St George's Church, Stalybridge
Encyclopedia
St George's Church, Stalybridge, stands in Church Walk, Stalybridge
, Greater Manchester
, England. It is an active Anglican
parish church
in the deanery of Ashton-under-Lyne, the archdeaconry of Rochdale and the diocese of Manchester
. The church has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II listed building.
dedicated
to Saint George
on the north bank of the River Tame
overlooking its main crossing point. This replaced and earlier chapel of ease that had been damaged by a landslip in 1774. In the early part of the 19th century the fabric of the church had deteriorated and it was considered to be unsafe. In 1835 the incumbent approached Lord Stamford
, the patron of the living, to provide land for a new church on a different site. Land was found for this about 0.25 mile (0.402335 km) to the northwest.
The foundation stone was laid on 3 September 1838, the same day as the foundation stone for Sharpe's St John's Church
at Dukinfield
, by Lord Viscount Combermere
, a former Grand Master
of the local Masonic Lodge
. It was consecrated
on 24 June 1840 by the Bishop of Chester
. The new church was also dedicated to Saint George. It was a Commissioners' church
designed by the Lancaster
architect Edmund Sharpe
. It cost £4,012 (£ as of ) to build and £2,712 of this was met by a grant from the Church Building Commission.
However the congregation of the old St George's Church did not want to leave their building for the new church, and successfully petitioned for the old church to be retained rather than demolished. It re-opened on 29 September 1843 with a new incumbent, separate from that of the new church. Nonetheless there was serious tension between the two churches, which was not resolved until the incumbent of the new church died suddenly in 1847.
In 1881 the north and south galleries were removed from the church. The west gallery was not removed until 1976 when the interior of the church was divided by a brick wall. The portion to the east of the wall continued in use as a church, and the portion to the west was modified "for parochial, social, educational, and recreational facilities".
roof. Its plan consists of a seven-bay
nave with north and south aisle
s under one roof, a small single-bay chancel
and a west tower. The tower is in three stages with corner buttresses rising to pinnacle
s. The windows are thin lancet window
s, containing Geometrical tracery
. The east window consists of two pairs of lancet windows, each surmounted by a round window, with another round window above them. The interior of the church has been divided. The arcades
are carried on octagonal piers
. The alabaster
font
is in the form of an angel holding a shell. The stained glass is by Lightfoot. The three-manual
organ was built by Renn
& Wadsworth.
Stalybridge
Stalybridge is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 22,568. Historically a part of Cheshire, it is east of Manchester city centre and northwest of Glossop. With the construction of a cotton mill in 1776, Stalybridge became one of...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, 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 Ashton-under-Lyne, the archdeaconry of Rochdale and the diocese of Manchester
Anglican Diocese of Manchester
The Diocese of Manchester is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York, England. Based in the city of Manchester, the diocese covers much of the county of Greater Manchester and small areas of the counties of Lancashire and Cheshire.-History:...
. 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.
History
Since 1776 there has been a chapel of easeChapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
dedicated
Dedication
Dedication is the act of consecrating an altar, temple, church or other sacred building. It also refers to the inscription of books or other artifacts when these are specifically addressed or presented to a particular person. This practice, which once was used to gain the patronage and support of...
to Saint George
Saint George
Saint George was, according to tradition, a Roman soldier from Syria Palaestina and a priest in the Guard of Diocletian, who is venerated as a Christian martyr. In hagiography Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic , Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and the Oriental Orthodox...
on the north bank of the River Tame
River Tame, Greater Manchester
The River Tame flows through Greater Manchester, England.-Source:The Tame rises on Denshaw Moor in Greater Manchester, close to the border with West Yorkshire but within the historic West Riding of Yorkshire.-Course:...
overlooking its main crossing point. This replaced and earlier chapel of ease that had been damaged by a landslip in 1774. In the early part of the 19th century the fabric of the church had deteriorated and it was considered to be unsafe. In 1835 the incumbent approached Lord Stamford
George Grey, 6th Earl of Stamford
George Harry Grey, 6th Earl of Stamford and 2nd Earl of Warrington , styled Lord Grey from 1768 to 1819, was a British peer and politician....
