# Church 'S', Lancashire - our take. ***IMAGE INTENSIVE***



## TeeJF (Jul 11, 2012)

*A few weeks ago we visited this pretty abandoned church in Lancashire however there was another report up on the forum about the same time so we decided to leave a breathing space before we put ours up. 

It was an interesting morning... as we arrived the whole road at the front of the church was packed full of people and the adjacent park was jumping - we'd only gone and picked carnival day! Oh well... not deterred and with a little discretion and snurgling, we were soon in!* 

*Th' history...*

In the early 1800s Mr. John Holt, a Justice of the Peace, lived at a large house in Lancashire called Stubbylee Hall. An intensely religious individual he concerned himself with the spiritual well being of the people who lived on his estate. His grand intention was to build a church however it was not to be during his lifetime.

The nearest church to the estate was Saint Johns and it began to fall into a state of disrepair bordering on collapse some years after Holt's death, so his son, James Maden Holt, decided that he would build a new church at Stubbylee. With the necessary consent granted by the then vicar of Saint John's, the Rev. B. Tweedale, and of the diocese in which the church would be built, James Holt looked round for a suitable clergyman to oversee the progress of work. The Reverend William Whitworth, formerly the vicar of St. Jude's, Ancoats, accepted the appointment and work commenced.

In 1854 a temporary place of worship was created in an old mill where the floor was covered with sawdust, and pews were made by standing benches on bricks. At the same time work began on the Sunday school at the current site, where it stands to this day, and it was completed in 1858. The congregation were addressed for the final time by Mr. Whitworth in the milll and then a procession marched to the new school for the grand opening. The upper part of the school was now pressed into service as the church for the next few years whilst the vicarage was built, Mr. Whitworth taking residence in 1860 just before work on the church proper commenced.

The church was completed and consecrated on Monday, the 23rd of January, 1865, by the Lord Bishop of Manchester, the Right Rev. J. Fraser and representatives of the local Wesleyan, Baptist and Independent churches were present at the service. The entire £11,400 cost of the building of the church (£8,000), Sunday school (£2,000) and vicarage (£1,400), was financed by James Holt.





The architect employed by James Holt was E. Wyndham Tarn of London. The church is 120 feet long and 53 feet wide and was built in the Early Pointed Gothic style from local stone quarried on Mr. Holt's estate and with pillars of polished red granite. Seated accommodation was provided for a congregation of 1,000 worshippers. The bell tower, which stands on the north side of the chancel, is surmounted by a spire 150 feet in height. A small transept was built on the south side of the church, and it was used originally as a pew for the Holt family, but later the font was transferred to this chapel from its former position in the chancel. The church contains a baptistry - a small dunking pool for want of a better description - for the immersion of adults. It is sunk in the chancel floor and is covered by an ornamental grating.

*The above information was obtained from the 1865 - 1965 Centenary Handbook...*

When the last vicar of the church, the Reverend Eddie Ashworth, retired in 1999, the parish became a joint benefice with Holy Trinity church a few miles away. The church held it's final service in October 2007 and the parish then merged with Holy Trinity.

Since that time the church has been placed on the open market for sale at a guide figure of around £200,000 however the local council have decreed that it shall not be used for housing and would prefer that it is used instead as a sports venue or some sort of public amenity - fat chance of selling it then!

On our visit in summer 2012 we could see some substantial water ingress at the road side elevation and numerous windows have already been broken. If the council do not change their "requirements" then this once beautiful church will soon go the way of all abandoned buildings and slide ever more rapidly into decay and dereliction. But then when did a council ever do anything in a sensible fashion?


*Th' pictures...*



*Taking pictures outside bold as brass with a carnival happening 25 yards away... sometimes you have it to do! *








*The tower. *








*A magnificent piece of architecture. *








*Inside the nave.*








*An abandoned bible still sits in this pew.*









*Stained glass. *








*What remains of the organ. *








*The organ manuals are coming apart with the damp. *








*The organist's view through his mirror. Today the reading is taken from the gospel of urbex.  *








*The font occupies what was once the Holt's private area of the church. *








*A marble plaque commemorates the Holt family.*








*The current 'incumbent' of the church is prostrate before the alter waiting for the... oops... for HIS resurrection  *








*The view down the nave from the upper floor at the rear of the church. *








*One final piccie before we leave and 'mingle' with the crowds.  *





​

*'n that's yer lot from Lancashire toneet!​*


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## whitelaw (Jul 11, 2012)

Why, oh why do people have to do that to old organs? No doubt the pipes have some value, but what a tragedy to see what was once a much loved instrument vandalised like this.

