St James' Church, Church Kirk

St James' Church is in St James' Road, Church, Hyndburn, Lancashire, England. It was an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Accrington, the archdeaconry of Blackburn, and the diocese of Blackburn[1] until November 2015 when it was closed.[2] The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.[3]

St James' Church, Church Kirk
St James' Church from the southwest
St James' Church, Church Kirk
Location in the Borough of Hyndburn
OS grid referenceSD 741 291
LocationSt James' Road, Church, Hyndburn, Lancashire
CountryEngland
DenominationAnglican
WebsiteSt James, Church Kirk
History
StatusParish church
Architecture
Functional statusRedundant
Heritage designationGrade II*
Designated9 March 1984
Architectural typeChurch
StyleGothic, Georgian, Gothic Revival
Completed1896
Specifications
MaterialsSandstone, slate roof
Administration
ParishChurch (or Church Kirk)
DeaneryAccrington
ArchdeaconryBlackburn
DioceseBlackburn
ProvinceYork
Clergy
RectorRevd Neville Ashton
Laity
Churchwarden(s)Kenneth McLoughlin, Brenda Maple, Joan Houston, John Broadley

History

A church has been on the site since 642 AD,[4] and the site is traditionally associated with St Oswald.[5] The tower dates from the late medieval period, and the nave was built in 1804–05.[3] The parapet was added to the tower in 1844. In 1895–96 the chancel was built, and tracery was installed in the nave windows. The stained glass in the south nave windows was replaced in 1918 following damage caused by an explosion in a nearby ammunition factory.[5] The tower was damaged by fire in 1983.[3]

Architecture

Exterior

The church is constructed in sandstone with slate roofs. In the body of the church the stone is coursed, but in the tower it is uncoursed and roughly hewn. The plan consists of a five-bay nave, a three-bay chancel, and a west tower. The tower is supported by buttresses, and has a low rectangular west door, above which is a three-light Perpendicular window. There are Perpendicular bell openings on three sides of the tower, and a clock on the fourth side. The parapet is embattled.[3] The nave is in two storeys, with two tiers of windows along the sides. These are round-arched, in Georgian style, and contain tracery from the Victorian period.[5] The chancel windows are arched with tracery.[3]

Interior

Inside the church are galleries on three sides, carried on octagonal cast iron columns with fluting and roundels in the capitals. At the west end is a pair of staircases. The ceiling is flat.[3] The reredos was made by Powell's in 1909, and is made using the opus sectile technique. The font is Perpendicular in style. In the south wall of the nave are two sets of windows with stained glass depicting the Four Evangelists. These were remade by Morris & Co. in 1918 to the original designs of Edward Burne Jones after they were damaged in the 1917 explosion for the cost of £230. On the south side of the chancel are windows of 1927 by B. D. Walmsley.[5] There is a ring of eight bells, all cast in 1865–67 by John Warner & Sons.[6]

See also

References
  1. St James, Church Kirk, Church of England, retrieved 19 November 2013
  2. MP in talks over saving listed church, Accrington Observer, retrieved 9 July 2016
  3. Historic England, "Church of St James, Church, Hyndburn (1072728)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 19 November 2013
  4. The Parish of Church, Lancashire OnLine Parish Clerks, retrieved 19 November 2013
  5. Hartwell, Clare; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2009) [1969], Lancashire: North, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, pp. 228–229, ISBN 978-0-300-12667-9
  6. Church, S James, Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers, retrieved 19 November 2013
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