Weight: 96 lbs Bell 1 of 1
Founded by John Taylor & Co 1971
Dove Bell ID: 60666 Tower ID: 23831 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Stonefold: St John
Overview
Grid reference: SD 783 254
Built in 1885-6 on a small plot of land given by local resident Martha Turner, a member of a wealthy local family who were generous benefactors of the Church in the area, to a design by Basil Champneys, and built by Moore Bros of Rawtenstall. The church is built in a rather idiosyncratic Decorated style, the building seeming to revel in its asymmetry and blockiness. This is best appreciated from the south. The nave and south aisle are under one shallowly pitched roof, the eaves of which are correspondingly low on the south side, with no space for windows in the blind south wall.
Visiting and facilities
Building is closed for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
3-bay nave, south aisle, 2-bay chancel, south-east organ chamber and vestry, north-west porch.
Dimensions:
Nave approximately 18m (56 feet) x 9m (28 feet), chancel 5m (16 feet) x 7m (22 feet).
Description of Archaeology and History
Built in 1885-6 on a small plot of land given by local resident Martha Turner, a member of a wealthy local family who were generous benefactors of the Church in the area, to a design by Basil Champneys, and built by Moore Bros of Rawtenstall. The original vestry was enlarged and converted into an organ chamber, and a new vestry added on the south side of this in the early years of the 20th century.
Exterior Description
The church is built in a rather idiosyncratic Decorated style, the building seeming to revel in its asymmetry and blockiness. This is best appreciated from the south. The nave and south aisle are under one shallowly pitched roof, the eaves of which are correspondingly low on the south side, with no space for windows in the blind south wall. The tall west gable of the organ chamber rises above, the lower south vestry with its south-facing gable seemingly tacked on as an afterthought, all in all an odd composition. Another unusual feature is the outward batter to the walls.
The church has a more conventional aspect when viewed from the north-west. The large six-light clear-glazed west window with its intricate tracery is emphasised by a raked plinth underneath it and the simple gabled box of a belcote above. The south aisle gable has a short square-headed five-light window, each light with a little cusping.
The nave has three three-light windows with Decorated tracery (no buttresses) to the east of the porch, which is a simple affair with a round arch-headed doorway with continuous mouldings. The narrower and lower chancel has two two-light windows, the easternmost stepped up with a string course running underneath. Moving round to the east end, the chancel has a large five-light with similar tracery to the west window, with stained glass. There is a stone statue of St John in a niche in the wall at the north corner, badly eroded.
Building Fabric and Features
Nave
19th century 3-bay
Aisle
19th century south
Chancel
19th century 2-bay
Organ (component)
19th century south-east chamber
Vestry
19th century
Porch
19th century north west
Building Materials
Stone
19th century evenly coursed gritstone walls with Healey stone dressings
Slate
19th century roofing
Interior
Interior Description
The interior is well-lit and bright, the light yellow sand stone walls exposed, the barrel-vaulted ceilings (with a moulded collar in the nave supporting the ribs, brattished wall plates) painted white. Entering the church from the porch through an internal oak panelled lobby with glazing, the interior can be seen to be conventional, with most of its original furnishings. The aisle arcade has double-chamfered pointed arches with a continuous hood-mould, springing from octagonal piers with late style plain moulded capitals.
The chancel is marked by massive responds, from which the chancel arch of three continuous orders of mouldings springs, the inner with simple capitals. Hood-mould over with floral stops. The east end of the south aisle is marked by a quite plain demi-arch, the archway partly blocked by an oak screen with blind tracery, above which the organ case can be glimpsed; the pipes are displayed on the south wall of the chancel, adjacent to the door to the chamber itself.
The chancel itself is quite richly decorated, the barrel-vaulted ceiling divided into panels painted with the ihs monogram and rosettes. The focus is the high altar with a reredos of oak panelling with blind tracery and an elaborate canopy, a war memorial (see below). There is a double sedilie on the south side with stone canopies above. The chancel floor is laid with decorated encaustic tiles, in contrast with the woodblock in the nave and aisle (hidden under red carpets).
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
19th century Oak chest with ogee blind tracery panels.
Reredos
19th century Oak panelling, war memorial.
Pulpit
19th century Three-sided pitch pine pulpit with open tracery, with four steps up.
Lectern
19th century Brass lectern with pedimented top.
Font (component)
19th century Octagonal ribbed stone font in a Perpendicular style, with blank shields on each panel between the ribs.
Stained Glass
20th century The glass is all mid-20th century, not of special interest except in showing the progression in style and taste from 1935-1975 within one church.
Plaque (component)
20th century Brass plaque on the north wall commemorating the generosity of the founder Martha Turner. Brass plaque over door to the organ chamber in memory of Thomas Isaac Hatchett, Schoolteacher at St John’s school 1859-1917.
Organ (component)
19th century Two manual pipe organ with 17 speaking stops by Harrison & Harrison of Durham, 1880, in original condition.
Rail
19th century Tripartite hinged wooden rail, very plain.
Pew (component)
19th century Dark-stained pitched pine bench pews with squared ends and panelled backs.
Stall
19th century Two rows of oak choir stalls with open tracery fronts.
Bells
Portable Furnishings and Artworks
Marriages, burials and baptisms from 1890
Churchyard
Grid reference: SD 783 254
Burial and War Grave Information
It is unknown whether the building is consecrated.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has been used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has war graves.
National Heritage record for England designations
There are no records of National Heritage assets within the curtilage of this site.
Environment
Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
There are no records of Ancient, Veteran or Notable Trees within the curtilage of this site.
Renewables
| Renewable | Installed |
|---|---|
| Solar PV Panels | No |
| Solar Thermal Panels | No |
| Biomass | No |
| Wind Turbine | No |
| Air Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ev Charging | No |
Species summary
There are no records of species within the curtilage of this site.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
'Seek advice' Species
More information on species and action to be taken upon discovery.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
Further information
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