St Michael's Church, Kirkham
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| St Michael's Church, Kirkham | |
St Michael's Church, Kirkham |
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  Site of the church in Lancashire
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| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Kirkham, Fylde Lancashire, England |
| Geographic coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Religious affiliation | Anglican |
| Province | Province of York |
| District | Diocese of Blackburn |
| Ecclesiastical status | Parish church |
| Leadership | Revd. J.K. Brockbank, vicar |
| Website | St Michael's, Kirkham |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Robert Roper, Edmund Sharpe |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1822 |
| Year completed | 1853 |
| Construction cost | £5,000 (nave) |
| Specifications | |
| Spire height | 150 feet (46 m) |
| Materials | Ashlar sandstone, slate roofs |
St Michael's Church, Kirkham is in the town of Kirkham in the Fylde district of Lancashire, England (grid reference SD427323). It is a Grade II* listed building [1] and continues to be an active Anglican parish church.[2]
Contents |
[edit] History
The earliest evidence of a church on the site is in 684AD. The fabric of the present church dates from 1822 when the nave, designed by Robert Roper, an architect from Preston, was built.[3] The cost of the nave was £5,000.[4] In 1844 the tower and spire, designed by the Lancaster architect Edmund Sharpe, were added at the west end.[3] In 1853 the chancel was rebuilt, probably by Joseph Hansom, to make the altar visible from the nave.[1] The north and south galleries were removed in the middle of the 20th century and the area under the west gallery has been turned into a separate room.[3] In 2004 it was discovered that the spire had developed structural problems because the iron ties reinforcing the stones had corroded. An appeal to repair the spire was launched.[5] By the beginning of 2008 the work was nearing completion.[2]
[edit] Structure
The church is built in sandstone ashlar with slate roofs. Its plan consists of a six-bay nave without aisles, a three-bay chancel with aisles which are now used as vestries. To the north and south gabled porches project slightly from the second bays from west. The other bays have lancet windows between gabled buttresses. The nave is in Early English style and the chancel is in Decorated style. The tower has angle buttresses and is built in four stages. The parapet is embattled and pinnacles rise from the corners. The octagonal spire is recessed and rises to a height of 150 feet (46 m). It is crocketed, has three tiers of two-light lucernes and is supported by four flying buttresses.[1] Pevsner considers it to be possibly the finest work of Edmund Sharpe.[4]
[edit] Fittings and furnishings
The roof of the nave is painted red and is divided into squares by ribs, at whose intersections are gilded bosses of different designs. The font is located half way down the north side of the nave. It is Victorian and consists of an octagonal gabled and crocketed bowl on an octagonal column. The wooden pulpit is massive, measuring approximately 125 feet (38 m) from the base to the top.[3] To the east of the south door are churchwardens' box pews carved with Gothic details and poppyheads.[1] They bear a brass plate dated 1770 but Pevsner states they must be Victorian.[4] In the nave are monuments to the memory of the Cliftons of Lytham Hall, including one to Thomas Clifton who died in 1688. A wall tablet commemorates Richard Bradkirk of Bryning Hall who died in 1813[1] and another monument is to Henry Rishton Buck, a lieutenant aged 27 who died at the Battle of Waterloo.[3] Behind the altar is a folding reredos dated 1900 which was made by Kempe and moved from Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford.[3] The brass chandelier dated 1725 was made by Brown of Wigan. The communion plate includes a set dated 1845.[4]
[edit] External features
In the churchyard is a sundial made of sandstone dating probably from the 18th century with a 20th century top. It consists of a fluted circular column without a base set into a circular slab and capped with a Tuscan capital which carries a round bronze dial and a gnomon. It is listed Grade II.[6] Also in the churchyard and listed Grade II are a tomb chest to Edward and Dorothy King dating from the early 19th century,[7] a tomb chest to Edward and Elizabeth Birley dating from around 1836,[8] and a monument in the style of a Gothic tabernacle to William Birley and others dating from the middle of the 19th century.[9]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d e Images of England: Church of St Michael, Kirkham. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
- ^ a b Welcome. St Michael's, Kirkham. Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
- ^ a b c d e f The Church Building. St Michael's, Kirkham. Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
- ^ a b c d Pevsner, Nikolaus [1969] (2002). The Buildings of England: North Lancashire. New Haven: Yale University Press, 150. ISBN 0 300 09617 8.
- ^ The Spire. St Michael's, Kirkham. Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
- ^ Images of England: Sundial. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
- ^ Images of England: Tomb of Edward and Dorothy King. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
- ^ Images of England: Tomb of Edward and Elizabeth Birley. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
- ^ Images of England: Tomb of William Birley and others. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2008-03-01.
