All Saints Church, Denstone

DENSTONE - All Saints' Church, Denstone, has been consecrated by the Bishop of Lichfield. Denstone is a parochial district formed out of the parishes of Ellastone, Alton, and Rocester. Mr. T. P. Heywood, of Dove Leys, has supplied this new parish not only with this church, but also with a school-room and school-house attached, and a parsonage. The church in plan is simple; nave, porch on south-west side, chancel ending in a three-sided apse, and on the north side an organ chamber and sacristy: on this side there is also a circular turret containing four bells. The altar, to which the ascent is by six steps, stands forward in the apse. The reredos presents a combination of different-coloured marbles, and in the centre a bas-relief of the Crucifixion in alabaster, to which colour has been added. The chancel is higher in its roof than the nave. The apse windows, each of two wide lancets, are placed high, and are filled with stained glass, by Messrs. Clayton & Bell, as indeed is every other window in the church. The west window is a large circle : four simple lancets give light to the north side of the nave, and three windows (of three lights) to the south side. The pulpit is circular, of alabaster, with marble shafts, and inlayings of coloured marbles. The same materials have been used for the chancel screen. [Builder 6 September 1862 page 642]

Reference     Builder 6 September 1862 page 642

The patron of the church, Sir Thomas Percival Heywood, 2nd Baronet, was the eldest son of Sir Benjamin Heywood, a Manchester banker of considerable wealth. All Saints Church must be considered in the context of the church building activities of the wider Heywood family.  Sir Benjamin had been brought up Unitarian but converted to Church of England, (having the parish boundary of St John’s Church, Pendlebury, altered to encompass his Manchester estate). His younger sons were each allocated a district of St John’s parish in which they might pursue good works, almost in competition. For their major commissions the family employed the leading architects of their day.   G E Street was again commissioned to design the Church of St Peter the Apostle, Chorley Road, Swinton (qv) for Henry Robinson Heywood, while at Pendlebury Bodley was commissioned by Edward Heywood to design St Augustine’s Church (qv)