Holy Trinity Church, Horwich
Encyclopedia
Holy Trinity Church, commonly known as Horwich Parish Church, is a Grade II listed building in Horwich
, Greater Manchester
, England
. It is an active Church of England parish church
and part of the Deane deanery in the archdeaconry of Bolton, diocese of Manchester
. Holy Trinity Church is now part of the United Benefice
of Horwich and Rivington, which includes the other two Anglican churches in Horwich, St Catherine's Church and St Elizabeth's Church, and Rivington Anglican Church
.
when it was a chapel of ease
to the parish church of St. Mary the Virgin
in Deane
. In 1565, the "commissioners for removing superstitious ornaments" took various items they considered idolatrous from the chapel. The earliest gravestone in the churchyard has the initials and date M.H. 1648, however, the church registers
only commenced in 1660. After the Glorious Revolution
in 1688, the chapel was used by Nonconformists, but in 1716 the Bishop of Chester
recovered the chapel for the established church.
As the town expanded during the Industrial Revolution
and the population increased, the old chapel was replaced by a larger building in 1782. Almost fifty years later, the second chapel was replaced by the present church which was designed by Francis Octavius Bedford
and consecrated in 1831. It is a Waterloo or Commissioners' Church
, partly paid for by money from the parliament of the United Kingdom
raised by the Church Building Act 1818, and said to be a celebration of Britain's victory in the Battle of Waterloo
. The Commissioners paid £5,621 (£ as of ), the remainder was provided by the Ridgway family, owners of Wallsuches
Bleach Works
. Horwich became a parish on 29 December 1853 and the chapel-of-ease became the parish church.
The chancel
, designed by Bolton architect Richard Knill Freeman
, was added to the east end of the church in 1903 in memory of the Reverend Henry Septimus Pigot, vicar for 48 years.
Holy Trinity Church is built in stone with a slate roof in the Gothic Revival
style. It has a four-bay nave
with Y-tracery lights between the buttress
es which are topped with crocket
ed pinnacle
s. The chancel is shallow with a four-light traceried east window. There are porches on the north and south sides. The west tower has octagonal turrets which become angled buttresses above roof level and open tracery embattled parapet
with corner crocketted pinnacles. The tower has a four-sided clock and louvred bell openings.
Interior
The church has north, south and west galleries supported by chamfered diagonal piers. There is a plaster rib vaulted ceiling. Reredos
with cresting and canopy date from 1923. At the west end of the nave is one of the church's original box pew
s. The organ loft has a three-light mullioned window. There is a stained glass window of 1874 in the south aisle and the east window dates from 1927 incorporating some earlier glass and the Ridgway arms in the tracery at the head of the window. The Ridgway arms and crest, carved in stone, and a monument to Joseph Ridgway, the church's benefactor in the form of a robed woman kneeling at prayer by Richard Westmacott
, are also displayed in the church. The family vault of the Barons Willoughby of Parham is at the church.
The tower holds a ring of eight bells
, hung for change ringing
. The whole ring was cast by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough in 1913.
Vicars of Holy Trinity Church, Horwich.
Horwich
Horwich is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England. It is southeast of Chorley, northwest of Bolton and northwest from the city of Manchester. It lies at the southern edge of the West Pennine Moors with the M61 motorway close to the...
, 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
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is an active Church of England parish church
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
and part of the Deane deanery in the archdeaconry of Bolton, diocese of Manchester
Anglican Diocese of Manchester
The Diocese of Manchester is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York, England. Based in the city of Manchester, the diocese covers much of the county of Greater Manchester and small areas of the counties of Lancashire and Cheshire.-History:...
. Holy Trinity Church is now part of the United Benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
of Horwich and Rivington, which includes the other two Anglican churches in Horwich, St Catherine's Church and St Elizabeth's Church, and Rivington Anglican Church
Rivington Church
Rivington Church is an active Church of England parish church in Rivington, Lancashire, England. The Church has been designated as a Grade II Listed building. The Church has no patron saint and is not named after a saint or martyr. It has been variously called St. Lawrence, St. George, Holy...
.
History
There have been three chapels or churches on the site of Holy Trinity Church. It is not known when the first chapel was built, but it existed before the English ReformationEnglish Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
when it was a chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
to the parish church of St. Mary the Virgin
St. Mary the Virgin, Deane
The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Deane, is a Church of England parish church in Deane, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It is a member of Deane deanery in the archdeaconry of Bolton, diocese of Manchester...
in Deane
Deane, Greater Manchester
Deane is an area of Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England. It is about south west of Bolton and northwest of the city of Manchester.Historically a part of Lancashire, the Parish of Deane was once one of four parishes within the hundred of Salford and covered roughly half of the present...
