Church of St Barnabas, Darwen

 DARWEN - The new Mission Church of St. Barnabas, in the Calvert District of St. John’s Parish, Darwen, has been opened. The church is simple in outline and construction, being under one continuous roof; breaks in the outline being obtained by the reduced widths of the eastern and western bays forming the sanctuary and baptistery respectively, - by continuing the roof over the projecting porch and vestry, - and by a large gabled dormer on each side. The total width inside is 31 feet, and the total length from west to east wall 101 feet The height to the wall-plate of the nave being 14 feet The roof, which is covered with green slates, is framed with collar-beam principals with moulded curves, the one over the entrance to the chancel and the remainder of the chancel principals being marked by posts carried down to the floor, betwixt which are framed the balustered screens which partition off the chancel from the organ-chamber on the north side and the vestry on the south side. The walls are built of local stone, faced outside with broken-coursed rubble, and on the inside with Bolton pressed red brick, pointed. The passages are laid with flags, and the chancel with simple patterns of plain and stamped tiles. The windows are of wood with wood casements glazed with lead lights, except the east window, which is of stone. The nave seats are of pitch-pine, varnished, and the chancel stalls are of yellow pine, painted, as also are the pulpit, altar-rail, and lectern. The font is of Halifax sandstone. There is an open-framed bell-turret on the ridge of the roof close to the west wall. The heating is effected by hot water pipes and coils on the low-pressure system, the engineer being Mr. C. Seward, of Preston. The architectural style is Gothic in character, and the aim has been to adapt the principles of ecclesiastical architecture to the simplest forms of construction, and at a very low coat, the cost per sitting being under £3. The total accommodation is 350. The contractors for the various works, who are all of Darwen, were as follow Messrs. J. Orrell and Sons, masons’ work; Mr. L. R. Marsden. joiner’s work; Mr. Holden Baron, slater’s work: Mr. R. Jackson, plasterer’s work; Mr. H. C. Jepson, plumber and glazier’s work. The architects are Messrs. Paley & Austin, of Lancaster.  [Builder 13 September 1884 page 375]