St Mary's Church, Lowton

St Mary's Church, Lowton
St Mary's Church, Lowton, from the southwest
St Mary's Church, Lowton is located in Greater Manchester
St Mary's Church, Lowton
St Mary's Church, Lowton
Location in Greater Manchester
53°28′35″N 2°33′04″W / 53.4763°N 2.5512°W / 53.4763; -2.5512
LocationNewton Road, Lowton, Wigan, Greater Manchester
CountryEngland
DenominationAnglican
WebsiteA Church Near You
History
StatusParish church
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)E. G. Paley
Architectural typeChurch
StyleGothic Revival
Groundbreaking1860
Completed1861
Administration
ProvinceYork
DioceseLiverpool
ArchdeaconryWarrington
DeaneryWinwick
ParishSt Mary, Lowton
Clergy
RectorRev Helen Coffey
Laity
Churchwarden(s)David Kay, Alan Kirkman

St Mary's Church is an Anglican parish church in Newton Road, Lowton, Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. It is in the deanery of Winwick, the archdeaconry of Warrington, and the diocese of Liverpool.[1]

History

In 1850 Knott's Mill was built in the village, some distance from the nearest church of St Luke. Initially services were held in the Church Inn, and it was decided to build a church for the mill workers. It was designed by the Lancaster architect E. G. Paley, and built between 1859 and 1861 at a cost of £1,073.75 (equivalent to £130,000 in 2023).[2] The church was consecrated on 21 November 1861 by the Bishop of Chester.[3] It provided seating for 345 people.[4] In 1961 to celebrate the centenary of the church, a new choir vestry was added, and was dedicated by the Bishop of Warrington.[3]

Architecture

The church is described as being "modest".[5] The west front contains a three-light window flanked by buttresses. Above this is an arch carrying a double bellcote. There are no aisles.[5] The two-manual pipe organ was built in 1932 by Rushworth and Dreaper of Liverpool, and rebuilt in 1988 by David Wells, also of Liverpool.[6]

External features

The churchyard contains the war graves of a soldier of World War I, and a soldier, an airman and a Royal Navy Captain of World War II.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ St Mary's Church, Lowton, Church of England, retrieved 4 June 2012
  2. ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b Church History, Lowton St. Mary's Church, retrieved 17 April 2014
  4. ^ Brandwood, Geoff; Austin, Tim; Hughes, John; Price, James (2012), The Architecture of Sharpe, Paley and Austin, Swindon: English Heritage, p. 219, ISBN 978-1-84802-049-8
  5. ^ a b Pollard, Richard; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2006), Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, p. 515, ISBN 0-300-10910-5
  6. ^ Lancashire (Manchester, Greater), Lowton, St. Mary (H00154), British Institute of Organ Studies, retrieved 4 June 2012
  7. ^ LOWTON (OR LOWTON ST. MARY'S) (ST. MARY) CHURCHYARD, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, retrieved 6 February 2013