St Wilfrid's Church, Standish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Church of St Wilfrid, Standish |
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Church of St Wilfrid, Standish
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| OS grid reference | SD 563,103 |
| Location | Market Place, Standish, Wigan, Greater Manchester |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | St Wilfrid, Standish |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 9 August 1966 |
| Architect(s) | Lawrence Shipway (?) |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic and Renaissance |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Standish |
| Deanery | Chorley |
| Archdeaconry | Blackburn |
| Diocese | Blackburn |
| Province | York |
The Church of St Wilfrid is a historic church located in Market Place, Standish, England. It is an active Anglican parish church, meaning it serves the local community as part of the Church of England. This church is very important, listed as a Grade I building, which means it's considered one of the most special and protected buildings in the country. Experts who study buildings have even called it "one of the most interesting churches in Lancashire."
Contents
History of St Wilfrid's Church
The Church of St Wilfrid was first mentioned way back in 1205. Because it served a very large area with many villages, historians believe it was founded a long, long time ago.
Early Connections and Families
The Pilkington family has a long history with the church. Records from 1322 show a dispute involving Robert Pilkington and his brother being settled by the church's chaplain. Later, in 1477, Roger Standish, who was the Rector (head priest) of Standish, helped manage the Pilkington family's lands.
Special Prayer Areas: Chantries
Inside the church, there were once special areas called chantries. These were small chapels or altars where priests would pray for the souls of specific people, usually wealthy families who had donated money to the church.
The earliest chantry was for the Blessed Virgin Mary, created in 1301. Other chantries were added later, including one for St. Nicholas and another called the Holy Cross or Rood Altar. The St. Nicholas chantry was founded in 1478. A priest named Robert Pylkington was in charge of it and gave money to support it.
Building the Current Church
The church building you see today is believed to have been rebuilt between 1582 and 1584. It was possibly designed by an architect named Lawrence Shipway. The church has a unique mix of two different styles: Gothic and Renaissance. Gothic style often features pointed arches and tall spires, while Renaissance style brings back ideas from ancient Roman and Greek art, like round arches and columns.
Changes in the 20th Century
During the 1900s, a famous architectural firm from Lancaster called Austin and Paley worked on the church. In 1913–14, they added new vestries (rooms used by clergy and for storing church items) at the east end. In 1926, they built a gatehouse at the entrance to the churchyard. This gatehouse is also a listed building, though at a lower grade (Grade II). Austin and Paley also oversaw smaller repairs and additions in the 1930s.
Church Architecture
Outside the Church
The church's tower, which is the tall part with the bells, was built in the 19th century in the Gothic style. It is made of grey-black stone called ashlar, which means the stones are finely cut and fitted together. The tower has a striking, eight-sided spire at the top. The rest of the church is made from yellow-black stone called gritstone.
The main parts of the church, the nave (where the congregation sits) and the chancel (the area around the altar), were built in the Elizabethan era (1582 to 1584). One expert, Simon Jenkins, noted that the arches inside the nave look like they couldn't decide between Gothic and classical styles. They have columns that look a bit like ancient Roman (Tuscan order), but the arches above them are Gothic. This makes them a very unusual "transitional" design.
Inside the Church
Simon Jenkins also says that St Wilfrid's has "the finest roof in Lancashire." This roof is from the Tudor period and features many panels and cross-braces that cover the nave, aisles (side sections), and especially the chancel. The vicar (the local priest) has studied the decorative carvings on the roof, called bosses, and says that no two are exactly alike!
In the chapel belonging to the Standish family, you can see their family crest carved into the ends of the pews. The crest shows an owl holding a rat.
Churchyard and Monuments
The churchyard, which is the burial ground around the church, is divided into older and newer sections. It contains the war graves of several service members. Four people who died in the First World War and nine who died in the Second World War are buried here. Most of these graves are located in the newer part of the churchyard.
See also
- Grade I listed churches in Greater Manchester
- Listed buildings in Standish, Greater Manchester
- List of ecclesiastical works by Austin and Paley (1895–1914)
- List of ecclesiastical works by Austin and Paley (1916–44)
