Church of St Luke, Heywood

HEYWOOD (Manchester) —St. Luke's Church, Heywood, is to be rebuilt, with a nave, 80 feet long, side aisles, etc.; a chancel, 45 feet deep, organ chamber, vestry, and chapel. The tower and spire will be 200 feet high. The church will seat more than a thousand persons on the ground space. The pews will be open. The height from the floor to the apex of the nave roof will be above 60 feet, and the entire length, including walls, between 130 feet and 140 feet. The clerestory runs the entire length of the nave and chancel, and is above 10 feet in height. The piers are moulded, and the chancel arch will have clustered columns of Derbyshire marbles. The small shafts in the clerestory arcades, and other parts, will be of different coloured stones, architect is Mr, Joseph Clarke, of London, from whose designs the church of St. Alban, Rochdale, was built. [Builder 12 March 1859 page 193]

“The old chapel, after repeated additions, being galleried all round, became at last too small for the wants of the inhabitants, and after no small amount of labor the sum of over £10,000 was raised tore- build the church, The Committee applied for plans to Mr. Joseph Clarke, F.S.A of 13, Stratlard-place, London, and the present building; is being carried out, from his designs and under his directions, by Mr. Hughes, of Liverpool. Mr. Radeliffe being the clerk of works.  The church comprises a parallelogram of nearly 140 feet by 70 feet, divided into a chancel 42 feet long and 22 feet wide : a nave with aisles extending the whole length of the nave and chancel ; a vestry with the heating chamber under on the south side of the chancel ; on the north side, next to Yorkshire-street, and approached by a wide flight of steps, is a detached tower 14 feet square, exclusive of the buttresses and a spire of the total height of 190 feet, forming the principal entrance into the church; on the south side next Church-street is a porch with an entrance from this side : attached to the north chancel aisle is the chapel belonging to Baniford Hall. The character of the church is Early Decorated, and is being built In the most solid and substantial manner with Yorkshire parpoint facing, Staffordshire ashlar-stone externally, and Bath-stone ashlar internally. The roofs will be open and of pitch pine, springing from a lofty clerestory on shafts with bands and pillars of colored stone. The east window is of seven lights of noble proportions. The west window is also very large and of six lights, and both in time will, it is hoped, be filled with stained glass. The clustered columns in chancel with the shafts of the chancel arch, and as well as the shafts and corbels supporting the roofs, will be of local colored stones mixed with marbles and serpentine as the funds allow with a certain amount of polychrome throughout. The seats are solid and of pitch pine varnished, with raised stalls of rich character in the chancel. The chancel will be paved with tiles and the other passages with stone. The carving will be rich, but a great deal will he left till after the church is other- wise completed, when it is hoped funds for this and other costly and appropriate fittings will be found to complete the church, in a manner worthy of the spirit which has prompted the good taste and munificence displayed in other buildings erected in the neighbouring districts. The church accommodates over 1,000 sittings without any galleries. A heavy peal of 8 bells is now being cast by Messrs. Mears, and will be bung as soon as the church is ready. The churchyard will also be enclosed in a suitable manner. [The Building News, May 10, 1861]

HEYWOOD - A new church, dedicated to St. Luke, has just been completed at Heywood, in the parish of Bury, Lancashire. It is a parallelogram, with the exception of the Fenton Chapel, added on the north side since the design was made, consisting of a chancel 42 ft. by 22 ft., and chancel aisles 16 ft. in. wide. The tower is detached from the church, standing on the north side, and, with the spire, is 188 ft. high, forming the principal entrance; a south porch faces Church street. On the south side of the chancel is a vestry, with organ chamber over, and heating room under. The church has been designed and carried out under the directions of Joseph Clarke, Esq, FSA, of 13, Stratford place, London. The materials are Yorkshire and Staffordshire stone for the outside, with Bath stone ashlar inside. Marbles and other stones have been used for the columns, and the carving of the interior, as of the pulpit, has been the work of Mr. **all, of Manchester. Pitch pine varnished is used for the seats, and memel timber for the roof. The passages of the nave and aisles are flagged with polished York paving; the chancel is laid with Garrett's tiles, and the sacrarium with Minton tiles. [Building News 14 November 1862 page 381]

HEYWOOD - Two painted windows have been presented to the church of St. Luke, Heywood, Lancashire, one of the work of Messrs. Clayton and Bell, in memory of the late James Starky Esq of Heywood, by Messrs. Langton and Hornby. [Building News 14 November 1862 page 383]

Consecrated     18 October 1862 by Bishop of Manchester

Reference        Builder 12 March 1859 page 193
Reference        Manchester Guardian 17 October 1862 page 1 – advert
Reference        Building News, May 10, 1861 with illustration
Reference        Building News 14 November 1862 page 381