Nominal: 625 Hz Weight: 2445 lbs Diameter: 48.88" Bell 1 of 9
Founded by Gillett & Johnston 1921
Dove Bell ID: 3281 Tower ID: 10893 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Heywood: St Luke
Diocese of Manchester
Church, 624334
http://www.stlukesheywood.org.uk/index.htmlThis church is on the Heritage at Risk Register (verified 2025-11-06)
View more information about this church on the Heritage at Risk website
Overview
Grid reference: SD 856 107
St Luke’s Church is a large church right in the middle of Heywood. It is situated at the confluence of the major roads through the centre of town. Arguably it is the most distinctive and visible landmark of the town, with the spire and tower visible from a considerable distance. There has been a church on this site from at least the 15th century. The old Heywood Chapel was replaced by the current St Luke’s Church building in 1862. The townsfolk raised money for the building of the church, and the Sunday School provided the main education prior to state schools. Up to 35,000 burials are estimated to have taken place up until 1912. As it is the church is right in the centre of town many people consider it to be their church, although not necessarily attending it. The main use of the church is regular Sunday worship, incorporating Sunday School, with live bell ringing prior to the service. There is an outdoor Churches together Good Friday event, and bi-annually a Carol concert. There are also regular coffee mornings. Given its central location and large capacity it is pivotal to town events. Of particular note is its role in the usually annual Heywood 40s day, and the annual Christmas lights switch on.
Visiting and facilities
Building is open for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
Aisled 5-bay nave, south porch, north-west tower, chancel flanked by north chapel with transept, south vestry and organ chamber.
Dimensions:
Nave c 15m x 6m, chancel 9m
Footprint of Church buildings: 932 m²
Description of Archaeology and History
Heywood was a hamlet within the township of Heap, first mentioned in the 13th century. It still maintains a seperate identity despite development for the textile industry and the proximity of the large neighbouring connurbations. A chapel here is first mentioned in 1552 which is thought to have originated as a chantry for the Heywood family, which was successively rebuilt and enlarged. The chapel became a perpetual curacy in 1719. Framed drawings in the church show a square building with two storeys of rectangular windows, a western bell turret supported on classical columns and with external stairs. Adjacent is what looks like an outdoor pulpit. It stood within a square walled churchyard. It was demolished in 1860 to make way for the present building.
Before this however Heywood had acquired another church, St James's built in 1837-8 to the south-west of the town centre, with adjacent school. The new St Luke's was built in 1860-2 to serve the town as its parish church as it continued to expand with the cotton industry, much of the money raised by subscription. It was designed by Joseph Clarke of London, a prolific and much-travelled architect whose mature magnum opus this is. The interior carving is by Joseph Bonehill of Manchester, a talented sculptor. The church was further embellished with furnishings and fittings throughout the late 19th and early 20th century by various artists, including Clarke himself.
The town is now seeing regeneration. It has good motorway connections as the M62 has a junction close by, and there are plans to reopen the old railway line through the town to steam trains. The church is within the 'New Heart for Heywood' area, a New Deal for Communities Partnership which grant-aided the church a sum of money for ramped access in 2004. In recent years a small kitchen has been installed in the west bay of the north aisle, and there has been some other minor reordering.
The archaeological potential of the site is considerable, as the earlier chapel was apparently on the same site and there may be burials from the 18th century or earlier, although many, though not perhaps all, were exhumed in the early 1970s, when parts of the churchyard were sold off for road widening and other development. Reference should be made to the Historic Environment Record and the County Archaeologist if any development of the site is being considered.
Exterior Description
It can be argued that this church is of a quality consistent with Grade I listing. Not only does it dwarf the surrounding buildings and form the highly visible focus of the town centre, it is architecturally of a very high quality.
The style chosen by Clarke was Decorated, and the church is a mature exposition of the High Victorian interpretation of this idiom. The impressive spire is placed outside the body of the church, and is of four stages with stepped angle buttresses and broach spire with enriched banding and two tiers of gabled lucarnes above a plain parapet. Deeply moulded 2-light pointed belfry openings, above a clock face to each side. The north wall has blind arcading, a pair of lancets to the other side walls. Beneath this the side walls have 2-light pointed windows, the north wall a gabled and crow-stepped doorway, the entrance pointed and of two orders with colonnettes. There is a steep flight of stairs to this, and it is not now used.
The main access is now from the south. Here stands the restored base of a 17th century baluster sundial from the old chapel, most of which is now in pieces inside the church awaiting restoration. The south porch is gabled and has a pointed doorway of one order, continuous hoodmould above and elaborate niche in the gable. Serrated clay ridge tiles.
Tall 5-bay nave with 6-light west window and 3-light aisle windows, continuous sill band and gabled buttresses of two weatherings. The continuous clearstorey is pierced by coupled 2-light Geometrical windows in recessed panels. The north transept has a pointed 3-light window to the north wall and 2-lights to the side walls. 3-bay chancel with 7-light east window with excellent tracery. Plain stack to the south vestry.
Building Fabric and Features
Nave
19th century aisled 5-bay nave
Porch
19th century south porch
Tower (component)
19th century north-west tower
Chancel
19th century
Chapel (component)
19th century north chapel with transept
Vestry
19th century south vestry and organ chamber
Building Materials
Stone
19th century coursed rock-faced stone exterior
Brick
19th century brick core
Ashlar
19th century ashlar dressings
Slate
19th century roof exterior
Bath Stone
19th century arcades and chancel facing
Timber
19th century roof interior
Bath Stone
1860-2
Bath Stone
Sandstone
1860-2
Sandstone
Slate
1860-2
Slate
Interior
Interior Description
Moving inside through glazed draught lobbies the church impresses through the enormous spaces and fine dimensions and massing. The interior is whitewashed and bright, though the plaster and paint is peeling in many places, and clearly in need of redecoration; the plaster has been hacked off completely in the north-west corner exposing the brickwork. A fine collection of stained glass adds colour.
