New Congregational Church and Schools. Eccles
LAYING THE CORNER STONE OF A CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH AT ECCLES - Yesterday morning the corner stone of a new Congregational church which is in course of erection near the Railway Station at Eccles was laid by Mr George Wood of The Grange. ... A bottle containing photographs of the interior and exterior of the intended building, the newspapers of the day, and a short statement of the objects contemplated in the erection having been deposited, Mr Wood laid the stone.
The church will be in the Early Decorated style of Gothic architecture. It will be 44 feet wide by 88 feet in extreme length to the end of the aspse and is intended to accommodate about 700 people. A spire 129 feet high is to stand at the south-east angle, the lower stage of which will form the main entrance porch to the building. The church will have an open roof, the timbers of which, as also the whole of the internal fittings, will be of stained wood. The principals of the roof will spring from carved stone corbels in the side walls. The apse will receive an organ and contain accommodation for the choir. Behind the vestries, which will be on either side of the apse, will be five classrooms on the ground floor, and a space as schoolroom above. The whole of the work will be of brick with Yorkshire pierpoint facings and stone dressings. The tracery in all the windows will be decorated. There will be small galleries projecting from the south east and south west angles for the use of Sunday scholars. The architects are Messrs Poulton and Woodman of Reading and the cost of the building will be about £3,000. [Manchester Guardian 23 April 1859 page 4]
ECCLES NEW CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH AND SCHOOLS. -The beautiful new congregational church at Eccles, near Manchester, has just been opened. The corner stone of the collective buildings was laid on the 22ndof April, 1859 (Good Friday), by George Wood, Esq. The following description we take from the Congregational Year Book for 1860 : -
"The church is in the early Decorated style of Gothic architecture : in width 41 feet; in length, 73 feet 6 inches, with an apse of 14 feet 6 inches, giving an extreme length of 88 feet. The accommodation will be for about 700 persons. A spire, 135 feet high, stands at the south‑east angle, which forms, in the lower stage, the main entrance‑porch to the building; while above the porch it is open to the interior of the church, and from it is projected one of two small angle-galleries for the reception of Sunday scholars, a similar one being also projected from the opposite or south‑west angle. There is a large window in the south or front elevation, the tracery of which is exceedingly exquisite; and all the windows at the sides of the church, and in the tower, are of strictly decorated character and the tracery of each of different design. The variety and elegance of the windows generally has commanded universal admiration. At the south‑west angle is another entrance‑porch ; and at its rear, as well as adjoining the tower spiral staircases, in turrets of considerable beauty of form, give access to the galleries.
Within, the church has an open roof; the principals spring from corbels in the side‑walls, consisting of small polished shafts of red granite, on bases of freestone, and with chastely carved capitals. The effect is a novel one, but quite in keeping with the pure examples of the Decorated style. The apse has a groined roof, springing from carved corbels, and finished with colour beautifully applied; it is intended to receive an organ. Fronting it is the pulpit, very simple in character, but chaste and pleasing; before which is the communion table, enclosed with ornamental rail. On either side are the minister's and deacons' vestries. The side windows of the church are to be filled with ornamental glass, of a delicate green tint, having a running pattern in oak and ivy leaves alternately, and surrounded with stained crocketted borders. The principal window will be of rich stained glass, of geometrical design, with labels and shields at intervals, on which passages of Scripture are boldly emblazoned. In each gable is also a small window, richly coloured. The windows have been designed and executed under the direction of the architects, by Messrs. Edmundson and Son, of Manchester. Both the exterior and interior of the church are greatly heightened in effect by the judicious introduction of a considerable amount of carving. The school buildings communicate with tlie vestries and church by a covered passage ; and, on the ground floor, consist of an infant school‑room and four class‑rooms; over which, and the passage referred to, is a lofty and spacious school‑room, with open roof, 27 feet C inches wide, and 55 feet long, approached by winding; staircases in turrets of unique design. The school buildings are of the same size and character as the church in every respect. The interior of the large room has the walls covered, to a height of 4 feet 6 inches, with Minton's tiles, in buff and black, with ornamental top border and skirting. The whole of the works are executed in Yorkshire Pierpoint, with dressings of Hollington stone. The contract was taken by Messrs. Penk and Son, for ,2,959; but several hundred pounds additional expense has been incurred by decorative improvements on the original plan.”
