Church of St. John the Evangelist Burnley Road Bacup Lancashire

BACUP The parish‑church of Bacup, dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, which was founded in 1788, but has been for many years in a very dilapidated condition, is now being rebuilt in a more substantial manner, and on an enlarged plan, on the old site. The new church consists of a nave, chancel, north and south nave aisles, north chancel aisle, with a baptistery of hexagonal shape, projecting from a western narthex. The nave, chancel, and narthex will all be of the same width, and thus a parallelogram will be formed of about 120ft. in length by 27ft. in width. The church is being built entirely of stone, and will contain about 900 sittings. The style of architecture adopted is Early Geometrical Pointed, from the drawings of Messrs Medland and Henry Taylor, architects, of Manchester. It is anticipated that the structure will be completed and ready for consecration during the coming year.[Building News 31 December 1880 page 806]

CONSECRATION OF BACUP PARISH CHURCH – The rebuilt church of St John the Evangelist at Bacup was consecrated by the Bishop of Manchester yesterday. The old church had come to be in a very dilapidated condition, though dating only from the middle of the last century. For some years it had been kept standing with props, and eventually a great portion of it fell. An attempt had been made before the final collapse of the structure to build a new parish church on a neighbouring site, but the feeling of the parishioners was so strongly in favour of the old ground that the undertaking had to be abandoned. In 1880 the present building was begun on the old site, the old building having been removed in the meantime. The new church, which is considerably larger than its predecessor, has room for between 800 and 900 people. It is in the early English style, built of stone from the Pennine Range and consists of a nave, chancel, north and south aisles, north chancel aisle, western narthex and baptistery. The nave is about 67 feet in length and is divided from the aisles by four bays, the nave walls being carried upon fine pillars. There is a continuous arcade running all round the nave and at the sides of the chancel. The walls internally are almost entirely faced with dressed ashlar stone. The roofs are of the open timbered style. The pulpit is of stone and circular in shape with marble pillars in its open arcade and a carved cornice. The chancel floors are paved with encaustic tiles. The interior in general is strikingly handsome, and everything has been done to make it comfortable. From the outside, too, the building looks extremely well, although only the lower portion of the tower is yet built. The architects were Messrs Medland and Henry Taylor of Manchester. The cost of the building has been about £13,000. [Manchester Guardian 22 June 1883 page 7]

BACUP - The new Church of St. John the Evangelist, lately consecrated, replaces a dilapidated structure, which for some years had to be propped up to prevent its untimely collapse. The new church is massively built of stone. The peculiarities of the design, if such there be, arise mainly from the nature of the site, which is irregular in form, confined in size, and is, moreover, steeply sloping. The church accommodates between 800 and 900 adults, and consists of a nave, chancel, north and south nave aisles, north chancel aisle, and a western narthex and baptistery. The tower, a portion only of which is at present built, is placed at the highest part of the site, on the south-west corner of the building, and, when finished, will be a conspicuous object from all parts of the town. The nave floor-line, following ancient precedents on similar sites, slopes down towards the chancel step. The nave, chancel, and narthex are of the same width, forming a parallelogram about 120 ft. in length and 27 ft. broad, and giving a lengthened perspective effect as seen from the baptistery, which is projected in a westerly direction from the narthex. The chief entrances to the building are through the tower and north-west porches. They are both in sheltered positions, and open into the narthex, which, except on crowded occasions, will remain an open, unseated space. The walls internally are almost entirely faced with dressed ashlar. The roofs, which are open-timbered, are throughout boarded and felted. The nave is about 67 ft. long, and is divided from the aisles by arcades of four bays. The nave walls are thus carried upon six pillars, which are circular in form, with well-moulded capitals, bases, and annulets. These capitals alternate in design, and the bases vary in height, following the slope of the floor. The nave is about 55 ft. high from floor to ridge of roof, and about 33 ft. to the wall-plate. The chancel arch is carried on massive quatrefoil pillars, which range with and are a development of those of the nave arcade. Indeed, this arcade is in reality carried on into and through the north and south walls of the chancel, leading the eye on, in perspective, from end to end of the building. Across the westerly end of the nave this arching is repeated, and thus there is a continuous arcade of fourteen arches running round the nave and chancel. The chancel is about 38 ft. long, and (as already stated) 27 ft. wide, thus allowing space for a good-sized choir. It opens on the north side by a wide arch into the organ-chamber. The choir seats and other fittings are solid and good, and have been executed by Mr. W. A. Peters, of Rochdale. The pulpit is of stone, circular in shape, and projecting (ambone fashion) from the low wall under the chancel arch. There are marble pillars in its open arcade, and a carved cornice. The floors of the chancel are paved with Godwin’s encaustic tiles. The oaken Communion-table and altar-rail, sedilia, surplice stand, and vestry cupboard have been executed by Mr. Thomas Scott, joiner, of Manchester. The gas-fittings in the chancel, and those throughout the church, also the brass standards of the altar-rail, are the work of Messrs. T. T. Freeman & Co., of Manchester. The baptistery is semi - hexagonal in plan, with an hexagonal roof. The font, — executed by Messrs. Earp & Hobbs, — is of coloured alabaster, with marble pillars. The heating of the church is by hot -water pipes, and is being done by Messrs. George Petrie, of the Phoenix Foundry, Rochdale. The sittings in the nave and aisles are low, open benches. The contractors for the masonry are Messrs. James Hargreaves & Co. The woodwork (with the exceptions named) is done by Mr. J. Plane; and the slating, by Mr J. Rushton. The architects are Messrs Medland & Henry Taylor, of Manchester. [Builder 11 August 1883 page 201-202].

Reference    Building News 31 December 1880 page 806
Reference    British Architect June 1883 page 322
Reference    Manchester Guardian 22 June 1883 page 7
Reference    Builder 11 August 1883 page 201-202
Reference    Pevsner : Lancashire: North
Reference    ICBS 08437: Grant approved