. In 1565, the "commissioners for removing superstitious ornaments" took various items they considered idolatrous from the chapel. The earliest gravestone in the churchyard has the initials and date M.H. 1648, however, the church registers
Parish register
A parish register is a handwritten volume, normally kept in a parish church or deposited within a county record office or alternative archive repository, in which details of baptisms, marriages and burials are recorded.-History:...
only commenced in 1660. After the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
in 1688, the chapel was used by Nonconformists, but in 1716 the Bishop of Chester
Bishop of Chester
The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York.The diocese expands across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the City of Chester where the seat is located at the Cathedral...
recovered the chapel for the established church.
As the town expanded during the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
and the population increased, the old chapel was replaced by a larger building in 1782. Almost fifty years later, the second chapel was replaced by the present church which was designed by Francis Octavius Bedford
Francis Octavius Bedford
-Life:In 1812-13 Francis Bedford made a tour of classical antiquities in Greece, Turkey, Italy and Sicily on behalf of the Society of Dilettanti, in the company of Sir William Gell, Keppel Craven and John Peter Gandy...
and consecrated in 1831. It is a Waterloo or 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...
, partly paid for by money from the parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
raised by the Church Building Act 1818, and said to be a celebration of Britain's victory in the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
. The Commissioners paid £5,621 (£ as of ), the remainder was provided by the Ridgway family, owners of Wallsuches
Wallsuches
Wallsuches is a small district of Horwich, Greater Manchester, England.-Etymology:The etymology of the place-name itself is unclear, although it is believed the name may be from Old English wella "stream" and soc "to soak", from Old English socian "to make wet/damp"...
Bleach Works
Bleach
Bleach refers to a number of chemicals that remove color, whiten, or disinfect, often via oxidation. Common chemical bleaches include household chlorine bleach , lye, oxygen bleach , and bleaching powder...
. Horwich became a parish on 29 December 1853 and the chapel-of-ease became the parish church.
The 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...
, designed by Bolton architect Richard Knill Freeman
Richard Knill Freeman
Richard Knill Freeman was a British architect who began his career at Derby and moved to Bolton, Lancashire in the late 1860s. His work, in Victorian Gothic style and typically recalling the Decorated Period of later medieval architecture, can be seen in several cities and towns across the north...
, was added to the east end of the church in 1903 in memory of the Reverend Henry Septimus Pigot, vicar for 48 years.
Structure
ExteriorHoly Trinity Church is built in stone with a slate roof in the Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style. It has a four-bay 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...
with Y-tracery lights between the buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es which are topped with crocket
Crocket
A crocket is a hook-shaped decorative element common in Gothic architecture. It is in the form of a stylised carving of curled leaves, buds or flowers which is used at regular intervals to decorate the sloping edges of spires, finials, pinnacles, and wimpergs....
ed 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. The chancel is shallow with a four-light traceried east window. There are porches on the north and south sides. The west tower has octagonal turrets which become angled buttresses above roof level and open tracery embattled 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 corner crocketted pinnacles. The tower has a four-sided clock and louvred bell openings.
Interior
The church has north, south and west galleries supported by chamfered diagonal piers. There is a plaster rib vaulted ceiling. Reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
with cresting and canopy date from 1923. At the west end of the nave is one of the church's original box pew
Box pew
Box pew is a type of church pew that is encased in panelling and was prevalent in England and other Protestant countries from the 16th to early 19th century.-History in England:...
s. The organ loft has a three-light mullioned window. There is a stained glass window of 1874 in the south aisle and the east window dates from 1927 incorporating some earlier glass and the Ridgway arms in the tracery at the head of the window. The Ridgway arms and crest, carved in stone, and a monument to Joseph Ridgway, the church's benefactor in the form of a robed woman kneeling at prayer by Richard Westmacott
Richard Westmacott (the younger)
Richard Westmacott - also sometimes described as Richard Westmacott III - was a prominent English sculptor of the early- and mid-19th century.Born in London, he was the son of Sir Richard Westmacott , and followed closely in his father's...
, are also displayed in the church. The family vault of the Barons Willoughby of Parham is at the church.
The tower holds a ring of eight bells
Ring of bells
"Ring of bells" is a term most often applied to a set of bells hung in the English style, typically for change ringing...
, hung for change ringing
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
. The whole ring was cast by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough in 1913.
Clergy
Curates of Holy Trinity Chapel, Horwich.
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Vicars of Holy Trinity Church, Horwich.
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See also
- List of churches in Greater Manchester
- List of Commissioners' churches in Northeast and Northwest England