Building Name

Church of St John the Baptist, Renshaw Street/Embden Street Hulme

Date
1856 - 1858
Street
Renshaw Street
District/Town
Hulme, Manchester
County/Country
GMCA, England
Work
New build
Contractor
Mark Foggett

CHURCH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST, LAYING THE FOUNDATION STONE - On Wednesday the first stone of a new church, for the worship of God according to the established religion of the land, was laid on a plot of ground fronting Renshaw Street, Hulme.  ….. The site on which the church is to be erected is an oblong piece of ground, near the new schools which were built last year by subscription. It is bounded on the north by the schools, on the south by Embden Street, on the east by Boundary Lane, and on the west by Renshaw Street. The new structure will also be of an oblong form, with a tower and spire at the west end, fronting Renshaw Street, which, when completed, will be 192 feet in height. The style of architecture will be Gothic, of the time of Edward III, and generally termed the decorated style. The upper part of the tower will have pinnacles, and ornamental windows and panels. The sides of the body of the church will have carved doorways, and a series of enriched windows, which will compensate for the absence of piers, buttresses, and other projections. The east end, next Boundary-lane, will be decorated with a large chancel window, the upper part of which will be filled in with ornamental pierced stone work. Internally the church will present a range of six arches on either side, terminating in a slightly raised chancel, at the east end. These arches will divide the body of the church into a nave and two side aisles. The roof of the nave will rise higher than that of the side aisles; with a range of small ornamental clerestory windows, giving additional light to the interior. On the south side of the chancel a room will be screened off, for the use of the infirm. On the north side will be the organ chamber, and vestry. The pulpit and reading desk will be placed at the sides of the entrance to the chancel. Accommodation for choristers will also be provided in the chancel. The font is to be placed at the west end of the nave. The roof will consist of stained arched ribs; and the seats, instead of enclosed pews, will be constructed as open benches. On the south side of the nave will be sittings for 327, and these are to be "appropriated." On the north side, the whole of the pews are to be "free," and will accommodate 328 persons. The stone to be used in the building is the pierpoint wall stone, from Dunford Bridge, Yorkshire; together with ashlar dressings, from Peel Delph, in this county. The cost of the building will be about £6,000. The amount already raised is £4,000; the greater portion of which has been contributed by Messrs. T. H. and H. Birley (of the firm of Charles Macintosh and Co., manufacturers, Cambridge-street). A small grant has also been made by the Incorporated Society for Promoting the Enlargement, Building, and Repairing of Churches and Chapels. The site of the building, which has been purchased of Mr. J. Renshaw, of Didsbury, will cost an additional £1,100. The architect is Mr. E. H. Shellard, of King-street; and the contractor, Mr. Mark Foggett, of Cheetham Hill-road.  [Manchester Courier 27 June 1857 page 9]

CONSECRATION OF ST JOHN'S CHURCH CHORLTON-ON-MEDLOCK. The Church of St John the Baptist, situated at the junction of Renshaw-street and Embden-street, Chorlton-on-Medlock, was consecrated on Saturday afternoon with the usual ceremonies by the Lord Bishop of Manchester.  ......  St John's Church is a large and good example of the decorated Gothic style of architecture which prevailed in England in the 13th century; but its effect is, at present, impaired by the absence of a tower of which no more has been erected than is sufficient to form an entrance porch fronting Renshaw-street. It will so remain until further funds can be raised - £1200 being required for the completion of the spire etc. As proposed it will have a height of 192 feet. The church has been erected from designs by Mr E H Shellard, architect, King-street, the contractor being Mr Mark Froggett and the masonry having been erected by Messrs Ellis & Hinchliff. Internally it consists of a nave and chancel with side aisles and it is 119 feet 6 inches long, 49 feet wide and 56 feet high to the ridge of the roof in the nave. The roofs are of high pitch and they present internally a series of arched ribs, stained a dark colour. The interior looks rather long for its width, but that was unavoidable from the nature of the site. The side aisles are divided from the nave by an arcade of six pointed arches in stone; the chancel is slightly raised, and at the end there is a large pointed window, the heart of which is filled in with ornamental pierced stonework. The side windows are similarly treated; and there is a clerestory, having a window over the head of each arch. There is a pulpit, reading desk and oaken eagle lectern. .... The church will accommodate 655 persons and 328 of the seats are free, and the latter, as they are separated from the appropriated seats by a line running down the centre of the nave, are in every way equal to those appropriated.[Manchester Guardian Monday 25 October 1858 Page 3 Column 1]

CONSECRATION OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST'S CHURCH, HULME.—The newly-erected church of St. John the Baptist, situated in Renshaw-street, Hulme, was consecrated by the Lord Bishop of Manchester on Saturday afternoon. The church has been erected from designs by Mr. E. H. Shellard, architect, King Street. It is a handsome and commodious stone edifice, 119 feet 6 inches long (including the chancel) by 49 feet wide, built in the decorated Gothic style of the 14th century. It contains sittings, half of which are free. The principal entrance is through a deeply-recessed pointed doorway through the tower, which is at present carried up only so far as to form a porch, but it is intended at some future period to surmount this with a spire 192 feet in height. The gable end of the chancel, which faces Boundary Lane, is principally decorated by a large pointed window, the upper part of which is filled in with ornamental pierced stone-work, and carved crosses are placed at the apices of the gables. Internally the church has an unusually lengthy appearance, owing the narrowness of the site. Looking from the entrance porch it presents a vista of six pointed stone arches upon either side of the spectator, terminating a slightly raised chancel, a large decorated window filling up the extreme end and forming an appropriate finish to the view. These arches divide the church into three parts, the centre or nave rising much higher than the side aisles. On the side next  Embden Street there is a space screened off for the use, we believe, of the very poor and infirm part of the congregation, having a separate external entrance. The opposite side of the chancel, which is likewise screened off, will accommodate the choir. The building has been erected by Mr. Froggatt, at cost of about £5,000. [Manchester Courier 30 October 1858 page 5] 

The newly-erected church of St. John the Baptist, situated in Renshaw-street, Hulme, has also been consecrated by the Bishop of Manchester. The edifice has been erected from designs by Mr. E. H. Shellard, architect. It is a stone building, 119 feet 6 inches long (including the chancel) by 49 feet wide, built in the decorated Gothic style of the fourteenth century. It contains 650 sittings, half of which are free. The principal entrance is through a deeply-recessed pointed doorway through the tower, which is at present carried up only so far as to form a porch, but it is intended at some future period to surmount this with a spire 192 feet in height. The gable end of the chancel is principally decorated by a large pointed window, the upper part of which is filled in with ornamental pierced stone-work. Internally, the church has an unusually lengthy appearance, owing to the narrowness of the site. Looking from the entrance-porch it presents a vista of six-pointed stone arches upon either side of the spectator, terminating in a slightly-raised chancel, a large decorated window tilling up the extreme end. The building has been erected by Mr. Froggatt, at a cost of about £5,000. [Builder 27 November 1858 page 796]

Reference    Manchester Guardian Saturday 2 May 1857 Page 7
Reference    Manchester Courier 27 June 1857 page 9 - foundation
Reference    Manchester Guardian Monday 25 October 1858 Page 3 Column 1
Reference    The Builder 1857:392
Reference    Builder 27 November 1858 page 796.

 

R