Church Of All Souls

Church of All Souls, Bolton, Astley Street

A former parish church built in 1880 by the architects Paley and Austin, now in the care of The Churches Conservation Trust. The building is constructed of brick with slate roofs and stone dressings, and comprises a west tower, nave, and chancel.

The exterior features a four-stage tower with a west doorway having a traceried panelled door with beaten metalwork. Stone carved emblems appear in the moulding of the arch and in the spandrels. Above is an ogival quatrefoil panelled frieze and a high three-light traceried window. A gabled porch projects from the north wall, with blind traceried arcading in two tiers (raised then flush) above a moulded archway. The second stage has a round window composed of four quatrefoils in a flat traceried frieze. Two small lights occupy the low third stage, and the three-light bell-chamber opening displays Perpendicular tracery. The parapet is richly traceried with crocketed pinnacles at the angles. A semi-octagonal stair turret projects from the north face of the tower.

The nave comprises five bays with a further blind bay to the east. Octagonal pinnacles mark the east end, with two tiers of stone traceried arcading and a crocketed cap. Buttresses divide the bays, with blind stone relieving arches to the ground floor. The windows are set high up and consist of three-light two-tier Perpendicular traceried designs. Chequerboard brickwork appears in the blind eastern bay. A two-bay full-height organ chamber stands to the north, and a vestry or side chapel to the south of the chancel, both with flat-headed windows. The chancel has a canted apsidal end with two-tier windows of two and four lights, and a quatrefoil frieze to the parapet.

The interior presents a wide single space with a complex boarded roof featuring rib vaulting forming arcades and king-post trusses across the main span. Windows are recessed behind a continuous sill and separated by semi-octagonal shafts which carry the vaulting. A high tower arch is flanked by blind arches containing quatrefoil windows set high up. The chancel arch is accompanied by flanking side arches; the chancel itself is arcaded by two bays on each side to the organ chamber and side chapel, with octagonal wall shafts flanking the main chancel arch and carrying the roof tie beam. An integral octagonal pulpit with traceried wood panels on a stone base and wrought-iron rail stands in the main arch. A stone reredos with traceried panels has outer panels inscribed with prayers. An ornate organ case occupies the chamber to the north of the chancel. Choir stalls and other furniture are possibly original, including canopied stalls against the west wall of the nave.

Windows throughout have geometrical glazing, with some mosaic stained glass in the west windows and stained glass in the east windows. The chancel east window may be by Hardman and employs a medieval idiom, whilst the windows each side of the chancel use a renaissance style. A splayed octagonal font with a wooden canopy added in 1923 stands beneath the tower. A war memorial of enriched marble tablet is mounted on the north wall.