St Mary's Church, Widnes
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| St Mary's Church, Widnes | |
St Mary's Church, Widnes |
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  Shown within Cheshire
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| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Widnes, Halton, Cheshire, England |
| Geographic coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Religious affiliation | Anglican |
| District | Diocese of Liverpool |
| Year consecrated | 1910 |
| Ecclesiastical status | Parish church |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Austin & Paley |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Year completed | 1910 |
| Construction cost | £16,669 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 770 |
| Length | 1,785 feet (544 m) |
| Width | 80 feet (24 m) |
| Width (nave) | 25.5 feet (8 m) |
| Materials | Red sandstone Roofs of Ruabon tiles and lead |
St Mary's Church, Widnes is an Anglican church in the West Bank area of Widnes, Halton, Cheshire, England (grid reference SJ513838). It is a Grade II* listed building.[1] It continues to be an active parish church.[2]
Contents |
[edit] History
The first church in West Bank, known as Widnes Dock Church and dedicated to St Mary, was opened in 1858. This church was never completed and consisted only of the nave.[3] It had been built on chemical waste which subsided, leading to bulging of the walls and twisting of the roof. In the early 1900s a new site was obtained near the promenade, and money was raised for a new church. The foundation stone was laid on 14 May 1908 and the church was opened on 12 November 1910.[4] The church was designed by Austin & Paley.[1]
[edit] Structure
The church is built in red flecked sandstone, and the nave roof is in Ruabon tiles.[4] The aisle roofs are in lead. Its plan consists of a five-bay nave with clerestory, north and south aisles which embrace a west tower, and north and south transepts, a chancel.[1] The northwest porch is set at an angle to the church and the south porch is perpendicular to it.[5] The church is built in perpendicular style. The north transept is in one bay and includes the organ. The south transept is in three bays and forms a Lady Chapel.The tower has a projecting octagonal staircase on the southeast corner and buttresses on the southeast corner.[1] An inscribed frieze of the Te Deum runs around the tower and and below the parapet of the south and east sides of the church.[5]
[edit] Fittings and Furnishings
The furnishings are of oak and were designed by the architects. The font is made of Darley Dale stone. The stained glass in the east window depicts the Ascension and an Apocalyptic Vision and was designed by Shrigley and Hunt.[5]
[edit] External features
An octagonal wayside pulpit is set into the boundary wall of the church. Also designed by Austin & Paley, it is constructed in red sandstone and approached by six steps. The text "Go out into the highways and compel them to come in that my house may be filled" (from Luke 14:23) is cut into its masonry. It is listed Grade II.[6]
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d Images of England: Church of St Mary, Widnes. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2008-01-25.
- ^ Parishes. Diocese of Liverpool. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
- ^ Diggle, p. 40.
- ^ a b Diggle, pp. 120–121
- ^ a b c Pollard, Richard; Nikolaus Pevsner (2006). The Buildings of England: Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West. New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 648–649. ISBN 0 300 10910 5.
- ^ Images of England: Wayside pulpit. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2008-02-02.
[edit] Bibliography
- Diggle, Rev. G. E. (1961). A History of Widnes. Widnes: Corporation of Widnes.
