Church of St Lawrence, Morecambe

MORECAMBE - On the 9th ult, the Bishop of Manchester laid the foundation-stone of a new church at Morecambe. The new church will be free and open, and capable of seating about 700; to be at first a chapel-of-ease to the parish church, and eventually a district church with separate parish. The church will be built on a central site of 1,015 square yards, in New-street, which, with an adjoining plot of 495 square yards, has been secured at a cost of £780. The estimated cost of the church, with tower and spire, is £8,000. Messrs. Paley & Austin, of Lancaster, are the architects. [Builder 16 September 1876 page 912]

MORECAMBE NEW CHURCH OF ST LAWRENCE - This new church, the consecration of which was announced in our last issue, is situate in Chapel-street, and consists of a nave four bays in length, with north and south aisles, a south porch, and a tower at the west end of the north aisle ; a chancel with an aisle on the south ; and an organ transept and vestries on the north. The lower portion only of the tower and spire is at present built, and forms the principal entrance to the church. The style is the curvilinear period of English architecture. In order to gain light, the nave and chancel have been carried considerably above the aisles, so as to allow of large clerestory windows on each side. The nave is lighted by two west windows of three lights each, and seven clerestory windows of two lights each ; the chancel by a large east window of five lights, divided into two heights by a cusped transome, and three clerestory windows— those on the south side of three lights. The dimensions of the church, which contains 730 sittings, are as follow : —Nave, 59 feet long by 26 feet 6 inches between the piers ; chancel, 33 feet by 26 feet 6 inches ; width of north aisle, 26 feet; of south' aisle, 1 3 feet ; organ transept, 27 feet by 16 feet ; nave and chancel, 37 feet 6 inches high from floor to wall plate, 47 feet 6 inches to centre of ceiling; the chancel arch, 38 feet 6 inches high, and 23 feet wide; total external length, 100 feet; width, 90 feet ; the tower externally is 22 feet 6 inches square. Lancaster or Bentham stone has been used for the external dressings, and Stourton stone for the piers and internal dressings. Messrs. J. & T. Mawson, of Lancaster, were the contractors for the masonry; Mr. James Hatch, also of Lancaster, for the carpenter and joiner's work; Mr. Charles Nelson, of Bradford, for the plumber and glaziers' work; and Mr. Pycock, of Leeds, for the roof tiling. [The British Architect 13 September 1878 page 107]

A TOWN CHURCH - We give illustrations of the east and west fronts of a town church on a somewhat contracted site, with three street frontages which has been erected a few years since at Morecambe. Morecambe does not possess any other one building which would, we suppose, possess the least artistic interest for the architect, and this church is stowed away in a cramped sort of place quite out of sight of all the best thoroughfares; a tower and spire, which would indicate its locality from a distance, remain at present in abeyance. The site is about 93 feet long by 72 feet wide, and on this is planned a church with nave and chancel 27 feet wide, flanked on the north by a sort of double transept 27 feet wide, and tower and vestry, and on the south by a porch, aisle. and vestries. The nave is only 50 feet long, and the chancel is marked interiorly raised ridge terminated by stone finials. The total seating capacity with choir is for 743. [British Arhitect 22 August 1890 page 127-8]

PULPIT, ST. LAWRENCE'S CHURCH. MORECAMBE - There are few modern churches so dignified and religious in feeling as those erected from the designs of Messrs. Paley & Austin. It is not merely the quality of detail or workmanship, the originality or cleverness of the design which wholly attracts one, but a very essential and particular value in the church work of these architects which appears to lie in the worshipful or religious aspect of the churches they erect. A typical example of this is the Church of Saint Lawrence, Morecambe, which, though comparatively plain in treatment, is as expressive of a dedication to its high purpose as the costliest building could be. The richest item in the furnishing is the pulpit—built of alabaster with green marble shafts at the angles. and coloured marble inlay in the panels. The treatment is large and massive, in keeping with the general character of the building. and when the sun gleams on it through the clear glass windows, the effect is exceedingly pleasing. The 744th sheet of our "Rambling Sketches" is a pen-and-ink study direct from the work. [British Architect 15 August 1890 page 110]