Pleasington Priory
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Pleasington Priory | |
Pleasington Priory from the southeast |
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  Position of the church in Lancashire
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| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Pleasington, Lancashire, England |
| Geographic coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| District | Roman Catholic Diocese of Lancaster |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | John Palmer |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1816 |
| Year completed | 1819 |
| Construction cost | £23,000 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Ashlar, slate roofs |
Pleasington Priory, or the Church of St Mary and St John Baptist, is a Roman Catholic church in the village of Pleasington, Lancashire, England (grid reference SD643266). It is a Grade I listed building.[1] Pevsner describes it as being "an astonishing church",[2] and the listing states it is an "exceptional form of Catholic chapel for the period before Emancipation".[1]
Contents |
[edit] History
The church was built between 1816 and 1819 as a thank offering by John Francis Butler (later Butler-Bowden) at a cost of £23,000, the architect being John Palmer and the sculptor Thomas Owen.[1]
[edit] Description
[edit] Exterior
The church is built in ashlar with slate roofs. It is a large, tall church with mixed Gothic styles. Its plan consists of a five-bay nave with clerestory, north and south aisles and a polygonal apse. Entry to the church is at the west through a three-order portal above which are three statues on corbels.[1] On the underside of the middle corbel is a bust of John Butler in military uniform.[2] Above the statue is a carved arch, then a small parapet and a large rose window, and a gable with an openwork parapet surmounted by a crocketed cross. At each side of the portal is an octagonal turret with a three-stage pinnacle. Outside the turrets are offices, each with a niche containing on one side the name of the architect and on the other the sculptor. The aisles have five five-light windows and are battlemented; the clerestory has triple lancet windows and an openwork parapet. The apse has tall five-light Perpendicular windows. On the south side is a priest's door.[1]
[edit] Interior
The ceiling is rib vaulted with carved bosses and there are four-bay arcades with dogtooth decoration. On each side of the altar is a carved relief, one showing the Beheading of St John, the other Mary Magdalene.[1]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d e f Images of England: Church of St Mary and St John the Baptist, Pleasington. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2008-04-28.
- ^ a b Pevsner, Nikolaus [1969] (2002). The Buildings of England: North Lancashire. New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 190–191. ISBN 0 300 09617 8.
