Church of St John the Baptist Liverpool Road Jenny Green. Higher Irlam

Small, with a crossing tower with broach spire, very short transepts, and an apse. The west wall has a most unorthodox rose‑window . Internally the Taylor touch is the crossing arches of voussoirs of alternating thickness ‑ just as in certain Georgian door surrounds. And whereas this motif is used simply and straightforwardly in the arches of the south windows, in the crossing arches it is done in two orders. Inside the roof timbers start very low, and the church is made lighter by dormers in the roof. [Pevsner : Lancashire: South]

The new church is intended to seat about 300 persons, and when completed will have cost nearly £2,000. It will be a Gothic building, externally of stone, Runcorn stone being used for the walls, white Stourton for the dressings. Internally it will be faced with different coloured bricks, un-plastered. The passages and floor of the chancel will be tiled in patterns. Above the chancel, which will be seated for the choir, will be low tower containing a belfry, and capped octagonal broached spire. Opening from the chancel arch to the east will be a circular sacrarium, or private chapel, and to the west the nave. To the south will the organ-loft, timbered, and approached by an external door. There will be also separate door, with timber porch, for admitting the congregation. The work is to be carried out Mr. J. Bradburn, of Eccles, from the designs Mr. J. Medland Taylor, architect, of this city. [Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser, Friday 18 August 1865 page 2]

CONSECRATION AT IRLAM - The Bishop of Manchester consecrated new church at Irlam, in the parish of Eccles, on Wednesday. …. In the new building there is present accommodation for somewhat over 300 persons, with means for enlargement, so as to seat, if required, 100 more. The eastern end of the church is seen in the approach from Manchester, circular ended apsidal chancel, over the western end of which rises a low steeple roofed with an octagonal slated spire, terminating with revolving gilt metal vane. Beyond the steeple is the broad nave, its roof broken dormer windows, which serve both for light and ventilation. There is a south porch, chiefly of timber, with outer and inner doors, and a series of small windows on either side. On the south side of the steeple there is quasi-transept, gabled transversely, which forms the vestry. It entered by small external door with window by its side, and above the gable is pierced by rose traceried window. The vestry opens into the chancel by wide arch, and privacy is obtained by means of curtain. The west gable has below a pair of two-lighted windows, with a buttress between them, and over it a circular traceried window. This, and also that of the quasi-transept, possess a very quaint and novel arrangement of their tracery. There are three windows in the apse, with elementary tracery. The side windows of the nave are of one, two, and three lights alternated. Their heads are trefoiled. The walls are all of stone lined with brick inside. The doors, windows, and such parts, are of white stone from Stourton Hill. The walling is chiefly from Runcorn, banded with a lighter coloured stone obtained from an old house in Salford, at the time being pulled down. Entering through the south porch, on the right hand side is the ancient font of the mother church of Eccles. The decayed stone has been cut away, and new mouldings and a new base added; but the bowl—the font proper—remains. The seats are low open benches —all alike except in the chancel, where there are proper choir seats, placed longitudinally, with prayer-desk on the north side, ranging with the choir seats. On the south side, on a pillar rising from the wooden screen which marks off the chancel from the nave, is the Bible lectern: the reader facing west. In the north-east corner of the nave is the pulpit, of white stone, resting on a basement of red and white brick. It is octagonal in its upper part, and square in the lower, and has cusped and pierced foliated panels. In the centre is a carved figure of St. John the Baptist, in the garment of camel's hair. He is holding in his arms, and pointing to, the Lamb. Below is the legend—" Behold the Lamb of God."  There is a rise of two stages into the chancel. Two more steps at the altar rails (which are low open); and the Lord's table stands on a foot pace, which is of wood, inlaid with other coloured woods, in geometrical patterns. Within the rails on the south side an arched recess forms the sedilia; and on the north there is a credence shelf. The floor of the chancel and all the passages are laid with Staffordshire tiles in patterns; those in the chancel being of superior kind. The chancel proper, in which are the choir seats, is underneath the tower, only the apse projecting beyond it the east. this neighbourhood there is only one other example of this arrangement. This is the new and much larger church of St. John, Radcliffe. On the north side of the chancel there is an arched recess for the organ, which is intended to be bracketed out and carried upon corbels above the heads of the choristers, the organist sitting with them, and below the organ. In the belfry is bell, cast by Mears; and it is the inscription—"Let us go into the house of the Lord." The inside walls are of red brick, relieved with white bricks in bands and patterns. The whole of the superstructure was let to the builder, Mr. James Bradburn, and cost about £1,480. The architect is Mr. J. Medland Taylor, of Manchester. [Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser, 14 July 1866, page 10]

Foundation    Stone laid Wednesday 16 August 1865
Consecrated    11 July 1866

Reference    Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser, Fri 18 August 1865 page 2
Reference    Manchester Courier, 19 August 1865, Page 9 - repeated
Reference    Builder 28 July 1866 Page 566 with notes
Reference    Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser, 14 July 1866, page 10
Reference    Pevsner : Lancashire: South