The History of St Paul's Church, Stalybridge: Factsheet
Report on the laying of the corner stone of St Paul's February 1838 from The
Architectural Magazine. 1838.
page 137
On Feb. 2, the corner stone of this church was
laid by Lord Viscount Combermere. Stayley church has been commenced upon
a plot of land containing not less than five acres, statute measure, which
has been most generously given for the purpose by the Right Hon. the Earl
of Stamford and Warrington. The land fronts the turnpike road from Stayley
Bridge to Huddersfield ; and the nature of the substrata is such as to
render it admirably adapted for interments. It is most beautifully situated,
with reference to the delightful scenery of the surrounding country,
which will render the church a conspicuous and pleasing land-mark.
The church will be a Gothic edifice, in that style of architecture which
prevailed towards the close of the thirteenth century, as beautifully
exemplified in the cathedrals of Salisbury, Lincoln, and York, and also
in Beverley minster. The leading features of the design are, a lofty nave
in the centre, lighted from clerestory windows; with ailes on the sides,
lighted by coupled lancet windows between the buttresses. The tower is
placed at the west end of the nave, and it is in four stories, or compartments,
in height. In the first story is placed the west entrance to the church,
which consists of a bold recessed doorway, 6 ft. wide, having moulded
architraves round, and a hood mould over, terminating upon carved heads.
In the second story of the west front is placed a two-light window, with
elegant tracery and appropriate hood mould, terminating upon grotesque
heads. The next story ia formed by paneling for clock-dials on three sides
of the tower. The last story is formed by two narrow lancet belfry windows,
on each face of the tower, filled in with louvre slates, to keep out the
weather, and to allow free egress for the sound of the bells. Each angle
of the tower is flanked by double buttresses, in four stages, the two
first terminating in double-weathered offsets, and the two last in weathered
canopies. Above the latter rise four octagonal turrets, with shafts at
their angles, supporting canopies over their faces; the whole surmounted
by lofty pinnacles, terminating in appropriate finials, the highest part
of which will be 88 ft. above the ground-line.
The staircases to the galleries are placed on each side of the tower,
and are lighted by lancet windows. The east end of the nave projects beyond
the ends of the ailes, to form the chancel; the external angles being
flanked with bold double buttresses, in one unbroken height, having large
attached circular shafts at the angles, and terminating in large plain
canopies; above these are placed two large octagonal turrets, having a
rich corbel table round their upper parts, surmounted by lofty pinnacles,
terminating in plain nobs as finials. The east end of the nave, or chancel,
is pierced for a four-light window, formed of rich and elegant tracery,
similar to a part of the window in the east end of Lincoln Cathedral,
and having an appropriate hood mould over the same, terminating upon carved
heads.
The chancel is flanked by two small buildings, one of which forms the
vestry or robing-room, and the other a porch to the east entrance to the
church. The east front of these buildings is pierced with small coupled
lancet windows, having hood moulds, stopping upon carved bosses and the
side fronts are pierced with doorways, having lancet heads and appropriate
hood moulds.
The sides of the ailes are divided by buttresses into five compartments,
with double buttresses at the external angles; each buttress is in two
stages, the first terminating in a weathered set-off, and the last in
a weathered canopy. In each compartment are coupled lancet windows, with
appropriate hood moulds, terminating upon grotesque beads. The upper part
of the ailes finishes with a plain slope, as a cornice, over which rises
the parapet, finishing with a moulded tablet or coping. The clerestory
is divided into compartments by flat buttresses, ranging with those to
the ailes; above which are a cornice and parapet, similar to what has
been described to the ailes. The clerestory windows are in the form of
spherical equilateral triangles, filled in with tracery. The authority
for this description of window may be found in the upper part of the ailes
to Westminster Abbey, and in the clerestory of Lichfield Cathedral, as
well as in a few of our parochial churches in the west of England.
The whole of the church is to be built of stone, of a very hard and lasting
quality, faced with hammer-dressed walling, and having tooled ashler dressings
to all the doors, windows, &c. The extreme length of the building will
he 102 ft., and the width 57 ft. The principal approach to the interior
is through a porch, in the base of the tower, which communicates by arched
openings on each side with the staircase to the galleries, and directly
through folding doors with the ground floor. The church is divided into
nave and ailes; the latter being separated from the former by five arched
compartments on each side, supported on solid octagonal stone piers,
with moulded capitals, from which spring the solid stone arches that support
the clerestory walls, which are pierced for a window over each compartment.
The east end of the nave, as before noticed, is continued beyond the end
of the ailes, to firm the chancel, the floor of which is raised 2 ft.
above the ground floor of the church. The west end of the nave is open,
by a large archway, to the interior of the tower. The whole of the nave
is to have a groined ceiling, with moulded ribs upon all the intersections
of the vaulting, stopping upon moulded stone corbels affixed to the spandril
walls of the arches. There are to be galleries in the ailes, and at the
west end of the nave.
The interior will contain sittings for one thousand and six persons three
hundred and sixty of which are free. The greater portion of the free sittings
are in pews, and not in open skeleton seats, as is usually the case in
the government churches. There is, also, ample room for an organ of adequate
size, without diminishing the number uf sittings. The pulpit, reading
and clerk's desks, are designed in strict accordance with the architecture
of the church. The tower will hold a peal of bells, and there is ample
room for a clock. There is, also, provision made for warming the building
with hot water.
It is expected that the church will be completed, and ready for the celebration
of divine service, by March, 1839. The total cost of the building, including
architect's commission, &c. will be about 4100l. The cost of its erection
will be defrayed by subscription, and it is to be built under the act
of parliament passed in the first and second years of William IV. The
architect is Mr. R. Tattersall of Fountain Street, Manchester. (Manchester
Times, Feb. 10. 1838.)