St Peter's Church, Mawdesley
Encyclopedia
St Peter's Church, Mawdesley, is in Church Lane in the village of Mawdesley
, Lancashire
, England. It is an active Anglican
parish church
in the deanery of Chorley, the archdeaconry of Blackburn, and the diocese of Blackburn
. The church has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II listed building.
architect Edmund Sharpe
. The chancel
was added in 1878–79 by Peter Balmer, an architect from Ormskirk
, and in 1892 it was restored
by Richard Knill Freeman
.
with a slate
roof. Its plan consists of a five-bay
nave
, a chancel, and a slender west tower that is partly embraced by the nave. The westernmost bay of the nave on the north side is gable
d and contains lancet window
s; its counterpart on the south has an arched doorway. The other bays are separated by buttress
es and each contains a tall square-headed two-light window. The east window has five lights and is in Perpendicular style. The tower has diagonal buttresses. Its first stage is tall and originally had open arches on each side; these have been filled in and incorporate windows and a west door. Above is a single-light louvred
bell-opening on each face, then a stepped parapet
with crocket
ted pinnacle
s. It is surmounted by a slender octagonal spire. Inside the church is a west gallery supported by two cast iron
columns. The organ was built in about 1900 by Wilkinson and Son of Kendal. The church is similar in design to the nearby Church of St John the Baptist, Bretherton
designed by Sharpe at about the same time.
Mawdesley
Mawdesley is a village and civil parish of the Borough of Chorley in Lancashire, England. According to the 2001 Census it had a population of 1,787.-History:...
, 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 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 Chorley, the archdeaconry of Blackburn, and the diocese of Blackburn
Diocese of Blackburn
The Diocese of Blackburn is a Church of England diocese, covering much of Lancashire, created in 1926 from part of the Diocese of Manchester. The Diocese includes the towns of Blackburn, Blackpool, Burnley, and the cities of Lancaster, and Preston, as well as a large part of the Ribble Valley...
. 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
St Peter's was built in 1839–40 and 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...
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...
. The 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...
was added in 1878–79 by Peter Balmer, an architect from Ormskirk
Ormskirk
Ormskirk is a market town in West Lancashire, England. It is situated north of Liverpool city centre, northwest of St Helens, southeast of Southport and southwest of Preston.-Geography and administration:...
, and in 1892 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...
by Richard Knill Freeman
Richard Knill Freeman
Richard Knill Freeman was a British architect who began his career at Derby and moved to Bolton, Lancashire in the late 1860s. His work, in Victorian Gothic style and typically recalling the Decorated Period of later medieval architecture, can be seen in several cities and towns across the north...
.
Architecture
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,...
with a 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...
roof. 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...
, a chancel, and a slender west tower that is partly embraced by the nave. The westernmost bay of the nave on the north side is 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 and contains 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; its counterpart on the south has an arched doorway. The other bays are separated by buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es and each contains a tall square-headed two-light window. The east window has five lights and is in Perpendicular style. The tower has diagonal buttresses. Its first stage is tall and originally had open arches on each side; these have been filled in and incorporate windows and a west door. Above is a single-light 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...
bell-opening on each face, then a stepped 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 crocket
Crocket
A crocket is a hook-shaped decorative element common in Gothic architecture. It is in the form of a stylised carving of curled leaves, buds or flowers which is used at regular intervals to decorate the sloping edges of spires, finials, pinnacles, and wimpergs....
ted 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 a slender octagonal spire. Inside the church is a west gallery supported by two cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
columns. The organ was built in about 1900 by Wilkinson and Son of Kendal. The church is similar in design to the nearby Church of St John the Baptist, Bretherton
St John the Baptist's Church, Bretherton
St John the Baptist's Church, Bretherton, is in the village of Bretherton, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Chorley, the archdeaconry of Blackburn and the diocese of Blackburn. Its benefice is united with that of St Michael and All Angels, Croston...
designed by Sharpe at about the same time.