Church Of St Mary And St James

This is a Roman Catholic church with an attached presbytery, gate piers and connecting walls, built in 1860–1861 to a design by Henry John Hansom in the Early Decorated style of Gothic architecture. The buildings are constructed of sandstone with pitched slate roofs and together form an approximately L-shaped plan.

The Church Exterior

Almost all the church windows have pointed arches, many beneath dripstones (projecting mouldings) that terminate in corbels carved as human heads. The chancel's east elevation features diagonal buttresses and a stone mullioned window with four lights and geometrical tracery. Above this in the gable is a small triangular window beneath a moulded dripstone with carved heads. The east gable end has overlapping copings and a cross at the apex. The church's roofline is finished with small crosses running its full length.

The chancel's north and south walls each contain a narrow window. The south wall connects to the presbytery via a short single-storey corridor with a half dormer on its east face.

The north aisle has a three-light mullioned window with tracery at its east end. Windows on the north face of the north aisle feature plate tracery with external iron bars added for security. Buttresses separate the windows, with a diagonal buttress at the north-west corner. The west face of the north aisle has a two-light window with tracery and an adjacent narrow window.

The nave has three tall two-light windows with geometric tracery separated by buttresses. A carved plaque in relief sits beneath the central window. The nave wall connects to the presbytery through a short single-storey corridor containing one two-light and one single-light rectangular window on its east face.

The porch is approached by a short flight of steps with metal railings on either side. These railings each contain an 'M' in the centre symbolising Mary, the church's primary patron, together with scallop shells symbolising St James, the secondary patron. The porch has diagonal buttresses and twin wooden doors with metal strap hinges. The recessed doorway has columns on either side from which spring mouldings terminating in a pointed arch. Above is a moulded dripstone ending in carved stone corbels depicting Bishop Goss and Reverend Robert Turpin, the church's first priest. Above this sits a statuette of Our Lady. The porch is topped by stepped copings with a cross at the apex. The porch walls contain memorial tablets dedicated to past priests buried in the vault beneath. Entry to the church is through part-glazed timber doors set within a pointed arched doorway.

The church's west elevation has one centrally-placed buttress and diagonal buttresses at each corner. Three-light windows sit on either side of the central buttress with single-light windows above them and a rose window above the central buttress. The west gable terminates in stepped copings with a bellcote at the apex.

The Church Interior

The interior comprises a chancel, nave with organ gallery at its west end, and a north aisle. The chancel has a narrow window on either side. The north wall features a pointed-arched stone mullion opening providing views into the adjacent Lady Chapel. The south wall has a blocked pointed arched recess. The east window contains stained glass by Hardman depicting St James, Our Lady, St Richard and St Elizabeth, with the symbols of the four evangelists. The roof is segmental arched with panels each containing the Cross symbol.

The high altar is of painted stone with a central nodding ogee arch and panels representing the Resurrection and the Last Supper. Small statues on either side of the altar are thought to depict John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, on the left, and St Thomas Becket on the right. The larger statues flanking the high altar represent St Mary and St Joseph. A new forward altar stands in front of the high altar. The altar rail features elaborate painted ironwork, columns and a wooden handrail.

At the south-east corner of the nave stands a wooden pulpit. Adjacent is a doorway leading to the corridor connecting with the presbytery. The nave has four pointed-arched arcades with a fifth smaller arcade providing access to the Lady Chapel. The pews are open-backed. The church roof is segmental arched with timbers resting on stone corbels on either side of the nave. The corbels have carved and painted angels beneath them. The south wall of the nave contains a two-light stained glass window depicting St Charles and St Robert. Other windows throughout the church are leaded with clear glass. A painted dado runs the length of the nave's south wall.

At the west end of the north aisle is the baptistery behind ornate low iron railings, within which sits a carved stone font. The Lady Chapel at the east end of the north aisle contains a painted altar that came from Clifton Hall, Forton, with carvings depicting the nativity and the inscription 'MR' on the tabernacle door. Behind the altar is a rich stained glass window presented by John Weld of Leagram Hall, Chipping, depicting Mary crowned 'Queen of Heaven'. Above the window are painted the words 'Hail Queen of Heaven the Ocean's Star'. The roof above the Lady Chapel is painted blue with depictions of stars.

The organ gallery has a timber front and contains four coats of arms: St James, Cardinal William Allen, John Paul II and the Abbot of Whalley. The organ is centrally placed within the gallery but partially obscures the rose window when viewed from inside the church.

The Presbytery Exterior

The presbytery is of two storeys with a basement. Its front south elevation comprises three bays with an off-set main entrance. The left return has three bays with a slightly projecting gable to the right and a side entrance to the left. Doors on these two elevations are panelled beneath two-light overwindows. All windows are rectangular sashes, and the window and door surrounds are splayed with a small centrally-placed ogee in the centre of the lintels.

The right return has a plain gable to the left with a contemporary attached single-storey rear kitchen block containing a casement window and a door and plain window in its return. A set-back two-storey gable with small casement windows in the ground floor and a stone mullioned and transomed window of six lights in the upper floor completes the right elevation. There is a rear entrance in the gable's return.

There is a centrally-placed axial chimney stack and a similar one above the rear gable. The one above the east gable has been truncated.

The Presbytery Interior

The ground floor contains a living room, dining room, office and kitchen, while the upper floor has master and guest bedrooms together with toilet and bathroom facilities. Original features include a number of doors and door furniture, some fireplaces and fire surrounds, window shutters and a corner wall cupboard in the dining room, skirting and simple cornicing, and the staircase.

Gate Piers and Walls

The four gate piers are of sandstone with chamfered plinths and chamfered columns topped by decorated and steeply pitched copings of two slightly different designs, of which the inner two and outer two match each other. The gateposts hold modern wooden gates within which the original wrought ironwork has been inserted. The ironwork contains the letter 'M' symbolising Mary, primary patron of the church. A low curving sandstone wall topped with wrought iron railings connects the outer and inner gate piers.

History

The church of St Mary and St James was designed by the architectural firm of J A Hansom & Son of Clifton, Bristol, with Henry John Hansom, the son, acting as the lead architect. W Yates of Preston undertook the masonry and J Turner of Preston the joinery. The building cost £2,500 and was opened in 1861 by Bishop Alexander Goss, Bishop of Liverpool.

The church was redecorated to celebrate its centenary in 1961 and redecorated again in 2001 when particular care was taken to ensure that the character of the church and its original designs were preserved. Religious statuary has been introduced inside the church at different periods during its lifetime.

The church organ is by Harrison & Harrison, the eminent Durham-based organ building company, and originally came from Swalwell Wesleyan Methodist Church, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. It was installed in the organ gallery in 2002.

The original presbytery kitchen has been converted into a dining room and its fireplace has been renovated, while the fire surround in the presbytery living room is a relatively modern replacement. The original wooden church gates have been replaced, however, the original ornate ironwork has been re-used within the modern gates.