Church of St Agnes Slade Lane Longsight

Plans for the proposed new church at the junction of the newly formed St John’s Road and Slade Lane, Longsight, have been prepared by Messrs J Medland and H Taylor, architects of this city, and passed by the Building Committee. The design is an early development of Decorated Pointed Gothic; the materials to be employed in the structure being brick, stone, and terra cotta. The general design includes a broad nave, with a chancel of ample proportions, so arranged as to bring the choir well forward into the body of the church. A south aisle of two bays will be erected to commence with, which will be extended into three or four bays hereafter. Provision in the first place will be made for 450 sittings. [Manchester Guardian 11 January 1884 page 6]

A NEW CHURCH IN SLADE LANE RUSHOLME. Mr Medland Taylor was requested to supply the executive committee with plans for a church consisting of nave, chancel, transepts, vestry and organ chamber to seat 450 people and so built to be capable of enlargement by the addition of side aisles and the lengthening of the nave to increase the accommodation when needed. Meeting held in the Clitheroe Street school‑room, Slade Lane [Manchester City News 12 January 1884]

The corner stone of the new church of St Agnes, Slade Lane, in the parish of St James, Birch, was laid on Saturday afternoon by the Bishop of Manchester in the presence of a numerous assembly. The site is on the higher ground in the lane and near the south-eastern extremity of Sir William Anson’s property. The adjoining land to the south belongs to Lord Egerton. The plot devoted to the church and parsonage is triangular, the church standing at the base, or northern side, Slade Lane on the easterly side, and St John’s Road - a continuation of the street which passes Longsight Church - on the westerly side. The parsonage will therefore stand on the south side of the church, with a southerly aspect for the garden. The church now being built will seat rather over 500 adults, but the scheme provides for an addition of 100 or more. The plan, or general arrangement of the floor comprises a broad nave of four bays, (with) another narrower bay marked off from the wider portion by a pointed arch of two Aorders@ of mouldings. On the south side, at the south-west corner of the nave, is a spacious porch, gabled to the south. At the centre of the west end is a semi-octagonal baptistery, with a tall pointed arch opening into the church, and tall pointed windows piercing three of its sides. The font will be elevated on three steps, so that the administration of the sacrament may be witnessed and joined in by all present. At the east end of the nave are a wide central pointed arch and two narrow ones. The left hand archway leads to the organ chamber, and to the choir and clergy vestries. A cluster of four arches springing from a central stone pillar marks a transeptal projection at the south-east corner of the church. There is a spacious basement for heating apparatus and the use of the caretaker, etc. Above the cellar are the organ chamber and the choristers’ vestry, and above the latter the clergy vestry, approached by a winding stair. There is a north porch, giving access to the vestries and to the church. It is proposed to tile the chancel, the porches the main passage, and the east and west end spaces of the nave; but the floor under the benches is to be of patented solid wood blocks. The roofs are to be open timbered and boarded. There will be no plaster about the church. Externally the church may be expected to present a fairly picturesque appearance. The walls generally outside are to be of grey brick, with red for the framing of the windows, and for coigns (quoins?) and other parts. The strings, labels, and moulded parts will be of terra cotta. Although there will be stone in pillars, capitals and bases, and in cills and cusped heads of windows and elsewhere, the church is a brick one. It is designed by the architects (Messrs Medland and Henry Taylor) in brick, and would not be suitable for erection in any other material. The foundations have cost under £150. The superstructure, as above described, has been let for £2,700 with £112 for additional cost of a wood block floor. [Manchester Guardian 21 July 1884 Page 6]

