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 Location in Greater Manchester | |
| 53°38′02″N 2°07′55″W / 53.6338°N 2.1320°W | |
| OS grid reference | SD 914,153 |
| Location | Halifax Road, Smallbridge, Rochdale, Greater Manchester |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | St John, Smallbridge |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Dedication | Saint John the Baptist |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 29 June 1966 |
| Architect(s) | Lewis Vulliamy |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Completed | 1834 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Stone, slate roof |
| Administration | |
| Province | York |
| Diocese | Manchester |
| Archdeaconry | Rochdale |
| Deanery | Rochdale |
| Parish | Wardle and Smallbridge |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar(s) | Revd Andrew J. Howell |
History
editSt 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
editThe 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
edit
References
edit- ^ St John Baptist, Smallbridge, Church of England, retrieved 19 April 2012
- ^ Saint John The Baptist Church, Rochdale Online, retrieved 19 April 2012
- ^ a b c Historic England, "Church of St John the Baptist, Rochdale (1346261)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 19 April 2012
- ^ 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
- ^ 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
- ^ 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
- ^ 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.