parts or "bays" on each side. There are porches on the north and south sides. A north transept (a part that sticks out like the arms of a cross) has a small bell tower on top. The chancel, where the altar is, has a two-story vestry next to it.

At the front of the church (the west end), you can see tall, narrow windows called lancet windows. There are also round windows called rose windows. Each side aisle has one lancet window in each bay. The upper part of the nave, called the clerestory, has 14 lancet windows on each side. The transept has two lancet windows and a doorway with a rose window above. The bell tower has a pointed roof and openings for the bells. At the back of the church (the east end), there are more stepped lancet windows and a rose window.

Inside the Church

Inside, the church has five arched openings called arcades. These arches are supported by round pillars made of brick. The pillars have decorated tops called capitals, which look like leaves.

Most of the inside walls are plain brick. The only exception is the east wall below the windows. This wall has special tiles set into brick shapes. These tiles show designs like fleur-de-lis (a lily symbol), angels, and symbols of Jesus's suffering.

The pulpit, where the priest gives sermons, is made of stone. It has marble columns and a decorative band with leaf patterns. The floor in the sanctuary (the area around the altar) is made of colorful patterned tiles. In the chancel, there is a piscina (a basin for washing sacred vessels) and a sedilia (seats for the clergy), both with curved arches.

The wooden reredos behind the altar was added in 1893. It has carved panels, flower designs, and figures of the apostles under small canopies. It also shows a carving of The Last Supper. The choir stalls were added around 1911. The altar itself was replaced around 1960 after the old one was damaged by fire. The font, used for baptisms, is a simple round basin from about 1950.

The church has beautiful stained glass windows. The east window from 1907 might be by Holland. Other windows in the aisles and Lady Chapel are by Shrigley and Hunt and date from around 1920. One of the west windows has glass from 1919. The church organ was built in 1888 by Lewis and was updated in 1902 and 1907.

Why St Thomas' Church is Important

St Thomas' Church was given a Grade II* listing on April 26, 1974. This is the middle of three levels of protection for historic buildings in England. A Grade II* building is considered "particularly important" and has "more than special interest."

Experts say that the church was built cheaply by using a 13th-century style of architecture. This style used simple lancet windows and mostly bare brick inside, with stone only for a few decorations and pillars. This simple design was common for churches in Bolton at the time, which preferred a less ornate style of worship. Even so, the church is seen as a great example of how church building changed during the Victorian era. The authors of the Buildings of England series describe the church as "sensational for the date" because of its simple brick design.

St Thomas' Church, Halliwell facts for kids

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