Church Of St Chad

SD 33 NW POULTON-LE-FYLDE CHURCH STREET

Church of St. Chad 3/2

23.9.50 II*

Church, mainly mid-C18. Stone, with slate roof. Substantially Georgian with early C17 tower, and apsidal chancel of 1868. Castellated west tower of coursed roughly- dressed stone, with diagonal buttresses at west corners, angled buttresses at east corners, 4 small corner pinnacles (1923), paired round-headed belfry louvres on all 4 sides, and clock-face with circular moulded surround beneath belfry on north and south sides. Wide nave of coursed dressed stone, with low-pitched roof, the ridge meeting the tower at its north-east corner. Large round-headed windows standing on string course, with plain architraves and Y-tracery, 4 on north side, 3 on south side. No porch, but 2 doorways on south side, with Tuscan columns, triglyphs and triangular pediments, that on the right (entry to Fleetwood family vault) has carved corbels carrying the pediment and is dated 1699; one doorway on north side with plain rectangular surround; a bullseye window over each door. Apse of 1868 in Romanesque style with 3 pairs of round-headed windows. Interior: essentially an auditorium, with 3-sided gallery (1751) on Tuscan columns, approached by fine staircase in north- west corner. South-west corner contains, as a screen, part of the family pew of the Rigbys of Layton Hall, the door having raised lettering "AR 1636" and a carved goat's head. Pulpit incorporates carved panels of probably early C17. Hatchments of Hesketh and Fleetwood families hang upon walls; and there are important wall monuments and tablets principally to members of the Hull and Hesketh families. (Porter, History of the Fylde, 1876, pp. 192-203).

Listing NGR: SD3482739455