St Nicholas' Church, Fleetwood
Encyclopedia
St Nicholas' Church is in the seaside town of Fleetwood
, Lancashire
, England, situated on The Fylde
coast. It is an active Anglican
church in the Diocese of Blackburn
. It was constructed between 1960 and 1962, and designed by Laurence King.
. The foundation stone was laid by Nicholas Meynell in October 1960 and the site was hallowed by Charles Claxton
, the Bishop of Blackburn
. Although never fully completed, the church was dedicated by Anthony Hoskyns-Abrahall
, the Bishop of Lancaster
, in April 1962. The building was not consecrated until 1987 when the church became the parish church of the new parish of St Nicholas, Fleetwood.
, chancel
, north and south porches, and ancillary rooms. King's design was intended to resemble the upturned keel of a ship, reflecting the seafaring aspects both of the town and of St Nicholas himself.
The external construction of the church is largely of light brown brick. There is no stone or concrete used anywhere. The other prominent external feature is the series of steeply-pitched copper roofs, whose green patina
contrasts with the orange-brown brickwork. The large square central tower is composed of two, tall tapering brick slabs on the east and west faces, and flat recessed plain-glass windows on the north and south faces. The nave and chancel roofs are very steeply pitched, but the nave roof is considerably higher, extending over the aisles. Each of the roofs has three sharply pitched dormers on each side, those on the chancel being smaller than those on the nave. The overall effect is intended to be reminiscent of the sails of a ship.
While the exterior is sharply angular, the interior is dominated by pointed arches. Construction is of the same light-brown brick as the exterior, although contrasted with pale pointing. Centrally placed on the west wall is the organ (1961). The instrument is a 2 manual and pedal pipe organ, probably the last to be built by the firm of J J Binns. It is a 5 rank extension organ, with 4 ranks totally enclosed in a swell box and the 5th rank, a diapason, on display to the side and above the console. , The high altar, under the tower, is raised on a two-step plinth. Beyond the high altar, in the chancel, is the Lady Chapel, with an abstract stained glass window; the only stained glass in the church. Laurence King designed the three large painted wood carvings prominent in the interior: a Madonna
and a St Nicholas on either side of the chancel arch and a Crucifix
in the chancel.
Fleetwood
Fleetwood is a town within the Wyre district of Lancashire, England, lying at the northwest corner of the Fylde. It had a population of 26,840 people at the 2001 Census. It forms part of the Greater Blackpool conurbation. The town was the first planned community of the Victorian era...
, 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, situated on The Fylde
The Fylde
The Fylde ; Scandinavian: "field") is a coastal plain in western Lancashire, England. It is roughly a 13-mile square-shaped peninsula, bounded by Morecambe Bay to the north, the Ribble estuary to the south, the Irish Sea to the west, and the Bowland hills to the east...
coast. 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...
church in the Diocese of Blackburn
Diocese of Blackburn
The Diocese of Blackburn is a Church of England diocese, covering much of Lancashire, created in 1926 from part of the Diocese of Manchester. The Diocese includes the towns of Blackburn, Blackpool, Burnley, and the cities of Lancaster, and Preston, as well as a large part of the Ribble Valley...
. It was constructed between 1960 and 1962, and designed by Laurence King.
History
The church is the third in the town bearing the name of St Nicholas, and the second built on the present site. The first, on Wyre Street, was destroyed in the floods of 1927, and the second was demolished in the late 1950s to make way for the current building. Part of it survived until 2007 as the scout hut. The church was designed by Laurence King (1907-1981), a prominent Lancashire ecclesiastical architect, who also designed the tower of Blackburn CathedralBlackburn Cathedral
Blackburn Cathedral, officially known as the Cathedral Church of Blackburn Saint Mary the Virgin, is a cathedral situated in the heart of Blackburn town centre, in Lancashire, England...
. The foundation stone was laid by Nicholas Meynell in October 1960 and the site was hallowed by Charles Claxton
Charles Robert Claxton
Charles Robert Claxton was the fourth Suffragan Bishop of Warrington later translated to the See of Blackburn....
, the Bishop of Blackburn
Bishop of Blackburn
The Bishop of Blackburn is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Blackburn in the Province of York.The diocese covers much of the county of Lancashire and has its see in the town of Blackburn, where the seat of the diocese is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary...
. Although never fully completed, the church was dedicated by Anthony Hoskyns-Abrahall
Anthony Leigh Egerton Hoskyns-Abrahall
Anthony Leigh Egerton Hoskyns-Abrahall was the Anglican Bishop of Lancaster from 1955 until 1975.Hoskyns-Abrahall was educated at Britannia Royal Naval College and Westcott House, Cambridge. He was ordained in 1931 and was a curate at St Mary’s Portsea before becoming a chaplain at Shrewsbury School...
, the Bishop of Lancaster
Bishop of Lancaster
The Bishop of Lancaster is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lancaster in the Province of Liverpool, England.The diocese covers an area of and consists of the County of Cumbria together with the Hundreds of Lonsdale, Amounderness and Fylde in the north west of Lancashire...
, in April 1962. The building was not consecrated until 1987 when the church became the parish church of the new parish of St Nicholas, Fleetwood.
Architecture
St Nicholas stands on a triangular plot of land at the intersection of Poulton Road, Highbury Avenue and Broadway. Whilst modern in appearance, it is traditional in form, comprising a central tower, naveNave
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...
, 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...
, north and south porches, and ancillary rooms. King's design was intended to resemble the upturned keel of a ship, reflecting the seafaring aspects both of the town and of St Nicholas himself.
The external construction of the church is largely of light brown brick. There is no stone or concrete used anywhere. The other prominent external feature is the series of steeply-pitched copper roofs, whose green patina
Patina
Patina is a tarnish that forms on the surface of bronze and similar metals ; a sheen on wooden furniture produced by age, wear, and polishing; or any such acquired change of a surface through age and exposure...
contrasts with the orange-brown brickwork. The large square central tower is composed of two, tall tapering brick slabs on the east and west faces, and flat recessed plain-glass windows on the north and south faces. The nave and chancel roofs are very steeply pitched, but the nave roof is considerably higher, extending over the aisles. Each of the roofs has three sharply pitched dormers on each side, those on the chancel being smaller than those on the nave. The overall effect is intended to be reminiscent of the sails of a ship.
While the exterior is sharply angular, the interior is dominated by pointed arches. Construction is of the same light-brown brick as the exterior, although contrasted with pale pointing. Centrally placed on the west wall is the organ (1961). The instrument is a 2 manual and pedal pipe organ, probably the last to be built by the firm of J J Binns. It is a 5 rank extension organ, with 4 ranks totally enclosed in a swell box and the 5th rank, a diapason, on display to the side and above the console. , The high altar, under the tower, is raised on a two-step plinth. Beyond the high altar, in the chancel, is the Lady Chapel, with an abstract stained glass window; the only stained glass in the church. Laurence King designed the three large painted wood carvings prominent in the interior: a Madonna
Madonna (art)
Images of the Madonna and the Madonna and Child or Virgin and Child are pictorial or sculptured representations of Mary, Mother of Jesus, either alone, or more frequently, with the infant Jesus. These images are central icons of Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox Christianity where Mary remains...
and a St Nicholas on either side of the chancel arch and a Crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
in the chancel.