Building Name

Church of St Peter: Broad Oak Road, Parr, Prescot

Date
1864
Street
Broad Oak Road
District/Town
Parr, Prescot
County/Country
Merseyside, England
Work
New Build

CONSECRATION OF A NEW CHURCH AT PARR. Two years ago St. Peter's Church, Parr, suburb of St. Helens, was burned down. Yesterday the new church erected in its place was consecrated by the Lord Bishop of Chester. The site is about two miles from St. Helens station, and is on high ground, rendering the church prominent object for a considerable distance round. It is well seen from the Liverpool line of the London and North-Western Railway, between the Newton Bridge and St. Helens junction stations. Besides the space occupied by the church itself, there is large churchyard, to be used for interments, and also site and garden for the new parsonage. The church stands near the southern boundary of the churchyard, which from the turnpike road by low coped stone wall bearing wrought iron cresting. Approaching the church the hill from St. Helens, the steeple is nearest and most conspicuous. It consists of a buttressed tower, with a two-lighted window on each side of the belfry stage, and is surmounted by octagonal spire of proportionate height, springing from four pinnacles the corners. At the apex of the spire is one of St. Peter's symbols—the cock. To the north the steeple is the main nave gable, pierced with a two-light tracerled window, and beyond this again, the sloping roof of the north aisle. From the same point of view, on the east side of the tower, appears the south aisle, with its three three-light windows, the south transept, the vestry, and the apse. There is a north door to facilitate the exit of the congregation and for funeral processions to pass into the churchyard, a west door into the south transept, and an external door to the vestry. The main entrance is through the tower by wide door with shafted jambs and a moulded head, in the pierced tracery of which the keys of St. Peter are carved. The inner doors close with spring, and the spectator stands at the west end of the nave. This is divided into six bays by cylindrical pillars of the local red stone, with moulded capitals and bases of cream - coloured stone. The north aisle is also of six bays, and the south of five only but its two easternmost bays are widened towards the south into sort of double transept, which, while needed for the accommodation it affords, gives picturesque novelty to the interior perspective. It also serves very conveniently for the school children. Just within the inner tower door is the font—its circular bowl standing on a low pillar with carved base and cap. The cover is of pitch pine; and of the pyramidal type, carved and pierced with geometrical forms. At the south-east corner of the nave is the Bible lectern, a desk, carried on a moulded wooden pillar. Opposite is the pulpit, of white stone, with pretty little cusped open arches all round. It lined with wood, and there is a brass desk for the sermon-case. The organ chamber on the north, and the vestry on the south, open from the ends of the north and south aisle respectively, by pointed arches, filled in to the height of 7ft., with arcaded timber screens. The chancel is entered from the nave through the arch, which springs from moulded stone corbels. Its eastern end is apsidal, and is lighted by three windows, with simple geometrical tracery in their heads. The chancel rises two steps above the nave, and is fitted with two rows of benches each side, placed longitudinally, for the accommodation of the choir. At the west end of these choir seats on each side is stall for the officiating clergymen, with a prayer-desk before it. The altar-rail stands two steps above the chancel, and is supported by four sturdy looking wooden pillars. A space 3ft. 6in. is left quite open in the middle. The Lord's table stands on one step more. The whole of the floors of passages, porches, chancel, and sanctuary are laid with tiles in ornamental patterns. The chancel is decorated with coloured diapers and inscriptions, and above the table is a reredos, painted and gilt, and bearing sacred monograms. There are also scrolls and legends other parts of the church. The three chancel windows, the west nave window, and the east transept window, all contain very pretty glass, with ornamental patterns and coloured borders. The benches are low and open, and will seat 600 persons. The church is lighted at night by gas brackets throughout, in chancel, aisles, and nave ; those in the latter being fixed a little above the tops of the stone pillars. The church is built entirely of stone, with the exception of the lining of the walls, which is composed of the bricks of the old burned down church and a little “slag" from the copper furnaces, which, for the sake of effect, has been mixed with the rubble walling. The ashlar stone of which the doors, windows, and other dressings are made, is from Rainhill, and is some of the best in this county for building purposes. Grants in aid of the erection have been made by the Chester Diocesan Church Building Society, and also by the Incorporated Church Building Society of London, which, as is well known, will make no grant unless satisfied that the timbers and walls are very thick, and the work throughout of the most superior description. The general contractor is Mr. John Middlehurst, of St. Helens. The ornamental glass is by Messrs. Edmonson. The heating apparatus is by Messrs. Haden and the coloured decoration by Mr R. Park. The cost of this church, complete, as above described, to seat 600 persons, has-been £2,600, exactly the amount of the tender sent in, and also the exact amount that the committee, in the first instance, proposed to spend. The architect is Mr J. Medland Taylor, of St. Ann's Churchyard, Manchester. [Manchester Courier 30 December 1865 page 6]

Glass          Edmundson & Son

Reference    Manchester Courier 30 December 1865 page 6
Reference    Liverpool Mercury 30 December 1865 page 5
Reference    Builder Saturday 20 January1866 Page 51
Reference    Pevsner: Lancashire: South