Thank you - a lovely set.


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## sonyes (Jul 11, 2012)

Brilliant report as usual guys!!!! Excellent shots too!


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## Lucky Pants (Jul 11, 2012)

Great report and fantastic pictures well done .


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## TeeJF (Jul 11, 2012)

whitelaw said:


> Why, oh why do people have to do that to old organs? *** what a tragedy to see what was once a much loved instrument vandalised like this.



My feelings exactly. It looks like the pykeys are having it away with the pipes too.


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## Walrus75 (Jul 11, 2012)

Nice one, I'm not in any way a religious man but I do like a nice church... and their graveyards.


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## nelly (Jul 11, 2012)

Great stuff mate, I love derelict churches so much, just not got many around my way


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## Priority 7 (Jul 11, 2012)

Nice work TJ & T keep em coming


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## _Nyx_ (Jul 11, 2012)

Fantastic report and beautiful photos !


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## night crawler (Jul 11, 2012)

I love your reports with the history and photo's


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## Sshhhh... (Jul 11, 2012)

Great stuff as usual you guys! We had a mooch round here the other week, fantastic place Shame about the vole though


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## UEP-Wales (Jul 11, 2012)

Fantastic stuff both! I love your reports, the write up and pics are fantastic!

Cheers for posting them up!


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## TeeJF (Jul 12, 2012)

Thanks guys.

Regarding the graveyard, this church is unusual in that it doesn't have one!

regarding the vole... he's gone to abetter place!


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## Mars Lander (Jul 12, 2012)

Great stuff again TeamTJ and your photos are epic, the first thing i took a pilk of here was the dead vole, i spent an age on that for some reason organ 2nd, can you believe, whats wrong with me....dont answer that.


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## RichardH (Jul 12, 2012)

whitelaw said:


> Why, oh why do people have to do that to old organs? No doubt the pipes have some value, but what a tragedy to see what was once a much loved instrument vandalised like this.



It's highly likely that the pipes were acquired by an organ builder or another church, for building into an existing instrument. The console, windchests and all of the structural bits are often not removed, because they are usually designed to fit into a particular space. The pipes on the front are possibly very cheap and non-functional, used as decoration.


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## Mars Lander (Jul 12, 2012)

RichardH said:


> It's highly likely that the pipes were acquired by an organ builder or another church, for building into an existing instrument. The console, windchests and all of the structural bits are often not removed, because they are usually designed to fit into a particular space. The pipes on the front are possibly very cheap and non-functional, used as decoration.



Well that would be nice to think of it all like that rather than mindless vandals, I thought when i was there why take this off yet leave this and that , kinda makes sense now


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## perjury saint (Jul 12, 2012)

Sterling stuff!!


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## Ninja Kitten (Jul 12, 2012)

thats rather luverley you two!


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## Silent Hill (Jul 12, 2012)

Fabulous shots of a beautiful church, and done in the bold as brass style 

My mister mole has gone to a better place as well ........


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## Mars Lander (Jul 12, 2012)

Spiral Architect said:


> Fabulous shots of a beautiful church, and done in the bold as brass style
> 
> My mister mole has gone to a better place as well ........



Morbid and sad but what a spectacular image, thats an album cover right there" Rock n Mole" or something (groan) haha.


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## UrbanX (Jul 21, 2012)

Nice one! Looks so atmospheric. 
Ace pics too, the best photographs we've seen from this place.


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## prettyvacant71 (Jul 22, 2012)

Fantastic photos and what an interesting splore...the organ, windows, squashed mouse....luv em!


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## explorer101 (Aug 20, 2012)

nice pics (even mr.mole!)

L x


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## LairdOfLochaber (Aug 25, 2012)

The Holts must have been a very admirable family. The texts that I read from their grave monuments and from the plaque on the Bible lectern showed good taste and deep devotion. Compared to the silly ways other rich people often spend their money, this is a great memorial to their faith. Such a shame that the current generation finds it so hard to care deeply for spiritual things, or doesn't have the will to maintain and pay forward what was bequeathed by past generations.


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## boxerheaven (Aug 26, 2012)

loved this place glad i didnt see the vole  thought it was strange there was no body in the garden


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