Church Of St Laurence

SD 5817 NW CHORLEY CHURCH BROW

10/34 Church of St. Laurence 21.12.1966 GV II*

Church, substantially 1859-61 and 1913-14 in Perpendicular style, with late medieval tower. Stone with slate roofs. West tower, nave with north and south aisles under separate roofs of equal height, chancel and separately roofed chapel with a transept. Battlemented tower of 3 stages has diagonal west buttresses each with 3 carved boars heads at 1st stage and cusped niche at 2nd stage; between these buttresses on 1st floor dripmould with various figured bosses in the casement (3 faces, 2 animal heads, flowers), a west doorway (probably C20) and a C19 4-light west window with curvilinear tracery and a rose in the head; 3rd stage has an arched 2-light belfry louvre with hoodmould in each side, above which the north and south sides have prominent gargoyles; slightly-projecting stair turret on south side. Old sanctus bellcote. North and south aisles are buttressed and battlemented with prominent gargoyles; north aisle has large arched west window with 5 trefoil-headed lights with intersecting and Perpendicular tracery in the head, a gabled north doorway with heavily moulded multifoil arch, and in the 4th bay a prominent canted bay, battlemented with buttresses terminating in tall crocketed pinnacles; south aisle has a 4-light west window, and in the 1st bay a gabled entrance porch with moulded arch, a gable parapet pierced by quatrefoils, and a foliated apex finial. On nave wall over porch is large round sundial with the upper half lettered parallel with the circumference:

JOHANNES POLLARD ET ROBERTUS TOPPING CUSTOSIAS SACRORUM ANNO DOMINI MDCCCXXIIII

The chancel and the south chapel with its transept are in similar style, but lower. Interior: 4-bay nave arcade of octagonal columns with moulded caps and 2-centred arches linking 3 parallel vessels; nave has arch braced kingpost roof with cusped windbraces; south aisle contains relocated box pews of Standish family (c.1600, with elaborately carved twin thrones) and of Charnock family (C18, with deep canopy carried on twisted and barley-sugar posts); in chancel are various C18 and C19 wall tablets, principally of Standish family, and a glazed recess or reliquary containing old bones (reputedly relics of St. Laurence).

Listing NGR: SD5829817765