St Wilfrid's Church, Halton-on-Lune facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Wilfrid's, Halton
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
OS grid reference	SD 49896 64722
Location	Halton, Lancashire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
History
Status	Parish church
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	4 October 1967
Architect(s)	Paley and Austin
Completed	1877
Administration
Deanery	Tunstall
Archdeaconry	Lancaster
Diocese	Blackburn
Province	York

St Wilfrid's Church is a Christian church in Halton-on-Lune, a village in Lancashire, England. It is an active local church that serves the community. The church is part of the Diocese of Blackburn.

Halton might have been home to an old Anglo-Saxon "minster," which was an important church. The tower of the current church was built in the 1500s. The rest of the building was constructed between 1876 and 1877 by a company called Paley and Austin. St Wilfrid's Church is officially recognized as a Grade II listed building, meaning it's an important historical structure.

History of St Wilfrid's

Before the Norman conquest of England in 1066, Halton was the center of a large "manor." A manor was like a big estate owned by a lord. This manor belonged to Earl Tostig Godwinson.

There is proof that Christians were active in Halton a long time ago. It's likely there was an Anglo-Saxon "minster" here. This early church might have been connected to Bishop Wilfrid, who lived around 633 to 709 AD. By the year 1252, there was definitely a church named after St Wilfrid.

For many years, until the early 1700s, the "advowson" belonged to the Lord of the Manor. The advowson was the right to choose who would be the priest for the church.

The church's tower was built in the 1500s. The rest of the church, not including the tower, was rebuilt in 1792. The building you see today was constructed from 1876 to 1877. It was designed by the famous architecture firm Paley and Austin from Lancaster. The old 16th-century tower is still standing. The churchyard, which is the land around the church, was made bigger in 1872, 1901, and again in 1907.

Church Architecture

Outside the Church

St Wilfrid's is built from yellow sandstone rocks and has red tile roofs. The church's layout includes a main hall called a "nave." The tower is on the west side, and there's a north "aisle" (a side part of the church). The "chancel," where the altar is, is on the east side.

On the south side of the nave, there's a two-story entrance area called a "porch." The upper part of this porch has wooden beams that are part of its design.

The tower is about 55 feet (17 meters) tall. Its corners have strong supports called "buttresses." The top of the tower has a wall with gaps like a castle, and pointy decorations called "pinnacles." There's a spiral staircase inside the tower at the north-east corner. The tower also has openings with wooden slats, called "louvres," for the bells. These openings have decorative "hood moulding" above them.

The windows on the south walls are designed in a style called "Decorated." They have different patterns of stone bars, known as "tracery."

Inside the Church

Inside, the tower measures about 12 feet 10 inches (3.9 meters) square. It holds three bells. You can find some pieces of Anglo-Saxon sculptures inside the tower.

The main hall, the nave, is about 49 feet 9 inches (15.16 meters) long and 18 feet 9 inches (5.7 meters) wide. You enter the nave from the tower through a curved arch. The nave has four sections, called "bays."

The chancel, where the altar is, measures about 25 feet (7.6 meters) by 18 feet (5.5 meters). It includes a room for the organ and a "vestry," which is where the clergy prepare for services.

The church has beautiful stained glass windows. Some of these windows show images of Joan of Arc and Saint George. These were made by a company from Lancaster called Shrigley and Hunt. There is also a baptismal font (a basin for baptisms) that dates back to 1848.

Churchyard Features

Anglo Saxon high cross

The churchyard surrounds the church, especially on the south and east sides. There are sandstone gates and gate posts from the late 1700s. A "lychgate," which is a covered gateway to a churchyard, was added in 1907. To the north, there's a two-level "burial vault" built into a hill. This vault holds the remains of the Bradshaw family.

South of the church, you'll find an amazing Anglo-Saxon high cross. This cross is made of carved sandstone. It has a base that is about 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) by 1.4 meters (4.6 feet), with a tall shaft and a cross head. Carvings from the 11th century on the shaft tell the story of Sigurd, a hero from Norse mythology.

About 4 meters (13 feet) south-east of the porch, there is a sundial from the 1600s. Its sandstone base has an inscription that says, "For Saint Wilfrite Church at Halton 1635. Pereunt et imputantur." This Latin phrase means "They perish and are reckoned to our account," which is a reminder that time passes quickly.

Church Status

St Wilfrid's was officially named a Grade II listed building on October 4, 1967. Grade II is the most common of the three levels of listed buildings. Experts in architecture, Pevsner and Hartwell (2009), say that the church is "easily recognizable" as a design by Paley and Austin. The 18th-century gates, posts, and the sundial are also separately listed as Grade II historical items. The Anglo-Saxon high cross is considered a "scheduled monument" because it's a great example of 11th-century art.

St Wilfrid's is an active local church within the Anglican Diocese of Blackburn. This diocese is part of the Province of York. The church belongs to the archdeaconry of Lancaster and the Deanery of Tunstall. St Wilfrid's shares its priest and resources with St Saviour's Church in Aughton and St Luke's Church in Slyne-with-Hest.

See also

• Listed buildings in Halton-with-Aughton
• List of ecclesiastical works by Paley and Austin
• Scheduled monuments in Lancashire