Church of St John St John's Street Longsight

CONSECRATION OF ST JOHN’S CHURCH LONGSIGHT The church newly-erected at Longsight near Manchester, has lately been consecrated. It was noted under the head “Architecture and Art in Manchester” in our last volume. It was commenced in March 1845 by Mr Hunt, builder of Broughton, from designs by Mr J E Gregan, architect. It is in the Early English style of architecture and consists of a chancel, nave and aisles, a south porch and a tower and spire at the south-west angle. The east windows of the chancel are filled with stained glass, made by Mr Willement of London. The glass in the chancel window is the gift of Miss Marshall and contains representations of a number of the saints. That in the aisle window is the joint gift of Miss Marshall and her brother, Mr William Marshall. The church contains rather more than 700 sittings, one-half of which are free.  The Manchester Guardian, from which we take the account has the following judicious comments:- It ought, in justice to the architect, be stated that this church is by no means carried out according to his original designs and intentions; for the successive alterations and enlargements which he was, from time to time, called upon to make, have, as might be expected, thrown the building out of proportion, and given it a shortened appearance, very different from anything in the plans as first adopted. Changes made in a design after the commencement of the building are always dangerous, and among the severest misfortunes which architects are subject to; that nice and delicate adjustment of parts which an artist deems essential to the perfection of his work, is but too seldom taken into consideration by those who have it in their power to interfere with it; and thus an architect is often blamed for that which he could not avoid, and which he laments more than anyone else is likely to do, for his more intimate acquaintance with the cause of the failure. It seems that the entire clerestory was an afterthought; added to a building originally intended to be without it; and the tower and spire are diminutive and insignificant in dimensions from the simple fact of the church having out-grown them, they being part of the small plan on which the church was begun. The temporary causes of such changes pass away and are forgotten, the building remains. [Builder 18 July 1846 Page 345]

S. JOHN, LONGSIGHT, MANCHESTER. — This new church is the work of Mr Gregan, a local architect. The plan consists of a clerestoried nave with aisles, extending one bay beyond the chancel-arch, and a chancel, the tower (capped by a stone broach) being placed at the west end of the south aisle. There is also a south porch correctly placed, and a sacristy projecting at right angles from the chancel. The style is First-Pointed. The east window is a triplet* the side chancel windows are of one light, those in the aisles and clerestory are all couplets looking particularly bald. At the west end are two disconnected lancets with a quatrefoil above. The pitch of the roof is good. The material is stone. Internally we find in the nave an arcade of five bays with circular pillars. The font stands correctly. There is a western gallery. The prayers are read at the east end of the nave to the south from a desk which admits of the prayers being read sideways, and the lessons westward, a position which judging from the location of the hassock is also adopted for the prayers. The pulpit matches the desk to the north. There are two sedilia to the south of the sacrarium, and a credence, not skilfully contrived, to the north, under a window which stands too high to be combined properly with it, as Mr Gregan has done. Why has an altar-chair been introduced? The east window contains very satisfactory glass by Mr Willement. The roof is too glaringly white, none of the rafters being shown. That of the chancel has intersecting braces. Externally the church looks too much pulled up. The design is altogether commonplace, but still it is satisfactory to see architect after architect recurring to old models for his ideas. The ten-years’ ago type of church is now we really believe hurrying after its costlier predecessor of a few years earlier. [Ecclesiologist 1848 page 136-137]

Reference    Manchester Guardian 2 April 1845 page 5 – foundation stone
Reference    Manchester Guardian 27 June 1846 page 7 - consecration
Reference    Builder 18 July 1846 Page 345
Reference    Ecclesiologist 1848 page 136-137]
Reference    The Builder 1845: 547;
Reference    Builder 18 July 1846, page 324?