Christ Church, Heaton Norris
Encyclopedia
Christ Church, Heaton Norris, consists of the remains of a redundant
Anglican
church in Wellington Road, Heaton Norris
, Stockport
, Greater Manchester
, England. Only the tower and part of the walls of the aisle
s survive. They are located on the crest of a hill on the main road linking Stockport with Manchester
. The church remains have been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II listed building, and are under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
.
. It cost about £7,000 (£ as of ), and was a Commissioners' church
, the Church Building Commission providing a grant of £500 towards its building. It was designed by the Manchester architect William Hayley. As originally built, it consisted of a nave
, north and south aisle
s, north and south transept
s, a chancel
, and a west tower with a spire.
By the 1970s the fabric of the church was in very poor condition, including the effects of dry rot
. Attempts were made to convert it into a centre for the use of the community, but these were unsuccessful, and in 1977 it was badly damaged by a fire. Following this, it was demolished apart from the tower and spire, and parts of the adjoining walls. The foundations of the other walls have been preserved to show its original plan. None of the fittings or furniture have survived; they were either destroyed in the fire or have been stolen. The five clock bells, made by Warner in 1896, were stolen in 1977. The church was declared redundant on 20 July 1973, and the remains of the church were vested
in the Trust on 23 May 1979.
with a Welsh slate
roof. Its architectural style is Early English. The tower is in four stages, and it has a tall, slender spire. On the west side of the lowest stage is a portal
, and above this in the next stage is a west window with plate tracery. On the north and south sides of this stage are paired lancet window
s. In the third stage are circular openings that formerly housed the clock faces and in the top stage are paired bell openings. On the summit is a pierced parapet
, with tall pinnacle
s at the corners and smaller intermediate pinnacles. In the Buildings of England
series, it is stated to be Hayley's "most ambitious surviving work".
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church in Wellington Road, Heaton Norris
Heaton Norris
Heaton Norris is now a mainly residential area of Stockport, England bordering on Heaton Chapel, Heaton Mersey and Heaton Moor. Formerly it was the name of the parish, that included Heaton Chapel, Heaton Mersey and Heaton Moor and was in Lancashire....
, Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England. Only the tower and part of the walls of the aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
s survive. They are located on the crest of a hill on the main road linking Stockport with Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. The church remains have been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade II listed building, and are under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
.
History
The church was built in 1844–46 on land donated by Wilbraham Egerton of Tatton ParkTatton Park
Tatton Park is a historic estate in Cheshire, England, to the north of the town of Knutsford. It contains a mansion, Tatton Hall, a manor house dating from medieval times, Tatton Old Hall, gardens, a farm and a deer park of . It is a popular visitor attraction and hosts over 100 events annually...
. It cost about £7,000 (£ as of ), and was a Commissioners' church
Commissioners' church
A Commissioners' church is an Anglican church in the United Kingdom built with money voted by Parliament as a result of the Church Building Act of 1818 and 1824. They have been given a number of titles, including Commissioners' churches, Waterloo churches and Million Act churches...
, the Church Building Commission providing a grant of £500 towards its building. It was designed by the Manchester architect William Hayley. As originally built, it consisted of a nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, north and south aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
s, north and south transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
s, a chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
, and a west tower with a spire.
By the 1970s the fabric of the church was in very poor condition, including the effects of dry rot
Dry rot
Dry rot refers to a type of wood decay caused by certain types of fungi, also known as True Dry Rot, that digests parts of the wood which give the wood strength and stiffness...
. Attempts were made to convert it into a centre for the use of the community, but these were unsuccessful, and in 1977 it was badly damaged by a fire. Following this, it was demolished apart from the tower and spire, and parts of the adjoining walls. The foundations of the other walls have been preserved to show its original plan. None of the fittings or furniture have survived; they were either destroyed in the fire or have been stolen. The five clock bells, made by Warner in 1896, were stolen in 1977. The church was declared redundant on 20 July 1973, and the remains of the church were vested
Vesting
In law, vesting is to give an immediately secured right of present or future enjoyment. One has a vested right to an asset that cannot be taken away by any third party, even though one may not yet possess the asset. When the right, interest or title to the present or future possession of a legal...
in the Trust on 23 May 1979.
Architecture
Christ Church is constructed in yellow sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
with a Welsh slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roof. Its architectural style is Early English. The tower is in four stages, and it has a tall, slender spire. On the west side of the lowest stage is a portal
Portal (architecture)
Portal is a general term describing an opening in the walls of a building, gate or fortification, and especially a grand entrance to an important structure. Doors, metal gates or portcullis in the opening can be used to control entry or exit. The surface surrounding the opening may be made of...
, and above this in the next stage is a west window with plate tracery. On the north and south sides of this stage are paired lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
s. In the third stage are circular openings that formerly housed the clock faces and in the top stage are paired bell openings. On the summit is a pierced parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
, with tall pinnacle
Pinnacle
A pinnacle is an architectural ornament originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire...
s at the corners and smaller intermediate pinnacles. In the Buildings of England
Pevsner Architectural Guides
The Pevsner Architectural Guides are a series of guide books to the architecture of the British Isles. Begun in the 1940s by art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, the 46 volumes of the Buildings of England series were published between 1951 and 1975. The series was then extended to Scotland and...
series, it is stated to be Hayley's "most ambitious surviving work".