Christ'S Church

Christ’s Church is a church dating from 1840 to 1841, located in Stitch-Mi-Lane, South Turton, near Harwood. It is constructed of rock-faced stone with ashlar dressings and a slate roof. The church comprises a five-bay nave, a west tower, a south transept, a chancel, and flanking vestries. The architecture is characterized by plain cornices and flat, clasping buttresses. Windows are round-headed lancets with hood moulds.

The three-stage west tower has a round-headed west entrance with a black-letter inscription and a cornice above. Paired lancets are found to the south. The recessed top stage has chamfered angles with octagonal shafts, paired round-headed bell openings with stone louvres, a top cornice, and a short spire with a cross. A south porch with a round window above features an open pediment and round-headed entrance with inscription. The south transept has a triplet of lancets. The chancel is short and features a corbelled cornice, a triplet of lancets, and single flanking lancets to the vestries beneath cat-slide roofs, with a south entrance. An east bellcote is also present.

Inside, the nave has a queen post roof with arch braces and pendants. A west gallery rests on four timber columns, featuring round-headed panelling to the front with a corbelled cornice. The staircase has column-on-vase balusters. A relief of the arms of Queen Victoria is displayed. The seating arrangement includes open seating in the centre and enclosed pews with tip-up seats, originally intended for servants. A Corona Lucis features metal flame forms and leaves. The east end now serves as a choir area; the altar is formed from a vestment chest, dated 1561, likely from Nuremburg, and decorated with two panels from the Book of Tobit and three figures. The organ, originally from Edgeware, is housed in a Victorian case. A lectern, possibly 17th century and of Spanish origin, has an octagonal shaft with a finial and an upright eagle. The pulpit, dated 1660 and originating from Chapel Royal, London, features fielded panels and a black-letter inscription. Two 17th-century English choir stalls include misericords and a desk.

The Lomax chapel, now a vestry, within the transept has a roof matching the nave, with angel corbels. A 20th-century screen incorporates four 17th-century Flemish panels depicting scenes from the life of Christ. The chancel arch displays zig-zag moulding. Arcading on three sides is decorated with the Creed, Commandments, and Lord's Prayer. Open Arcading to the side and open lunettes incorporate a tunnel vault. A memorial to John Lomax, who died in 1827, is marked by a rococo cartouche.