St John the Baptist's Church, Smallbridge

St John the Baptist's Church is in Halifax Road, Smallbridge, Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. It is a redundant Anglican parish church in the benefice of Wardle and Smallbridge, the deanery of Rochdale, the archdeaconry of Rochdale, and the diocese of Manchester.[1][2] The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.[3] It was a Commissioners' church, having received a grant towards its construction from the Church Building Commission.[4]

St John the Baptist's Church, Smallbridge
St John the Baptist's Church, Smallbridge, from the northwest
St John the Baptist's Church, Smallbridge is located in Greater Manchester
St John the Baptist's Church, Smallbridge
St John the Baptist's Church, Smallbridge
Location in Greater Manchester
53°38′02″N 2°07′55″W / 53.6338°N 2.1320°W / 53.6338; -2.1320
OS grid referenceSD 914,153
LocationHalifax Road, Smallbridge, Rochdale, Greater Manchester
CountryEngland
DenominationAnglican
WebsiteSt John, Smallbridge
History
StatusParish church
DedicationSaint John the Baptist
Architecture
Functional statusRedundant
Heritage designationGrade II
Designated29 June 1966
Architect(s)Lewis Vulliamy
Architectural typeChurch
StyleGothic Revival
Completed1834
Specifications
MaterialsStone, slate roof
Administration
ProvinceYork
DioceseManchester
ArchdeaconryRochdale
DeaneryRochdale
ParishWardle and Smallbridge
Clergy
Vicar(s)Revd Andrew J. Howell

History

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St John's was built in 1834 to a design by Lewis Vulliamy.[5] A grant of £3,253 (equivalent to £390,000 as of 2023)[6] was given towards its construction by the Church Building Commission.[4] The church was declared redundant in March 2008 due to a declining congregation [7]

Architecture

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The church is constructed in ashlar stone with a slate roof.[3] Its architectural style is Gothic Revival.[4] The plan consists of an eight-bay nave with a projection at the west end, and a single-bay chancel with a vestry. The projection at the west end contains three stepped lancet windows with a doorway under the central window. On each side is a low porch. Rising from the gable is a tall bellcote with columns at the corners and louvred bell openings on each side. Above these is a clock face on each side under a gable. On the summit of the bellcote is a finial. In the corners between the projection and the nave are pinnacles with conical roofs and cross finials, and there is a similar pinnacle at the east end. Along the sides of the church, each bay contains a lancet window. The east window has four lights. Inside the church are galleries carried on cast iron columns. Over the chancel arch is a painting of a choir of angels. The furniture is described as "fine and ornately carved timberwork of various dates", and includes pews with poppyheads, and a hooded priest's chair with a misericord.[3] The stained glass includes an 18th-century roundel by William Wailes.[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ St John Baptist, Smallbridge, Church of England, retrieved 19 April 2012
  2. ^ Saint John The Baptist Church, Rochdale Online, retrieved 19 April 2012
  3. ^ a b c Historic England, "Church of St John the Baptist, Rochdale (1346261)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 19 April 2012
  4. ^ a b c Port, M. H. (2006), 600 New Churches: The Church Building Commission 1818–1856 (2nd ed.), Reading: Spire Books, p. 336, ISBN 978-1-904965-08-4
  5. ^ a b Hartwell, Clare; Hyde, Matthew; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2004), Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, p. 602, ISBN 0-300-10583-5
  6. ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017), "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)", MeasuringWorth, retrieved 7 May 2024
  7. ^ Wilkinson, Damon (5 February 2015). "Sale of the sanctuary: Church put on the market for £120k". Manchester Evening News. Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 13 October 2021.