St Clement's Church, Manor Avenue, Urmston

St Clement’s Church was built in 1868 to designs by J Medland Taylor who also added the north aisle in 1873-5. The whole was lengthened to the west in 1887-8 by Whittenbury & Mather with the tower added in 1899-1903. The church has much of the quirkiness associated with Taylor and has a wide range of windows styles owing much, as Pevsner says, to the imagination of the architect as to historical precedence. The interior is generally unusual with an odd triangular window at the east end of the north aisle along with an strange granite screen to the organ chamber. There is some interesting stained glass and a memorial designed by John Cassidy. [Rev Brian Hartley]

Foundation stone laid by the Bishop of Manchester on Saturday afternoon March 1867. Land given by Mr Ridehalgh of Fell Foot Windermere

The church will be erected from designs by Mr J M Taylor, architect in the geometrical decorated style, and the contract has been undertaken by Mr M Foggett for the sum of £2,125.  The external walls will be faced with stone,  three colours being employed to afford relief and variety. In the first instance, accommodation is to be provided for 360 persons, with an arrangement for a future north aisle to hold nearly 200 more. The plan now being carried out, gives a chancel, with provision for seating a choir; a south chancel aisle devoted to the use of the Sunday school children; and a north one to serve as an organ chamber and vestry. The body of the church will comprise a nave and south aisle, divided from each other by an arcade of four arches, resting on pillars with neat capitals. The entrance is on the north side, near the western end, though an enclosed timber porch. On the same side are three traceried windows. An hexagonal belfry occupies the corner formed by the west wall of the vestry and the north wall of the nave. The lower part is of stone, with an open timber story for the bell, surmounted by a slated spirelet. The ground floor of this turret is pieced by an arch through which the minister may pass from the vestry to the pulpit, the latter standing at the north-east corner of the nave. The west gable of the nave contains three tall windows, the central one having two lights, the others each a single light. The roof will be covered with slates, in two colours, and it is expected that the church will be completed in the autumn of the present year. [Manchester Guardian 19 March 1867 page 6]

URMSTON - The Lord Bishop of Manchester on Saturday week laid the foundation stone of St. Clement's Church, in the village of Urmston, near Stretford. The style of this church will be Geometrical Decorated Gothic. The body of the church comprises a nave and south aisle, divided from each other by an arcade of four arches, borne by pillars, with different flowered and moulded capitals. Accommodation is provided for 360 persons, to begin with; a future north aisle will hold nearly 200 more. The whole of the external walls are faced with stone, three colours being used to give relief. The roofs are slated, in two colours. The architect is Mr J. Medland Taylor. The contract has been taken by Mr M. Foggett, for £2,125. [Building News 29 March 1867 page 230]

URMSTON: The Lord Bishop of Manchester has laid the foundation-stone of St. Clement's Church, Urmston, a village near Stretford. Accommodation is provided in the new church for 360 parsons to begin with, and a future north aisle will hold nearly 200 more. The plan now being carried out gives a chancel, with the fittings such as are now usual in most new churches, including provision for seating a choir. The south chancel aisle will be given up to the school children: the north one is to serve as organ chamber and vestry. The body of the church comprises a nave and south aisle, divided from each other by an arcade of four arches, borne by pillars, with different flowered and moulded capitals. The church is approached from the north side, towards the western end of which is an inclosed timbered porch. On the same side are three large traceried windows, one of three lights, and two of two lights each. The belfry is hexagonal, and stands in the comer that is formed by the west wall of the vestry and the north wall of the nave. The lower part is of stone. Then comes an open wooden story, in which the bell hangs, and the whole is capped by a slender slated spirelet, terminating with a gilt vane. There is one gabled clearstory window on the south side. The west gable of the nave contains three tall windows, that in the middle being of two lights, flanked by a single light on each side. The whole of the external walls are faced with stone, three colours being used to give relief. The roofs are slated in two colours. The architect is Mr. J. Medland Taylor, and the style Geometrical Decorated Gothic. The contract has been taken by Mr. M. Foggett, for £2,125. [Builder 13 April 1867 page 266]

