| St John the Baptist | |
| The Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Atherton | |
|---|---|
Atherton St John the Baptist
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| Location | Atherton |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | Atherton Parish Church |
| History | |
| Founded | 1645 |
| Dedication | St John the Baptist |
| Consecrated | 1879 (present church) |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Parish Church |
| Heritage designation | Grade II listed building |
| Architect(s) | Paley and Austin |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Runcorn stone |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Leigh |
| Deanery | Leigh |
| Diocese | Manchester |
| Province | York |
St John the Baptist's Church, Atherton is a church in Atherton, Greater Manchester, England. It is an active Anglican parish church and part of Leigh deanery in the archdeaconry of Salford, diocese of Manchester.[1] It is a Grade II Listed building.[2]
Contents |
There have been three chapels or churches on the site of the of St John the Baptist parish church. A chapel dedicated to St John the Baptist at Chowbent was built in 1645 by John Atherton as the second chapel of ease to Leigh Parish Church. It is sometimes referred to as the Old Bent Chapel.[3] It was never consecrated and was used by the Presbyterians as well as the Vicar of Leigh.[4] In 1721, Lord of the manor, Richard Atherton expelled the dissenters who subsequently built Chowbent Chapel and the chapel was consecrated in 1723 by the Bishop of Sodor and Man.
The first chapel was replaced by a new St John's Chapel on the same site which was consecrated by the Bishop of Chester in 1814. This second chapel was replaced by the present church designed by the Lancaster architects Paley and Austin and consecrated in 1879.[4]
The church is built of Runcorn stone, the interior of Stourton Stone with a Yorkshire stone floor. It is 60 feet (18 m) wide, 127 feet (39 m) long, and the 24-foot (7.3 m) square tower rises to 120 feet (37 m).[2] The fabric of the church has suffered from mining subsidence.