, the patron of the living, to provide land for a new church on a different site. Land was found for this about 0.25 mile (0.402335 km) to the northwest.
The foundation stone was laid on 3 September 1838, the same day as the foundation stone for Sharpe's St John's Church
St John's Church, Dukinfield
St John's Church, Dukinfield, stands in Oxford Road, Dukinfield, Greater Manchester, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Mottram, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the diocese of Chester. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed...
at Dukinfield
Dukinfield
Dukinfield is a small town within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies in central Tameside on the south bank of the River Tame, opposite Ashton-under-Lyne, and is east of the city of Manchester...
, by Lord Viscount Combermere
Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere
Field Marshal Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere GCB, GCH, KSI, PC , was a British military leader, diplomat and politician...
, a former Grand Master
Grand Master (Masonic)
In Freemasonry a Grand Master is the leader of the lodges within his Masonic jurisdiction. He presides over a Grand Lodge, and has certain rights in the constituent lodges that form his jurisdiction....
of the local Masonic Lodge
Masonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
. It was consecrated
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
on 24 June 1840 by the Bishop of Chester
Bishop of Chester
The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York.The diocese expands across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the City of Chester where the seat is located at the Cathedral...
. The new church was also dedicated to Saint George. It was a Commissioners' church
Commissioners' church
A Commissioners' church is an Anglican church in the United Kingdom built with money voted by Parliament as a result of the Church Building Act of 1818 and 1824. They have been given a number of titles, including Commissioners' churches, Waterloo churches and Million Act churches...
designed by the Lancaster
Lancaster, 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...
architect Edmund Sharpe
Edmund Sharpe
Edmund Sharpe was an English architect and engineer. He started his career as an architect, initially on his own, then in partnership with Edward Paley, designing mainly churches but also some secular buildings...
. It cost £4,012 (£ as of ) to build and £2,712 of this was met by a grant from the Church Building Commission.
However the congregation of the old St George's Church did not want to leave their building for the new church, and successfully petitioned for the old church to be retained rather than demolished. It re-opened on 29 September 1843 with a new incumbent, separate from that of the new church. Nonetheless there was serious tension between the two churches, which was not resolved until the incumbent of the new church died suddenly in 1847.
In 1881 the north and south galleries were removed from the church. The west gallery was not removed until 1976 when the interior of the church was divided by a brick wall. The portion to the east of the wall continued in use as a church, and the portion to the west was modified "for parochial, social, educational, and recreational facilities".
Architecture
The church is built in stone with a slateSlate
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...
roof. Its plan consists of a seven-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 with north and south 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...
s under one roof, a small single-bay 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...
and a west tower. The tower is in three stages with corner buttresses rising to 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. The windows are thin lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
s, containing Geometrical 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 east window consists of two pairs of lancet windows, each surmounted by a round window, with another round window above them. The interior of the church has been divided. The arcades
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
are carried on octagonal piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
. The alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
is in the form of an angel holding a shell. The stained glass is by Lightfoot. The three-manual
Manual (music)
A manual is a keyboard designed to be played with the hands on a pipe organ, harpsichord, clavichord, electronic organ, or synthesizer. The term "manual" is used with regard to any hand keyboard on these instruments to distinguish it from the pedalboard, which is a keyboard that the organist plays...
organ was built by Renn
Samuel Renn
Samuel Renn was an English organ builder who ran a business in Stockport, and later he traded in Manchester.Renn was born in Kedleston, Derbyshire and in 1799 was apprenticed to his uncle, James Davis, an organ builder in London. Renn became his foreman and supervised organ installations and...
& Wadsworth.
See also
- List of architectural works by Edmund Sharpe
- List of Commissioners' churches in Northeast and Northwest England