St Mary the Virgin's Church, Middleton

Last updated

St Mary the Virgin
The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin
Middleton Church.JPG
St Mary the Virgin's Church, Middleton
53°45′07″N1°32′36″W / 53.7519°N 1.5433°W / 53.7519; -1.5433
Location Middleton, West Yorkshire
Country England
Denomination Church of England
Website Parish of Middleton
History
Status Parish Church
Founded1846
Dedication St Mary the Virgin
Consecrated 22 September 1846
Architecture
Heritage designation Grade II listed building
Architect(s) R. D. Chantrell
Style Gothic Revival
Specifications
Materials Sandstone
Administration
Province York
Diocese Leeds
Parish Middleton

The Church of St Mary the Virgin in Middleton, West Yorkshire, England is an active Anglican parish church in the Armley deanery in the archdeaconry of Leeds and the Diocese of Leeds. [1] [2] The church and its lych gate are Grade II listed buildings. [3]

Contents

History

In 1494, a chantry chapel dedicated to St Mary the Virgin was endowed by Gilbert Leygh in Middleton It closed at the time of the Reformation. Middleton was part of the parish of Rothwell. [4] In 1845, R.H. Brandling of Middleton Lodge gave land on Town Street on which to build a church and parsonage. The Brandlings owned the Middleton Collieries and built the Middleton Railway. The Incorporated Society for promoting the Enlargement, Building and Repairing of Churches and Chapels made a grant of £350 towards the cost of building the church, on condition that all the seats were declared free, and public subscriptions raised more than £1,000. There is a tradition that Middleton miners gave either a week's wages or a week's work towards the cost of the building. [3] [5] The church was built in the Early English style to designs by R. D. Chantrell, who also designed Leeds Parish Church, in 1846. The church was consecrated on 22 September 1846 by Bishop Longley of Ripon, with the sermon preached by W. F. Hook, Vicar of Leeds. [4]

The Middleton Estate and Colliery Company was granted a licence to mine a seam of coal under the church in 1917 resulting in subsidence and damage to the tall spire which was taken down in 1939. [6] [7]

Structure

Exterior

The church is built in coursed sandstone ashlar with slate roofs in the Early English Gothic Revival style. The aisles have two-light lancet windows between buttresses and the chancel single light lancets. There is a three-stage south west tower with an embattled parapet, angle buttresses and a porch with a Gothic arch and planked door with ornate hinges. There are three-light belfry windows; the outer windows are blocked. [3]

Interior

The east window depicts Christ and the west window is on the theme of the evangelists. Windows in the chancel contain stained glass by William Wailes of Newcastle made between 1848 and 1852. [8] There are two late-Victorian windows made by Barnett of Newcastle and the rest of the church is glazed in clear leaded lights. The vestry was formed in 1882 by partitioning the north west corner with solid oak screens. [9]

The tower holds a single bell made by C & G Mears of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in 1846 and is hung for swing chiming. [2] The clock by Potts of Leeds dates from 1862. [2]

Lych gate

St Mary's lych gate St Mary's Lych gate - geograph.org.uk - 837170.jpg
St Mary's lych gate

The lych gate, in the Gothic Revival style by R. D. Chantrell, dates from about 1846. It is built of coursed squared stone with a stone roof. It has a steeply pitched roof with stone coping to the gable ends and crosses at the apex. The flanking walls have pointed coping with shallow pyramid caps to the end piers. The walls and lych gate have Grade II listed status. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middleton, Leeds</span> Suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England

Middleton is a largely residential suburb of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England and historically a village in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It is situated on a hill 4 miles (6 km) south of Leeds city centre and 165 miles (266 km) north north-west of London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leeds Minster</span> Church in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England

Leeds Minster, or the Minster and Parish Church of Saint Peter-at-Leeds is the minster church of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It stands on the site of the oldest church in the city and is of architectural and liturgical significance. A church is recorded on the site as early as the 7th century, although the present structure is a Gothic Revival one, designed by Robert Dennis Chantrell and completed in 1841. It is dedicated to Saint Peter and was the Parish Church of Leeds before receiving the honorific title of "Minster" in 2012. It has been designated a Grade I listed building by Historic England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Disley</span> Church in Cheshire, England

St Mary's Church is an Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Chadkirk. It is on a hill overlooking the village of Disley, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. Its benefice is combined with that of St John, Furness Vale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Dodleston</span> Church in Cheshire, England

St Mary's Church is in the village of Dodleston, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Chester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Dennis Chantrell</span> English architect

Robert Dennis Chantrell, was an English church architect, best-known today for designing Leeds Parish Church, now Leeds Minster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's and St Michael's Church, Burleydam</span> Church in Cheshire, England

