St John the Evangelist's Church, Crawshawbooth
Encyclopedia
St John the Evangelist's Church, Crawshawbooth, is located in the village of Crawshawbooth
, near Rawtenstall
, Lancashire
, England. It is an active Anglican
parish church
in the deanery of Rossendale, the archdeaconry of Bolton, and the diocese of Manchester
. Its benefice has been united with that of St Mary and All Saints, Goodshaw. The church has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building.
architects Paley, Austin and Paley. Financial donations towards the site and structure of the church were made by Thomas Brooks, 1st Baron Crawshaw
of Crawshaw Hall.
with Yorkshire stone
dressings and is roofed in green Cumberland
slate
. Its architectural style is Perpendicular. The plan consists of a nave
and chancel
in one range, north and south aisle
s, a south transept
, and a north transept above which rises a tower. A clerestory
rises above the aisles along the length of the nave, to the south of the chancel is a chapel, and to its north is a vestry
. There is a porch in the westernmost bay
of the south aisle, and another porch in the angle of the south transept. On each side of the clerestory are ten square-headed two-light windows. The west window has five lights and contains intersecting tracery
. Along the aisles are buttress
es and two-light windows. The south transept also has buttresses, and a large five-light window containing Perpendicular and curvilinear tracery. The chancel has a large east window with six lights containing Perpendicular tracery. The tower has diagonal corner buttresses that rise to octagonal turret
s surmounted by crocket
ed pinnacle
s. The summit of the tower has an embattled
parapet
.
sandstone. The five-bay arcades
are carried alternately on round and octagonal columns. The chancel arch is high, and has two orders of moulding
. There are carved wooden screens between the nave and the chancel, and between the chancel and the north transept. Some of the choir stalls have elaborately carved crocketed canopies
containing statues. The reredos
dates from the 20th century, and contains statues of the Four Evangelists
. The font
is hexagonal. In the church are memorials to members of the Brooks family.
Crawshawbooth
Crawshawbooth is a small village on the edge of the Pennine Hills in England just north of the market town of Rawtenstall, Lancashire, and just south of Loveclough. It is part of the valley of Rossendale, an ancient royal hunting ground...
, near Rawtenstall
Rawtenstall
Rawtenstall is a town at the centre of the Rossendale Valley, in Lancashire, England. It is the seat for the Borough of Rossendale, in which it is located. The town lies 18 miles north of Manchester, 22 miles east of the county town of Preston and 45 miles south east of Lancaster...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England. It is an active 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...
parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
in the deanery of Rossendale, the archdeaconry of Bolton, and the 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:...
. Its benefice has been united with that of St Mary and All Saints, Goodshaw. The church has 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.
History
St John's was built between 1890 and 1892 to a design by the LancasterLancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
architects Paley, Austin and Paley. Financial donations towards the site and structure of the church were made by Thomas Brooks, 1st Baron Crawshaw
Thomas Brooks, 1st Baron Crawshaw
Thomas Brooks, 1st Baron Crawshaw was a British peer.Brooks was the son of John Brooks, a quarry owner, of Crawshaw Hall, Lancashire. He served as High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1884...
of Crawshaw Hall.
Exterior
The church is constructed in 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 Yorkshire stone
Yorkstone
Yorkstone is a term for a variety of sandstone, specifically from quarries in Yorkshire that have been worked since medieval times, but now applied generally. Yorkstone is a tight grained, Carboniferous sedimentary rock...
dressings and is roofed in green Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
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...
. Its architectural style is Perpendicular. The plan consists 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...
and 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...
in one range, 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, a 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...
, and a north transept above which rises a tower. A clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
rises above the aisles along the length of the nave, to the south of the chancel is a chapel, and to its north is a vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
. There is a porch in the westernmost bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
of the south aisle, and another porch in the angle of the south transept. On each side of the clerestory are ten square-headed two-light windows. The west window has five lights and contains intersecting tracery
Tracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
. Along the aisles are buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es and two-light windows. The south transept also has buttresses, and a large five-light window containing Perpendicular and curvilinear tracery. The chancel has a large east window with six lights containing Perpendicular tracery. The tower has diagonal corner buttresses that rise to octagonal turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
s surmounted by 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 summit of the tower has an embattled
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
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...
.
Interior
The interior of the church is lined with red RainhillRainhill
Rainhill is a large village and civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, in Merseyside, England.Historically a part of Lancashire, Rainhill was formerly a township within the ecclesiastical parish of Prescot, and hundred of West Derby...
sandstone. The five-bay arcades
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
are carried alternately on round and octagonal columns. The chancel arch is high, and has two orders of moulding
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
. There are carved wooden screens between the nave and the chancel, and between the chancel and the north transept. Some of the choir stalls have elaborately carved crocketed canopies
Canopy (building)
A canopy is an overhead roof or else a structure over which a fabric or metal covering is attached, able to provide shade or shelter. A canopy can also be a tent, generally without a floor....
containing statues. The 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....
dates from the 20th century, and contains statues of the Four Evangelists
Four Evangelists
In Christian tradition the Four Evangelists are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the authors attributed with the creation of the four Gospel accounts in the New Testament that bear the following titles:*Gospel according to Matthew*Gospel according to Mark...
. The font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
is hexagonal. In the church are memorials to members of the Brooks family.