The Salford Weekly News enters into a more elaborate description of the buildings and their uses, in the course of which it says : - " An elegant spire rising from a well‑proportioned tower, forms a pleasing feature of the structure ; and the various turrets at the different gables assist in keeping that complete unity of design which is one of the most effective characteristics of the building. A pleasing novelty of the exterior is the introduction of raking bands of white stone round the turrets, following the internal line of the stairs, and maintaining a uniformity of appearance with the horizontal bands in the other parts of the structure. We especially admire the taste displayed in the disposition of the school attached to the church. Instead of being entirely apart from, and forming, by its clumsy construction, an unsightly contrast with, the main building, it is built precisely upon the same principle, and the same architectural features make it as much an object of admiration as the sacred edifice itselfCof which, indeed, it appears to form an indispensable portion, being placed, like an additional chapel, transversely at the foot of the church. The basement of this portion of the edifice is divided into a number of convenient apartments, suitable for class and oilier rooms, while the whole of the upper floor makes an excellent school‑house. The walls, from the floor to the height of about five feet, are faced with encaustic tiles of square simple patterns, and the room is finished throughout with great taste and artistic skill. In the construction of the school furniture, also, great ingenuity has been displayed. To obviate the necessity for unsightly cupboards in which to store the class‑books, the chairs of the teachers are supplied with boxes under the seats, the lids of which open from the front. It is also promised to affix to each a convenient and very ingenious swing reading‑board, supported on an iron rod rising from the side of the chair; and the convenient use of which, as a rest for the teacher's book, will dispense with the necessity of cumbersome desks. The head master has a very complete ecclesiastical‑looking reading desk, which is well supplied inside with cupboards and convenient drawers.
The chief entrance to the church is a porch in the turret supporting the spire. During the day the porch receives light from small trefoil‑shaped windows at the sides, filled in with coloured glass, and having, upon ornamental scrolls, boldly displayed, the appropriate injunctions of the divine psalmistC" Come before His presence with thanksgivings," and " Enter into His courts with praise." At night the porch receives light from a beautiful lamp, of Gothic character, filled with stained glass, and suspended from the centre. The porch opens into an inner lobby, separated from the church by a Gothic screen, filled with ornamental glass; the entrance into the church is being draped with elegant damask curtains, suspended from gutta percha rings, which are the most suitable for this purpose, owing to their noiseless quality. The open seats are carried out uniformly throughout the church, access being had to the centre and side sittings by two aisles running the whole length of the church. The choir will occupy seats behind the pulpit, in the apse where the organ will be placed when the walls are sufficiently dry to receive it. The groined ceiling: of the apse is coloured a beautiful blue, forming the ground, and on which gold stars symbolise the heavens when adorned in all their flittering beauty.
The architects are Messrs Poulton and Woodman, of Reading, and it is due to them, as furnishing the most conclusive evidence of the beauty of their design, to say that it was unanimously selected by the committee from the drawings and specifications sent in for competition ; and their conceptions have developed into the beautiful reality which has given an important addition to the attractive features of Eccles, under the direction of Mr Johnson, who has acted as clerk of the works. As stated in the " Year Book," Mr John Penk, of Cheetham Hill, Manchester, is the general contractor; and the sub‑contractors are - Messrs Hollins, of Manchester, masons; Messrs Higgins and Son, bricklayers; Mr Nixon, plasterer and painter; Messrs Mayer and Hilton, plumbers; and Messrs Kirkley, ot Salford, slaters. The grounds round the edifice have been very tastily laid out and planted with shrubs, by Mr Cummins of Eccles; the ornamental fence and gates, in a style in keeping with the building, are being constructed by Messrs Longden and Company, of Manchester; the church is warmed by steam apparatus, under the direction of Mr Pedley, of Ardwick Green; the tower and spire vane, and the lightning conductor, have been supplied by Mr Jewett, of Manchester; the gas‑fittings, which are richly emblazoned on deep blue ground, reflect credit on Mr Pendlebury, of Eccles; Mr Parr, of Eccles, has supplied the forms for the school; and the whole of the stone carving has been admirably executed by Mr Nichols, of London. The entire cost of the building will be about £5,500; of this sum, £4,000 was subscribed before the opening.
ECCLES - On the 6th inst. the new Congregational chapel at Eccles, near Manchester (Messrs. Poulton and Woodman, architects), of which we gave views and a description on 17tli December last, was opened for divine service. The side windows are to be filled with ornamental glass, of a delicate green tint, having a running pattern, in oak and ivy leaves alternately, and surrounded with stained crocheted borders. The principal window will be of stained glass, of geometrical design, with labels and shields at intervals, on which passages of Scripture are emblazoned. In each gable is also a small window, coloured. The windows have been designed and executed, under the direction of the architects, by Messrs. Edmundson and Son, of Manchester. Both the exterior and interior of the church are heightened in effect by the introduction of a considerable amount of carving. [Builder 21 April 1860 page 254]
Reference Manchester Guardian. Wednesday 26 January 1859. Page 1 -Contracts
Reference Building News 28 January 1859 page 98
Reference Manchester Guardian. 16 February 1859. Page 1 - Contracts
Reference Manchester Guardian 23 April 1859 page 4 - foundation stone
Reference Building News 27 April 1860 page 336 and 339
Reference Builder 12 November 1859 page 751
Reference Builder 17 December 1859 Page 820-821 with illustrations
Reference Builder 21 April 1860 page 254