St Mary's and St Michael's Church is in the village of Burleydam in the civil parish of Dodcott cum Wilkesley, Cheshire, England. The church is some 1.5 miles (2 km) to the southeast of Combermere Abbey. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Nantwich. Its benefice is combined with those of St Michael, Baddiley, and St Margaret, Wrenbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St John the Evangelist's Church, Sandiway</span> Church in Cheshire, England

St John the Evangelist's Church is in the village of Sandiway, Cheshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church of Sandiway and Cuddington in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Middlewich. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Cilcain</span> Church in Flintshire, Wales

St Mary's Church, Cilcain, is in the village of Cilcain, Flintshire, Wales. It is an active Anglican church in the Bro Famau group of parishes, in the Mold Mission Area, in the archdeaconry of Wrexham and the diocese of St Asaph. The church is designated by Cadw as a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary the Virgin's Church, Leigh</span> Church in Greater Manchester, England

The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin is a Church of England parish church in Leigh, Greater Manchester, England. It is a member of the Salford & Leigh deanery in the archdeaconry of Salford, diocese of Manchester. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Goosnargh</span> Church in Lancashire, England

The Church of St Mary the Virgin is an Anglican church in Goosnargh, a village north of Preston in Lancashire, England. The church dates from the Middle Ages; it was enlarged in the 16th century and restored twice in the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Cross Church, Middleton</span> Church in Leeds, England

The Church of St Cross is in Middleton, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is an active Anglican church and part of the Armley deanery in the archdeaconry of Leeds, Diocese of Leeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Oswald's Church, Bollington</span> Church in Cheshire, England

St Oswald's Church is in Bollington Cross, Bollington, Cheshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Macclesfield, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield, and the diocese of Chester. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Thomas' Church, Henbury</span> Church in Cheshire, England

St Thomas' Church is in Church Lane in the village of Henbury, Cheshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Macclesfield, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield, and the diocese of Chester. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Michael's Church, North Rode</span> Church in Cheshire, England

St Michael's Church is in Church Lane, North Rode, Cheshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Macclesfield, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield, and the diocese of Chester. Its benefice is combined with those of St Mary the Virgin, Bosley, St Saviour, Wildboarclough, and St Michael, Wincle. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. The authors of the Buildings of England series describe it as "a charming estate church".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St John the Baptist's Church, Smallwood</span> Church in Cheshire, England

St John the Baptist's Church is in Church Lane, Smallwood, Cheshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Congleton, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield, and the diocese of Chester. Its benefice is combined with those of St Mary, Astbury, and All Saints, Somerford. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St John's Church, Lytham</span> Church in Lancashire, England

St John's Church is in East Beach, Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Kirkham, the archdeaconry of Lancaster, and the diocese of Blackburn. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of St Mary of the Assumption, Burnley</span> Church in Lancashire, England

The Church of St Mary of the Assumption is in Yorkshire Street, Burnley, Lancashire, England. It is an active Roman Catholic parish church in the diocese of Salford. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. It was built between 1846 and 1849 to replace a smaller chapel on a different site. The church was designed by Weightman and Hadfield in Decorated style, and a chapel was added to it in 1879.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Lawrence's Church, Barton</span> Church in Lancashire, England

St Lawrence's Church is in Garstang Road, Barton, Preston, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Blackburn. The church was built in 1895–96, and was designed by R. Knill Freeman. It is constructed in sandstone, and consists of a nave, aisles, a chancel and a southwest steeple. The church holds services on Sundays and Wednesdays. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Mawer</span> English architectural sculptor (1807–1854)

Robert Mawer was an architectural sculptor, based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. He specialised in the Gothic Revival and Neoclassical styles. He created the Neoclassical keystone heads on St George's Hall, Bradford and on Moorland's House, Leeds, and was working on the keystone heads at Leeds Town Hall when he died. He was a founding member of the Mawer Group of Leeds architectural sculptors, which included his wife, Catherine Mawer, his son Charles Mawer, and his apprentices William Ingle, Matthew Taylor and Benjamin Payler, who all became sculptors with their own careers. Many of the buildings enhanced with sculpture by Robert Mawer are now listed by Historic England.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ The Diocese of Ripon and Leeds, anglican.org, retrieved 23 June 2010
  2. 1 2 3 The Deanery of Armley, Ripon and Leeds Bells, retrieved 23 June 2010
  3. 1 2 3 Historic England, "Middleton St Mary the Virgin (1255815)", National Heritage List for England , retrieved 23 June 2010
  4. 1 2 Illing 1971 , p. 4
  5. ↑ Illing 1971 , p. 5
  6. ↑ Middleton S Mary's, leodis.net, retrieved 25 September 2009
  7. ↑ Illing 1971 , p. 13
  8. ↑ Leach & Pevsner 2009 , pp. 560–561
  9. ↑ Illing 1971 , p. 9
  10. ↑ Lych gate and flanking walls, Listed Buildings Online, retrieved 23 June 2010

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.