St George's Church, Millom
Encyclopedia
St George's Church, Millom, is in the town of Millom
, Cumbria
, England. It is an active Anglican
parish church
in the deanery of Furness, the archdeaconry of Westmoreland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle
. Its benefice is united with those of St Anne, Thwaites
, Holy Trinity, Millom, and St Luke, Haverigg. The church has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II listed building. It is a prominent landmark in the town.
architects Paley and Austin.
with ashlar
dressings, and has slate
roofs. Its plan is "markedly asymmetrical", and consists of a four-bay
nave
with a north aisle
, a central tower with a transept
to the north, a south vestry
, and a chancel
. The nave and the aisle have two-light windows on the sides and three-light windows at the east ends. At the west end, the nave has a five-light window, and the aisle a two-light window. All the windows contain Geometrical-type tracery
. The tower has gable
d angle buttress
es, a stair turret
to the northeast, two two-light windows on the south side, pairs of louvred
two-light bell openings, and an embattled
parapet
with pinnacle
s. It is surmounted by an octagonal spire with lucarne
s. The chancel has a five-light east window and three-light windows on each side. It is surmounted by a traceried parapet and has a cross on its gable
.
. The east window and the window on the north side of the chancel (the latter dated 1911), are by Heaton, Butler and Bayne
; the window on the south side, dated 1906, is by Seward and Company. On the north side of the church is a memorial window to Norman Nicholson
, a local poet who died in 1987. It was designed by Christine Boyce, inserted in 2000, and includes depictions of a bee orchid
, a bloody cranesbill
, Halley's Comet, and quotations from Nicholson's work. The original organ was built in about 1877 by Alfred Kirkland. It was replaced in 1972 with an organ by Keates that was moved from Morley
. The ring
consists of six bells, all cast by John Warner & Sons
; the oldest dates from 1876, and the other five from 1921.
dated 1905. It consists of a Celtic
-type cross on a tall shaft in a square enclosure. The memorial is carved with a vine, and dragon eating its tail. It is a Grade II listed building.
Millom
Millom is a town and civil parish on the estuary of the River Duddon in the southwest of Cumbria, England. The name is Cumbrian dialect for "At the mills". The town is accessible both by rail and an A class road...
, Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, England. It is an active Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
in the deanery of Furness, the archdeaconry of Westmoreland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle
Diocese of Carlisle
The Diocese of Carlisle was created in 1133 by Henry I out of part of the Diocese of Durham, although many people of Celtic descent in the area looked to Glasgow for spiritual leadership. The first bishop was Æthelwold, formerly the king's confessor and now prior of the Augustinian priory at...
. Its benefice is united with those of St Anne, Thwaites
St Anne's Church, Thwaites
St Anne's Church, Thwaites, is in the village of Thwaites, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Millon, the archdeaconry of Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle. Its benefice is united with those of St George, Millom, Holy Trinity, Millom, and...
, Holy Trinity, Millom, and St Luke, Haverigg. The church has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade II listed building. It is a prominent landmark in the town.
History
The church was built between 1874 and 1877 to serve the growing town of Millom. It was designed by the LancasterLancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
architects Paley and Austin.
Exterior
St George's is constructed in red sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
with ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
dressings, and has slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roofs. Its plan is "markedly asymmetrical", and consists of a four-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
with a north aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
, a central tower with a transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
to the north, a south vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
, and a chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
. The nave and the aisle have two-light windows on the sides and three-light windows at the east ends. At the west end, the nave has a five-light window, and the aisle a two-light window. All the windows contain Geometrical-type tracery
Tracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
. The tower has gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d angle buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es, a stair turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
to the northeast, two two-light windows on the south side, pairs of louvred
Louver
A louver or louvre , from the French l'ouvert; "the open one") is a window, blind or shutter with horizontal slats that are angled to admit light and air, but to keep out rain, direct sunshine, and noise...
two-light bell openings, and an embattled
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
with pinnacle
Pinnacle
A pinnacle is an architectural ornament originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire...
s. It is surmounted by an octagonal spire with lucarne
Lucarne
A lucarne is a small dormer window that is built on a spire or roof during the Gothic and Romanesque time period....
s. The chancel has a five-light east window and three-light windows on each side. It is surmounted by a traceried parapet and has a cross on its gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
.
Interior
All the fittings were designed by Paley and Austin, other than the lecternLectern
A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon...
. The east window and the window on the north side of the chancel (the latter dated 1911), are by Heaton, Butler and Bayne
Heaton, Butler and Bayne
Heaton, Butler and Bayne is the name of an English firm who produced stained glass windows from 1855 onwards.-History:Clement Heaton originally founded his own stained glass firm in 1852, joined by James Butler in 1855. Between 1859-61 they worked alongside Clayton and Bell and were joined by...
; the window on the south side, dated 1906, is by Seward and Company. On the north side of the church is a memorial window to Norman Nicholson
Norman Nicholson
Norman Cornthwaite Nicholson OBE, , was an English poet, known for his association with the Cumberland town of Millom...
, a local poet who died in 1987. It was designed by Christine Boyce, inserted in 2000, and includes depictions of a bee orchid
Bee Orchid
The Bee Orchid is an herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the family Orchidaceae.-Etymology:The name "Ophrys" derives from the Greek word "ophrys", meaning "eyebrow", while the Latin name of the species "apifera" refers to the bee-shaped lip.-Description: The Bee Orchid grows to a height of ....
, a bloody cranesbill
Geranium sanguineum
Geranium sanguineum, commonly called Bloody Cranesbill or Bloody Geranium, is a perennial herbaceous plant species in the Geraniaceae family...
, Halley's Comet, and quotations from Nicholson's work. The original organ was built in about 1877 by Alfred Kirkland. It was replaced in 1972 with an organ by Keates that was moved from Morley
Morley, West Yorkshire
Morley is a market town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds, in West Yorkshire, England. It lies approximately south-west of Leeds city centre. Together with Drighlington, Gildersome, Churwell, Tingley and East/West Ardsley, the town had a population of 47,579 in...
. The ring
Ring of bells
"Ring of bells" is a term most often applied to a set of bells hung in the English style, typically for change ringing...
consists of six bells, all cast by John Warner & Sons
John Warner & Sons
John Warner and Sons was a Bellfoundry in various locations in London, UK.-Notable Bells:Warners cast some notable bells including the clock chime at the Houses of Parliament, although Big Ben was later re-cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. In 1913, Warners cast the peal of 12 bells at...
; the oldest dates from 1876, and the other five from 1921.
External features
Outside the church is a memorial to the Boer WarSecond Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
dated 1905. It consists of a Celtic
Celtic cross
A Celtic cross is a symbol that combines a cross with a ring surrounding the intersection. In the Celtic Christian world it was combined with the Christian cross and this design was often used for high crosses – a free-standing cross made of stone and often richly decorated...
-type cross on a tall shaft in a square enclosure. The memorial is carved with a vine, and dragon eating its tail. It is a Grade II listed building.