Church Of St Hilda

326/0/10060 WHITTAKER LANE 09-MAY-03 Prestwich Church of St Hilda

II

Church. 1903-4. By FP Oakley. White-flecked red brick with terracotta dressings and parapetted slate roof with terracotta coped gables. Perpendicular style. Chancel, nave and aisles in one, north-east and south-east vestries. North and south porches, with small tower and fleche above the former. East end has 5-light window with a 2-light window to side of chancel. Flat-arched windows to vestry. 3-light windows to sides of aisles with buttresses with set-offs in between. Arches to doors and blind arches to sides of twin porches have mouldings dying into jambs and side buttresses. Small windows to sides. Canted baptistery apse with small windows with cusping projects out below 6-light west window. INTERIOR. The chancel has richly carved painted and gilded reredos and altar. Richly carved choir stalls. The lofty wide brick nave arcades on octagonal stone piers extend into the chancel. Wide nave and chancel roof with arch braces to embattled collars rising from stone corbels. V struts from collars, windbraces and 2 tiers of purlins. Curved braces on stone corbels to tie beam trusses in lean-to aisle roofs. Low stone choir screen. Carved stone font at west end. Mauve and white coloured chequer-board pattern glass to many windows. The various materials and carefully linked spacious interior of the church combine to produce the effect of a Low Countries hall-church.