Church of St Mary and St Michael, Bonds
Encyclopedia
The Church of St Mary and St Michael, Bonds, is in the village of Bonds
, to the south of Garstang
, Lancashire
, England. It is an active Roman Catholic church in the diocese of Lancaster. The church has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II listed building.
were designed by the Lancaster
architect E. G. Paley
. The authors of the Buildings of England
series comment that the church is a "big solid job", and that it is "by far the largest and most imposing [church] of the town".
rubble
and has slate
roofs. Its plan consists of a five-bay
nave
and a chancel
under a continuous roof, a north aisle
with a Lady chapel
at the east end, a north porch, and a west tower. The tower is in three stages, with diagonal buttress
es, an embattled
parapet
, and a stair turret
rising to a greater height than the tower and surmounted by a spirelet. On its west front is an arched doorway and a three-light window. The windows along the sides of the church have two lights, and are separated by buttresses. At the east end of the chapel is a two-light window, and the east window of the chancel has five lights. The chancel roof contains a dormer window on each side.
. At the west end is a gallery. The nave has an open timber roof, and the chancel a barrel roof
. The large reredos
is in Caen stone
, and is decorated with arcading. The altar and the altar rail both have marble
shafts. At the entry to the sacristy
is a stoup
incorporating a stone inscribed with the date 1639. The stained glass dates from the later part of the 19th century, and was probably made by Hardman
. The two-manual
organ in the west gallery was made in 1949 by Henry Ainscough and Company of Preston. It was designed by Dr J. Reginald Dixon of Lancaster Cathedral
, who also designed the organ case. The organ was restored in 1989 by the Pendlebury Organ Company of Fleetwood
.
Bonds, Lancashire
Bonds is a village in Lancashire, England. It lies immediately south of Garstang town centre, on the opposite bank of the River Wyre. It is bounded by the Lancaster Canal to the south and west. It would appear, from its location, to be a suburb of Garstang, but, in fact, it lies in the separate...
, to the south of Garstang
Garstang
Garstang is a town and civil parish within the Wyre borough of Lancashire, England. It is ten miles north-northwest of the city of Preston and eleven miles south of Lancaster, and had a total resident population of 4,074 in 2001....
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England. It is an active Roman Catholic church in the diocese of Lancaster. 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
The church replaced an earlier chapel in the town of Garstang, and was built in 1857–58. The church and associated presbyteryPresbytery (architecture)
The presbytery is the name for an area in a church building which is reserved for the clergy.In the oldest church it is separated by short walls, by small columns and pilasters in the Renaissance ones; it can also be raised, being reachable by a few steps, usually with railings....
were 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 E. G. Paley
Edward Graham Paley
Edward Graham Paley, usually known as E. G. Paley, , was an English architect who practised in Lancaster, Lancashire, in the second half of the 19th century.-Education and career:...
. The authors of the Buildings of England
Pevsner Architectural Guides
The Pevsner Architectural Guides are a series of guide books to the architecture of the British Isles. Begun in the 1940s by art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, the 46 volumes of the Buildings of England series were published between 1951 and 1975. The series was then extended to Scotland and...
series comment that the church is a "big solid job", and that it is "by far the largest and most imposing [church] of the town".
Exterior
The church is constructed in 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,...
rubble
Rubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
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 consists of a five-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...
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...
under a continuous roof, 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...
with a Lady chapel
Lady chapel
A Lady chapel, also called Mary chapel or Marian chapel, is a traditional English term for a chapel inside a cathedral, basilica, or large church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary...
at the east end, a north porch, and a west tower. The tower is in three stages, with diagonal buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es, 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...
, and 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...
rising to a greater height than the tower and surmounted by a spirelet. On its west front is an arched doorway and a three-light window. The windows along the sides of the church have two lights, and are separated by buttresses. At the east end of the chapel is a two-light window, and the east window of the chancel has five lights. The chancel roof contains a dormer window on each side.
Interior
The arcade consists of pointed arches carried on round columns with capitalsCapital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
. At the west end is a gallery. The nave has an open timber roof, and the chancel a barrel roof
Barrel roof
A barrel roof is a curved roof that, especially from below, is curved like a cut-away barrel. They have some advantages over dome roofs, especially being able to cover rectangular buildings., due to their uniform cross-section....
. The large reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
is in Caen stone
Caen stone
Caen stone or Pierre de Caen, is a light creamy-yellow Jurassic limestone quarried in northwestern France near the city of Caen.The limestone is a fine grained oolitic limestone formed in shallow water lagoons in the Bathonian Age about 167 million years ago...
, and is decorated with arcading. The altar and the altar rail both have marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
shafts. At the entry to the sacristy
Sacristy
A sacristy is a room for keeping vestments and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.The sacristy is usually located inside the church, but in some cases it is an annex or separate building...
is a stoup
Holy water font
A holy water font or stoup is a vessel containing holy water generally placed near the entrance of a church. It is used in Catholic Church and Lutheran churches, as well as some Anglican churches to make the Sign of the Cross using the holy water upon entrance and exit...
incorporating a stone inscribed with the date 1639. The stained glass dates from the later part of the 19th century, and was probably made by Hardman
Hardman & Co.
Hardman & Co., otherwise John Hardman Trading Co., Ltd., founded 1838, began manufacturing stained glass in 1844 and became one of the world's leading manufacturers of stained glass and ecclesiastical fittings...
. The two-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 in the west gallery was made in 1949 by Henry Ainscough and Company of Preston. It was designed by Dr J. Reginald Dixon of Lancaster Cathedral
Lancaster Cathedral
Lancaster Cathedral, also known as The Cathedral Church of St Peter and Saint Peter's Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. It towers above its superb location overlooking Lancaster and Lancaster Canal...
, who also designed the organ case. The organ was restored in 1989 by the Pendlebury Organ Company of Fleetwood
Fleetwood
Fleetwood is a town within the Wyre district of Lancashire, England, lying at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 26,840 people at the 2001 Census. It forms part of the Greater Blackpool conurbation. The town was the first planned community of the Victorian era...
.