Accrington: St Peter
Overview
Grid reference: SD 753 281
Visiting and facilities
Building is open for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
6-bay aisled nave and 2-bay chancel under one roof, transeptal south organ chamber and north vestry, symmetrical porches off the second aisle bays from the west.
Dimensions:
Chancel and nave estimated to be c 24m x 6m (78ft x 19ft).
Footprint of Church buildings: 786 m²
Description of Archaeology and History
Accrington has Saxon origins, and is unusual in that it was still held at the time of the Domesday Book (1086) by a Saxon Thegn, Leowine. There was a grange here of Kirkstall Abbey till the Reformation. The settlement developed slowly through the post-medieval period. In the 19th century Accrington rapidly expanded for the textile industry, as with most Lancashire towns. The parish church of St Peter was built to replace an earlier (dedicated in 1870) mission chapel in 1886-9, by Henry Ross of Accrington. The western 2 bays of the nave and aisles were partitioned off in the 1980s to create a narthex area with meeting rooms and a kitchen, the north porch contains toilets.
Exterior Description
The architectural style chosen for this church is Geometrical of the mid 14th century. The nave and chancel are under one steeply- pitched slate roof, the junction distinguished by a gabled bellcote with a fleche. The west front of the nave is flanked by clasping buttresses which project above the eaves to gablets. The west window is of 4 lights, consisting of two paired lights with quatrefoils in the heads and a large sexfoil above. There is a string course under the sill and the hood-mould runs out into another above. In the head of the gable is a small 3-light loft window with a hoodmould and a stepped up string course underneath the sill. The steeply pointed gable has moulded copings and a cross finial. The aisle west walls are pierced by 2-lights with simple pointed lights and a roundel in the head under hoodmoulds with block stops, again with moulded copings.
The clearstorey has shallow buttresses to alternate bays, with deeper buttresses to each bay of the aisles. The aisles have alternate rectangular 2- and 3-light windows with unusual tracery, the clearstorey is pierced by 2-light pointed windows as in the aisle west end windows. The nave and chancel are divided by plain buttresses which break through the eaves to gablets. The second bay of each aisle has a low gabled porch with a moulded arch, gableted buttresses, and prominent gable coping rising to a cross. The south porch, now the main access has an aedicule containing a statue of St Peter.
The transepts have separate gables, the north vestry having a chimney rising from the roof at the junction with the nave and rising above the eaves. It has 2-lights in the north and east walls and a doorway approached by steps in the west. The organ chamber does not project so far, it has a 3-light in the south wall and a 2-light in the east.
The east chancel wall is identical to the west nave wall except that the buttresses are articulated differently with stepped weatherings, the east window is of 5 lights, and there is no string course under the loft window. The chancel side walls are pierced by a single pointed 2-light with cusped tracery, the hoodmould running out into a string course which continues around over the east window.
Building Fabric and Features
Nave
19th century 6-bay, aisled
Chancel
19th century 2-bay
Transept
19th century north and south
Organ (component)
19th century chamber
Vestry
19th century north
Porch
19th century 2 symmetrical
Building Materials
Sandstone
19th century coursed with plinth of rock-faced sandstone
Timber
19th century roof structure
Slate
19th century roof covering
Interior
Interior Description
Moving inside, the porches lead into a large narthex taking up the two west bays of the church, with a ceiling at the height of the capitals. A wooden screen with a row of glazed pointed lights separates this from the worship area. This rather dark space contains a kitchen in the south aisle and meeting rooms, cupboards, a creche etc.
Entering the worship space through double doors in this screen, the vista is practically unchanged from that seen in a postcard of 1924 held in the CCC files. The church is clearly well cared for. The walls are bare sandstone, the floors carpeted in red and blue over quarry tiles, well-lit by the large east window with its luminous stained glass, the west window also gives light as the west end conversion keeps below this. The three western bays of the nave beyond the panelled wood screen are full of chairs, and the oak choir stalls are still in place, but now behind a nave altar, the only obvious alteration. This effectively shortens the worship area to the eastern four bays of the nave. There is a Lady Chapel at the east end of the south aisle.
The nave arcades have alternately cylindrical and octagonal columns with foliated caps, carrying double-chamfered arches in turn supporting a wagon roof with king posts and struts rising from an arch-braced tie-beam, the wall-posts supported by corbelled stone shafts. These rise from a moulded stringcourse under the clearstorey windows, which have deeply splayed reveals. The aisle windows have rere-arches with depressed-arch heads, most filled with stained glass.
There is a high chancel arch with continuous mouldings and caps marking the springing. A painted rood is suspended from the ceiling, framed by the east window behind. A nave altar has been introduced, with a carpeted dais and new communion rails. The chancel and sanctuary has a fine encaustic tile floor. There is an aumbry with trefoil head in the north wall.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
19th century Wooden panelled chests.
Reredos
19th century curtain
Pulpit
19th century The pulpit is octagonal, of stone and marble with two tiers of carved panels, with a brass rail and reading stand.
Lectern
19th century Brass reading stand.
Font (component)
19th century Stone octagonal font with carved panels around the bowl (motifs include keys of St Peter), marble moulded cornice and polypod stem, moulded circular base.
Stained Glass (window)
19th / 20th century Stained glass in the east and west aisle windows by Jones & Willis of London unless noted below. • The east window depicts the Passion of Our Lord, c 1900 • The north aisle has Our Lord Beatitudes; St Ambrose, baptism of St Augustine; and the Nativity, Suffer the Children. 1901 • The south aisle has St David, St Cecilia, St Gregory; St Raphael and Tobias, Eli and Samuel; St Mary Magdalen and the women at the well, all late 19th century, a different artist. • The west aisle windows have Suffer the Children; washing Peter’s feet; and Eli and Samuel, 1909.
Plaque (component)
20th century Brass plaque on nave north wall commemorating Rev John T Lawrence vicar 1909-14, died October 7th 1914.
Organ (component)
19th century Large three manual organ by Abbot & Smith of Leeds, c 1890, rebuilt 1921, 39 speaking stops. The pipes rise through and above the arch to the organ chamber. Gothic architectural case with pinnacles.
Stall
19th century 2 rows of choir stalls with shaped ends and carved panels.
Rail
20th century Simple wooden hand rails in front of the High and nave altars, late 20th century.
Inscribed Object
20th century War memorials: Large tripartite marble panel with architectural surround to the fallen in World War I.
Portable Furnishings and Artworks
Oldest registers kept at Preston Records Office.
Churchyard
Grid reference: SD 753 281
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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