St Paul's Church, Constable Lee

St Paul's Church, Constable Lee
St Paul's Church, Constable Lee Location in the Borough of Rossendale
53°42′37″N2°17′19″W / 53.7102°N 2.2886°W / 53.7102; -2.2886
OS grid reference	SD 811 238
Location	Burnley Road, Constable Lee, Rawtenstall, Lancashire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/16102/
History
Status	Parish church
Dedication	Saint Paul
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	30 November 1984
Architect	Austin and Paley
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1901
Completed	1903
Specifications
Materials	Sandstone, slate roofs
Administration
Province	York
Diocese	Manchester
Archdeaconry	Bolton
Deanery	Rossendale
Parish	St Paul, Constable Lee

St Paul's Church is in Burnley Road, Constable Lee, Rawtenstall, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Rossendale, the archdeaconry of Bolton, and the diocese of Manchester. ^[1] The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. ^[2]

History

The church was built between 1901 and 1903 to a design by the Lancaster architects Austin and Paley, providing seating for 332 people. The initial estimated cost was £5,000, but it finally cost £7,000 (equivalent to £740,000 in 2025). ^{[3] [4]}

Architecture and fittings

St Paul's is a low building standing at the top of a hill. It is constructed in sandstone with slate roofs. The plan consists of a six-bay nave, a south aisle, two south porches, a chancel, and a northeast vestry. ^[2] The planned central tower was never built. ^[5] The porch in the first bay of the aisle has a niche containing a statue above the doorway. The windows along the sides of the church have two, three or four lights containing Geometric tracery; some are arched, others have flat heads. The west window has four lights, and the east window has five; both contain Perpendicular tracery. ^[2]

The seven-bay arcade is carried on octagonal piers. ^[2] The pulpit is carved with images of the Four Evangelists. The font consists of an octagonal tub with no stem, and it has a tall carved cover. ^[5]

See also

• Lancashire portal

• Listed buildings in Rawtenstall
• List of ecclesiastical works by Austin and Paley (1895–1914)

References

1. St Paul, Constable Lee, Church of England , retrieved 30 January 2012
2. Historic England, "Church of St Paul, Rossendale (1072794)", National Heritage List for England , retrieved 30 January 2012
3. UK Consumer Price Index inflation figures from 1209–2024 based on data from "Inflation calculator", Bank of England , London, 18 February 2026, retrieved 1 April 2026
4. Brandwood, Geoff; Austin, Tim; Hughes, John; Price, James (2012), The Architecture of Sharpe, Paley and Austin, Swindon: English Heritage, p. 244, ISBN   978-1-84802-049-8
5. Hartwell, Clare; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2009) [1969], Lancashire: North, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, p. 554, ISBN   978-0-300-12667-9