The nave arcades are tall and have double-chamfered arches and quatrefoil columns with foliated capitals and small broaches, carrying a very fine enriched hammer-beam roof. The church is still fully pewed with benches, of good quality with shaped and pierced ends and fronts. The floor is of stone flags, mostly under carpet or pew bases. The south vestry has a tripartite oak screen around a War Memorial altar at its west end, regimental flags hang here. The north Lady Chapel was fitted out in 1914 by the Mothers' Union, with open-backed light-stained benches of this period. A curtain separates it from the Fenton chapel in the north transept, now reordered as a vestry. There are carved angels to a string-course under the windows, which have fine stained glass by Capronnier.
High, sharply pointed chancel arch on marble shafted columns enriched with dogtooth and floriate carving, with thin elegant iron screen added in 1888 set into a dwarf wall. Barrel-vault roof. The chancel has heavily enriched sedilia under an arched organ gallery with displayed pipes to the south wall, an Easter sepulchre and 2-bay arcade to north with detached shafts and early 20th century glazed screen. Good choir stalls of the 1860s of a piece with the nave benches but enriched with blind arcading of poppyheads, and later 19th century marble and alabaster reredos and marble pulpit, the steps and floors also with alabaster and coloured marble. Together with the fine east window an excellent ensemble.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
19th Century Oak table to High Altar and Lady Chapel. Ornate oak panelled screen with arched and ribbed canopy and brocade to the War Memorial chapel.
Reredos
19th century Marble and alabaster reredos of the 1880s designed by Clarke and F Lennox Canning, made by N Hitch of Vauxhall. Central section has figure of Christ in Glory flanked by Apostles, gilded background, flanked by blind arcading. Of a piece with the pulpit and font.
Pulpit
19th century Square marble pulpit with enriched carved cornice and inlaid quatrefoil designs, attached colonettes around stem, square base.
Lectern
19th century Brass eagle, large, given 1886.
Font (component)
19th century Ornate alabaster octagonal font with symbols of the Evangelist carved in roundels on bowl and clustered colonettes around the base, conical wooden cover.
Stained Glass (window)
19th century A varied and high quality collection. Full details of the iconography of all the windows are given in the excellent parish guide book. There are also framed cartoons for several windows in the church. East and west windows by Hardman; the huge east window (New Testament) has scenes from the Nativity, Youth, Ministry, Passion, Resurrection and Ascension of Christ, a fine window. Small gable light with symbol of St Luke. The west window has various Old Testament scenes beginning with Adam & Eve. The aisle windows are mainly by Clayton & Bell, but the windows at the west ends of the aisles are by William Wailes. The three windows in the north (Fenton) transept chapel are by J B Capronnier of Brussels including a fine Agony in the Garden, Crucifixion and Resurrection in the north window, signed 1862. The window in the east wall of the north chapel is by Shaw of Saddleworth, given by the local Freemasons and full of Masonic references. The inscription records that the laying of the corner stone was by Albert Royds.
Plaque (component)
19th century Three plain early 19th-century stone tablets from the old chapel in the porch. Many brass plaques in the church itself, recording the dedication of the church, the bells, and various items. A brass plaque in the chancel floor records the reburial of three incumbents here, the earliest being Rev J Barton incumbent from 1742-1774, reinterred here in 1862. Memorial placed 1881 when the floor was retiled. Modern board with names of priests since 1634
Organ (component)
19th century Original 2-manual pipe organ by Jardine of Manchester, but much modified and repaired, with electric action and detached console.
Bells
Nominal: 1250.5 Hz Weight: 570 lbs Diameter: 28.5" Bell 2 of 9
Founded by Gillett & Johnston 1921
Dove Bell ID: 24611 Tower ID: 10893 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Nominal: 1174.5 Hz Weight: 581 lbs Diameter: 29" Bell 3 of 9
Founded by Gillett & Johnston 1921
Dove Bell ID: 24612 Tower ID: 10893 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Nominal: 1039 Hz Weight: 635 lbs Diameter: 31.25" Bell 4 of 9
Founded by Gillett & Johnston 1921
Dove Bell ID: 24613 Tower ID: 10893 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Nominal: 937 Hz Weight: 759 lbs Diameter: 33.38" Bell 5 of 9
Founded by Gillett & Johnston 1921
Dove Bell ID: 24614 Tower ID: 10893 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Nominal: 828.5 Hz Weight: 1001 lbs Diameter: 37" Bell 6 of 9
Founded by Gillett & Johnston 1921
Dove Bell ID: 24615 Tower ID: 10893 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Nominal: 777.5 Hz Weight: 1113 lbs Diameter: 38.88" Bell 7 of 9
Founded by Gillett & Johnston 1921
Dove Bell ID: 24616 Tower ID: 10893 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Nominal: 702.5 Hz Weight: 1677 lbs Diameter: 44" Bell 8 of 9
Founded by Gillett & Johnston 1921
Dove Bell ID: 24617 Tower ID: 10893 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Weight: 140 lbs Diameter: 18.25" Bell 9 of 9
Founded by Bassett 1814
Dove Bell ID: 24618 Tower ID: 10893 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Portable Furnishings and Artworks
Registers from 1778
Bishop's chair and others
Framed document 'Rules & Orders'
Model of the church made by parishoners in 1993, exceptionally detailed.
Churchyard
Grid reference: SD 856 107
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.
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
Showing 15 entries of 15 View All
Submit a change
If you notice something incorrect or missing, please explain it in the form below and submit it to our team for review.