MANCHESTER - The corner-stone of the Church of St. Agnes, Slade-lane, Longsight, was laid by the Bishop of the diocese on the 19th ult. The site is on the higher ground in the lane, and the plot devoted to the sites of the church and parsonage is triangular, the church standing at the base, or northern side, Slade-lane on the easterly side, and St. John’s-road, a continuation of the street which passes Longsight Church, on. the westerly side. The parsonage will therefore stand on the south side of the church, with a southern aspect for the garden. The church, as now being built, will seat rather more than 500 adults, but the scheme provides for an addition of 100 or more. The plan comprises a broad nave of four bays, another narrower bay marked off from the wider portion by the Pointed arch of two “orders" of mouldings. On the south side, at the south-west corner of the nave, is a spacious porch, gabled to the south. At the centre of the west end is a semi-octagonal baptistery, with a tall pointed arch opening into the church, and tall pointed windows piercing three of its sides. At the east end of the nave are a wide central pointed arch and two narrow ones. The left-hand archway leads to the organ-chamber, and to the choir and clergy vestries. A cluster of four arches, springing from a central stone pillar, marks a transeptal projection at the south - east corner of the church. The chancel, semi-hexagonal in shape at its eastern end, is raised seven steps in all up to the Lord’s Table. It has around the four easterly sides twelve arches, eight of them pierced with long pointed windows, with stone cusped heads, and four with panels only, with cusped and pierced circles above them. These window-sills are kept well up, and the space below them is panelled or arcaded in brick. On the south side there will be sedilia and a credence. The roofs are to be open-timbered, and boarded. There is no plaster about the church. The walls inside will be lined to about window sill height with brown glazed brick; above this with yellowish bricks from Ruabon. The windows are framed, as it were, in red brick. The cornices and arches generally are of the same material. But the chancel arch has stone voussoirs alternating with the brick. The walls generally arc to be of grey brick, with red for the framing-iu of the windows and for quoins and other parts. The strings, labels, and moulded parts are of terra-cotta. Though there will be stone in pillars, capitals, and bases, and in sills and cusps, heads of windows, and elsewhere, the church is a brick one. It is designed by the architects (Messrs. Medland and Henry Taylor) in brick, and would not be suitable for erection in any other material. The foundations have cost under £150. The superstructure, as above described, has been let for £2,700, with £112 for additional cost of a woodblock floor. [Builder 2 August 1884 page 176]

ST AGNES CHURCH, LEVENSHULME - Yesterday the Bishop of Manchester consecrated the new church of St Agnes Slade Lane, Levenshulme. ... The church, which contains 502 sittings, is free and unappropriated. It has been built at a cost of £3,650 by Mr T Darnbrough of Rushholme from plans designed by Messrs Medland and Henry Taylor, architects, of this city. The walls are of brick, with stone facings, and the building both internally and externally has the appearance of neatness and elegance. [Manchester Guardian 16 June 1885 page 6]

ECCLESIASTICAL INTELLIGENCE. CHURCH CONSECRATION LONGSIGHT. The Bishop of Manchester consecrated yesterday the new church of St. Agnes, Slade-lane, Longsight. The edifice, which has been built from designs by Messrs. Medland and Henry Taylor, architects, of St. Ann's-churchyard, this city, is handsome structure, containing 502 sittings, and is intended to meet the requirements of portions of the parishes of St. James, Birch-in-Rusholme, St. John's, Longsight, and St. Peter's, Levenshulme. The site of the building, a plot of land comprising 2,135 square yards, is the gift of Sir W. Anson, who has also contributed a donation of £250. The total cost of the church, about £3,650, is being defrayed by voluntary subscription. The contract for the building was let to Mr. Thomas Darnbrough, Rusholme, and has been carried out in an apparently satisfactory manner. The plan or general scheme of the church, which is constructed principally of brick, comprises a nave of five bays. Projecting from the south side of the westernmost bay is the chief entrance porch, and placed in the centre the west end is a semi-octagonal baptistery. At its south-easterly part the church is widened out by a double gabled aisle, half of which is opposite the east bay of the nave and half opposite the chancel. Although not what may be called pretentious edifice, there is much to admire in it, the combinations of its various architectural features being exceedingly effective. [Manchester Courier 16 June 1885 page 6].

Reference    Manchester Guardian 11 January 1884 page 6
Reference    Manchester City News 12 January 1884
Reference    Manchester Guardian 21 July 1884 Page 6 - foundation stone
Reference    Builder 2 August 1884 page 176 – foundation stone
Reference    Manchester Guardian 16 June 1885 page 6 – consecration
Reference    Manchester Courier 16 June 1885 page 6 – consecration
Reference    Manchester Courier 20 June 1885 page 16