Church of St George, Chester Road, Hulme
Encyclopedia
The Church of St George, Chester Road, Hulme
, Manchester
is an early Gothic Revival church by Francis Goodwin
, built in 1826-8. It was restored
in 1884 by J. S. Crowther
. It was designated a Grade II* listed building on 3 October 1974.
The church was a Commissioners' church
, who allotted the sum of £15,000 for construction.
Goodwin was an obvious choice for architect having already undertaken a number of churches in the Midlands and the North West, as well as the original Manchester Town Hall
. Sir Nikolaus Pevsner considers that Goodwin's inspiration was Nicholas Hawksmoor
's St Michael, Cornhill
and that "the whole makes a lively and memorable picture". A six-bay nave with "high three-light Perpendicular
windows" concludes with a tall tower at the west end, and two high pinnacles at the east. Porches are set at the northwest and southwest corners.
Drawing from Pevsner, the English Heritage
inspectors who listed the building in 1974, without an internal inspection, stated that the interior was "reported as having: galleries; Perpendicular arcades; [and a] wall monument to The Hon. George Berkeley Molyneux (d.1841), by Edward Physick, in form of soldier mourning beside urn."
A declining inner-city population in the post-war period, combined with the increasing isolation of the church caused by major road construction in its vicinity, led to St George's closure in 1984. A "twenty-year search for a use which would preserve the interior ... proved fruitless and the building was converted to flats (in) 2000–2. The interior can no longer be read as a whole."
Hulme
Hulme is an inner city area and electoral ward of Manchester, England. Located immediately south of Manchester city centre, it is an area with significant industrial heritage....
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
is an early Gothic Revival church by Francis Goodwin
Francis Goodwin
Francis Goodwin was an English architect, best known for his many provincial churches in the Gothic revival style, civic buildings such as the first Manchester Town Hall and Macclesfield town hall , plus country houses such as Lissadell House, County Sligo .Goodwin was born at King's Lynn,...
, built in 1826-8. It was restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
in 1884 by J. S. Crowther
J. S. Crowther
Joseph Stretch Crowther was an English architect who practised in Manchester.-Life:He studied under Richard Tattersall from 1838–1843. He worked as a managing clerk for Henry Bowman until 1846, when Bowman took him into partnership as Bowman & Crowther...
. It was designated a Grade II* listed building on 3 October 1974.
The church 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...
, who allotted the sum of £15,000 for construction.
Goodwin was an obvious choice for architect having already undertaken a number of churches in the Midlands and the North West, as well as the original Manchester Town Hall
Manchester Town Hall
Manchester Town Hall is a Victorian-era, Neo-gothic municipal building in Manchester, England. The building functions as the ceremonial headquarters of Manchester City Council and houses a number of local government departments....
. Sir Nikolaus Pevsner considers that Goodwin's inspiration was Nicholas Hawksmoor
Nicholas Hawksmoor
Nicholas Hawksmoor was a British architect born in Nottinghamshire, probably in East Drayton.-Life:Hawksmoor was born in Nottinghamshire in 1661, into a yeoman farming family, almost certainly in East Drayton, Nottinghamshire. On his death he was to leave property at nearby Ragnall, Dunham and a...
's St Michael, Cornhill
Cornhill
Cornhill is a ward, and one of the principal streets of the City of London, the historic nucleus of modern London. The hill from which it takes its name is one of the three ancient hills of London; the others are Tower Hill, site of the Tower of London, and Ludgate Hill, crowned by St Paul's...
and that "the whole makes a lively and memorable picture". A six-bay nave with "high three-light Perpendicular
Perpendicular
In geometry, two lines or planes are considered perpendicular to each other if they form congruent adjacent angles . The term may be used as a noun or adjective...
windows" concludes with a tall tower at the west end, and two high pinnacles at the east. Porches are set at the northwest and southwest corners.
Drawing from Pevsner, the 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...
inspectors who listed the building in 1974, without an internal inspection, stated that the interior was "reported as having: galleries; Perpendicular arcades; [and a] wall monument to The Hon. George Berkeley Molyneux (d.1841), by Edward Physick, in form of soldier mourning beside urn."
A declining inner-city population in the post-war period, combined with the increasing isolation of the church caused by major road construction in its vicinity, led to St George's closure in 1984. A "twenty-year search for a use which would preserve the interior ... proved fruitless and the building was converted to flats (in) 2000–2. The interior can no longer be read as a whole."