CONSECRATION OF ST CLEMENT’S CHURCH, URMSTON - The new church of St Clement at Urmston, the foundation stone of which was laid in March 1867, was consecrated on Saturday by the Bishop of Manchester. It is built in what is known as the geometrical decorated style, the external walls being faced with stone, and three colours employed for variety and relief. The roof is covered with slates in two colours. Accommodation is provided for 360 persons, with an arrangement for a future north aisle to hold 200 more. The plan, as now carried out, consists of a chancel, with the usual provision for seating a choir; a south chancel aisle devoted to the use of the school children; and a north chancel aisle to serve as an organ chamber and vestry. The body of the church comprises a nave and south aisle, divided from easch other by an arcade of four arches, resting on pillars with moulded and floriated capitals, increasing in richness of carving as they approach the east end. In the easternmost capital are introduced the evangelistic symbols. The main entrance is though the north porch; this is of timber framing, on a stone base, with little cusped windows in its sides, and a high overhanging tripped roof, surmounted by a metal cross. The font (which is the gift of a son and daughter of Mr J T Hibbert MP) stands in a central position at the western end of the nave. It is a circular bowl, extensively carved, and enriched in the upper part with a traceried band, the panels of which contain various symbols. The pulpit is of Caen stone, circular in form, with open tracery all round and marble shafts. A large circular shaft bears an eagle, which supports the book rest. The pulpit is entered from the vestry, through an arched opening at the northeast angle of the nave. It is the gift of Mr Hibbert MP. The reredos is also of Caen stone, relieved with marble. A central panel contains the Agnus Dei, surrounded by the four evangelical symbols. On either side are panels containing the Greek letters, Alpha and Omega, on diapered grounds. The reredos occupies the whole space between the Lord’s table and the east window; the rest of the eastern wall of the chancel, and some other parts of the church are decorated in colour with various devices and symbols. This work, as well as the reredos, is given by Mr Joseph Deakin. The brass lectern, - from which the lessons will be read - is the gift of Mrs Ashcroft, Croft’s Bank. On the north side are three large windows, one of three and two each of two lights: one gabled clerestory window on the south side, and three tall windows in the western gable, the centre one being of two lights, flanked by a single light on each side. The windows are all traceried, and of different designs, repetition, either in the general elevations, or in the details of the different parts having been carefully avoided. The lead-work in the tracery of the windows has all been drawn out to suit the various forms of the stonework. By this means the appearance of the windows is greatly but inexpensively improved. The chancel fittings were originally intended to be in red deal but Mr Cockrell (a non-parishioner) offered to defray the extra cost of oak, and also of additional ornamentation. The church is lighted by four gas standards in the nave and by two other handsome ones in the chancel. There are also wall brackets in the south aisle, children’s vestry and organ chamber, all so designed and finished as to look well and form part of the decoration of the church, whether lighted or unlighted. The heating apparatus, which has been furnished by Messrs G Blake and Company of Coventry, is contained in the basement, the warm air passing into the chancel by gratings in the floor. The bell turret is situated at the junction of the nave and chancel and is capped by a six-sided slender slated spiret, terminating with a movable gilt vane. The general contract was taken by Mr M Foggett of Manchester, for £2,125; but there have also been employed for the font, reredos and pulpit, Messrs T R and E Williams; for the gas fittings and lectern, Messrs Thompson; for the carving of the pillars etc, Mr Green; and for the coloured decoration, Mr R Park. These gentlemen have all worked from the designs and under the direction of the architect, Mr J Medland Taylor of Manchester. [Manchester Guardian 6 January 1868 page 3]

The incumbent and churchwardens of St Clement’s Urmston obtained a faculty to insert a stained-glass window in the first window from the east end of the north aisle of the church, in memory of the late Mr J Aitken. [Manchester Guardian 2 October 1886 page 9]. Faculty granted to the rector and churchwardens of St Clement’s, Urmston for the erection of a memorial window to the late Mrs Chadwick. [Manchester Guardian 4 December 1886 page 9]

Reference    Manchester Guardian 19 March 1867 page 6 - foundation stone
Reference    Building News 29 March 1867 page 230 – foundation stone
Reference    Builder 13 April 1867 page 266 – foundation stone
Reference    Manchester Guardian 6 January 1868 page 3 - consecration
Reference    Building News 10 January 1868 page 35
Reference    Pevsner: Lancashire: South