Nominal: 747 Hz Weight: 1108 lbs Diameter: 39.25" Bell 1 of 9
Founded by James Barwell 1897
Dove Bell ID: 7588 Tower ID: 15590 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Wolverhampton: St Luke
Diocese of Lichfield
Church, 620224
https://stlukeswolverhampton.orgThis church is on the Heritage at Risk Register (verified 2024-11-14)
View more information about this church on the Heritage at Risk website
Overview
Grid reference: SO 913 971
This church has a dominant presence in the local industrial townscape with its towering spire. 1860-1 by George Thomas Robinson of Leamington. Roguish Gothic Revival style. Large church with aisled nave, side chapels to chancel, and south-west tower with tall spire. It has brick and ashlar banding, with prominent angle buttresses and round south-east stair turret with conical roof.
Visiting and facilities
Building is open for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
6-bay aisled nave with narthex and south-west tower with spire. 3-bay apsidal chancel with north chapel, north-east vestry and south-east organ chamber.
Dimensions:
[Approximate] Nave 30m 100ft) x 8m (25ft), chancel 12m (40ft)
Footprint of Church buildings: 757 m²
Description of Archaeology and History
There is evidence of Roman settlement in Wolverhampton, though not in the immediate area of the church. Wolverhampton was a market town which thrived on the wool trade in the 14th and 15th centuries, Blakenhall was a hamlet south of it with a chapel in the 1840s, which by the 1860s had grown considerably as the city expanded and sprawled. Blakenhall was famous for the manufacture of bicycles and then cars, though none of this apart from the derelict or converted buildings survives.
A church school to the north side, designed by Edward Banks, was demolished in the 1960s and is now a grassed area. The playground of this school was used by the first Wolverhampton Wanderers football team; this is commemorated by a plaque attached to the church gates on the west side.
The church was built to cope with the increased population in 1860-1 by George Thomas Robinson [1827/8-1897] of Leamington who Pevsner described as a ‘roguish architect’, with the assistance of a £500 ICBS grant. Robinson was based in Wolverhampton and responsible for the design of a number of churches in Staffordshire. A foundation stone, dated 26 June 1860, was laid in the south-west corner. The church has undergone some change, for instance the roof was once tiled in a geometric pattern, and the tower was embellished with spirelets which were removed in 1967. Original Minton floor tiles were replaced in the 1920s and the east end walls were decoratively painted, which has recently been rediscovered.
The archaeological potential of the site is low. There are no known designations relating to the ecology of the plot, though it contains mature trees.
Exterior Description
This church has a dominant presence in the local industrial townscape with its towering spire. It is a strong design making much use of polychromy and iron, and with some remarkable “rogueish” Free gothic detail.
The four-stage tower is the dominant feature. It has brick and ashlar banding, with prominent angle buttresses and round south-east stair turret with conical roof. The original south main entrance, not used now, has a gablet on iron columns housing a relief of St Luke over a trumeau. There are paired lancets to the west face, and to the second stage; third stage has triple bell openings over corbelled frieze, all under a cornice. Octagonal upper stage with lancets with inserted clock faces and top frieze; slate spire with narrow tall gabled lucarnes.
West lean-to narthex has arcading on iron columns paired in depth; gabled entrance with iron shafts, relief of Journey to Emmaus to tympanum; two west windows of two lights with roundel above, flying buttress to left. Nave has coped gables with crosses; three gabled spherical triangle clerestory windows to each side; six-bay aisles have cornices and paired lancets on stone colonnettes between buttresses. Cross gables contain the clerestory windows.
Apsidal chancel in chevet form, with five cross gables, and brick and ashlar banding; gabled angle buttresses. The pointed windows have decorative brick hoods and ashlar lintel bands, coped gables over. The organ loft is gabled with stepped triplet of lancets on slender iron colonnettes and angle buttresses. The north chapel is similar, with gabled vestry to east, two-light window and spherical diamond window. Chimney to boiler room beneath vestry.
