The History of St Paul's Church, Stalybridge: Factsheet
Laying the first stone of the new church at Stalybridge - from the Manchester Guardian, February 1838
The ceremony of laying the first stone of
a new church at Stalybridge took place yesterday week, on which occasion
there was a procession, which formed in front of the Town Hall, in the
following order:- Bellmen, firemen, garland makers, band; Stayley Sunday
School, and the St. George’s, Wesleyan New Connexion Methodists,
Particular Baptists and Primitive Methodists’ Sunday Schools; band,
workmen employed about the church; contractors; Mr. Richard Tattersall,
of Manchester, the architect; the building committee; the deputy-constable
and the collector of rates; the assistant surveyor and the superintendent
of watch; the clergy; the head constable; magistrates, commissioners of
police, police beadles, gentlemen of the town and neighbourhood; freemasons;
band, odd-fellows, and ancient foresters.
The procession commenced its route about
twelve o'clock, through the principal streets to the site of the church,
which is a plot of land of five statute acres (given for the purpose by
the Earl of Stamford and Warrington), fronting the turnpike road from
Stalybridge to Huddersfield. There the Hundredth Psalm was sung, and the
stone laid with the due masonic ceremonies and forms, by Viscount Combermere,
G.C.B. provincial grand master of freemasons for the county of Chester.
His lordship did not address the numerous assemblage (which is said to
have exceeded 12,000 persons) collected to witness the ceremony. The Rev.
Mr. Johnson, vicar of Mottram, offered up a suitable prayer; and the children
sung a hymn composed for the occasion by the Rev. Mr. Evans, the magistrate.
The procession then returned to the Town Hall, and after singing God Save
the Queen, the ceremony terminated.
His lordship dined with the masons at the
Town Hall, about 200 of the brethren being present. The committee and
subscribers mustered to the number of about 60, at the Eagle Inn, where
an excellent dinner was provided. The Rev. Mr. Evans took the chair, supported
on his right and left by the clergy and authorities of the town, and by
James Adshead, Esq. as vice-chairman. At about ten o'clock his lordship
left the Town Hall, and joined the company at the Eagle Inn; and a very
pleasant festive evening was spent.
We understand that the soil of the site
is well adapted for internments, while the situation is well chosen with
reference to the scenery of the surrounding country, and the edifice will
form a pleasing and conspicuous landmark. The church - which is to be
dedicated to St. Paul - will be a Gothic edifice, in that style of architecture
which prevailed towards the close of the thirteenth century, as 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 aisles on the sides, lighted
by coupled lancet windows, between the buttresses. The tower is to
be placed at the west end of the nave, and will be of four compartments
or stories in height. In the first story is placed the west entrance to
the church, which consists of a bold recessed doorway, six feet wide,
having moulded architraves round, and a hood mould over, terminating upon
carved heads. In the second story is placed a two-light window, with tracery
and appropriate hood mould, terminating upon grotesque heads. The next
story is formed by pannelling for clock dials on three sides of the tower;
the highest story, 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; above rise four octagonal turrets, with
shafts at their angles, supporting canopies over their faces; the whole
surmounted by lofty pinnacles, terminating in finials, the highest part
of which will be 88 feet above the ground line. The staircases to the
galleries are placed on each side of the tower, and are lighted by neat
lancet windows. The east end of the nave projects beyond the end of the
aisles to form the chancel, the external angles being flanked with bold
double buttresses, terminating in large plain canopies, above which are
placed two large octagonal turrets, surmounted by lofty pinnacles. 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. 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, and the side fronts with lancet
headed doorways. The clerestory windows are in the form of spherical equilateral
triangles filled in with tracery; these windows somewhat resembling those
in the upper part of the aisles to Westminster Abbey, in the clerestory
of Lichfield Cathedral, &c.
The whole of the church is to be built of
stone, of a very hard and durable quality, faced with neat hammer dressed
walling. The extreme length of the building will be 102 feet; the width,
57 feet. 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 gallery staircases, and directly through folding doors with the
ground floor. The church is divided into nave and aisles, by five arched
compartments on each side. The floor of the chancel is raised two
feet above the floor of die 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. The galleries will be in (or over) the aisles,
and at the west end of the nave.
The church will contain sittings for 1,000 persons, of which 360 are to be free seats; the greater portion of the free seats are to be in pews, and not, as usual, in what are termed open skeleton seats. This disposition of the interior will leave ample room for an organ of adequate size, without diminishing the number of sittings. The pulpit, reading desk, and clerk's desk, are designed in strict accordance with the architecture of the church. The tower will hold a peal of bells, and there will be ample room for a clock. Provision is also to be made for warming the building with hot water. It is expected, that the building will be completed, and ready for the celebration of divine service, by March, 1839; and it is estimated, that the total cost of the erection (which will be defrayed by subscription; the church being built under the act ot the 1st and 2d Wm. IV.), Including architect's commission, will be about £4,100.