Building Fabric and Features
Nave
19th century 6-bay aisled nave
Narthex (classical)
19th century
Tower (component)
19th century south-west
Spire
19th century
Chancel
19th century 3-bay apsidal
Chapel (component)
19th century north
Vestry
19th century north-east
Organ (component)
19th century chamber
Building Materials
Sandstone
1851-2
Sandstone
Brick
19th century red, buff, and blue
Ashlar
19th century dressings
Slate
19th century roofs
Interior
Interior Description
The interior is whitewashed, covering the original Victorian decoration. Texts at the west end over the chancel arch remain, as does the polychromy to the arches. Joiners carrying out dry rot repairs discovered scenes behind the reredos of Zachariah in the temple and nativity scene in scagliola and natural stone with alabaster tiles.
The west end has a glazed west narthex, with enclosed crèche and kitchen. Looking east, the aisle arcades are carried on paired cast-iron columns, rather bizarrely (rogueishly) orientated longitudinally, with trumpet capitals, tied back to the aisle walls with plain braces. These carry a complex arch-braced scissor truss roof; braced ties to aisle roofs on carved corbels. The nave is fully pewed with fixed benches, plain.
There are richly traceried parclose screens separating the chapel and organ chamber from the chancel and aisles, now glazed to provide separate rooms. Chancel arch on iron columns and paired arches to the chapel and organ loft. Panelled chancel roof with radiating scissor trusses, braced to stone corbels. There are good choir stalls installed in 1918 with some good figurative carving. The High Altar has rich arcading, reredos has high relief of Last Supper, a dignified focus. Oak panelling around the walls.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
20th century carved oak table, 1918
Clock
located in Tower, 4th floor
Reredos
20th century stone reredos with relief of Last Supper, a World War I memorial
Pulpit
20th century stone pulpit on shafts with evangelists in niches and marble pilasters, 1909
Lectern
20th century brass, 1907
Font (component)
19th century octagonal stone font
Rail
20th century richly carved oak to complement altar table and choir stalls
Stained Glass (window)
19th / 20th century good 19th century chancel glass and chapel glass 1913 in memory of vicar William Thomas Milligan, shows the Good Shepherd
Organ (component)
20th century Rogers & Sons 1923, ornate oak screen, some painted pipes survive
Bells
Nominal: 1531 Hz Weight: 449 lbs Diameter: 25.25" Bell 2 of 9
Founded by James Barwell 1897
Dove Bell ID: 46718 Tower ID: 15590 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Nominal: 1429 Hz Weight: 460 lbs Diameter: 26" Bell 3 of 9
Founded by James Barwell 1897
Dove Bell ID: 46719 Tower ID: 15590 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Nominal: 1268 Hz Weight: 469 lbs Diameter: 27" Bell 4 of 9
Founded by James Barwell 1897
Dove Bell ID: 46720 Tower ID: 15590 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Nominal: 1139 Hz Weight: 494 lbs Diameter: 28.5" Bell 5 of 9
Founded by James Barwell 1897
Dove Bell ID: 46721 Tower ID: 15590 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Nominal: 1016 Hz Weight: 632 lbs Diameter: 30.5" Bell 6 of 9
Founded by James Barwell 1897
Dove Bell ID: 46722 Tower ID: 15590 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Nominal: 961 Hz Weight: 651 lbs Diameter: 32" Bell 7 of 9
Founded by James Barwell 1897
Dove Bell ID: 46723 Tower ID: 15590 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Nominal: 850 Hz Weight: 791 lbs Diameter: 34.75" Bell 8 of 9
Founded by James Barwell 1897
Dove Bell ID: 46724 Tower ID: 15590 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Weight: 84 lbs Diameter: 13.88" Bell 9 of 9
Founded by Charles & George Mears
Dove Bell ID: 46725 Tower ID: 15590 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Portable Furnishings and Artworks
registers dating from 1840
Churchyard
Grid reference: SO 913 971
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
Sources
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