St Michael's Church, Ditton

St Michael's Church, Ditton
St Michael's Church, Ditton, from the northwest
St Michael's Church, Ditton is located in Cheshire
St Michael's Church, Ditton
St Michael's Church, Ditton
Location in Cheshire
53°21′45″N 2°45′40″W / 53.3625°N 2.7610°W / 53.3625; -2.7610
OS grid referenceSJ 494 853
LocationDitton, Widnes, Cheshire
CountryEngland
DenominationRoman Catholic
WebsiteParish of St Wilfrid
History
StatusParish church
Founder(s)Lady Mary
Stapleton-Bretherton
DedicationSt Michael
Consecrated1876
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationGrade II*
Designated31 October 1983
Architect(s)Henry Clutton
Bartlett and Purnell
Architectural typeChurch
StyleGothic Revival
Completed1879
Construction cost£16,000
(equivalent to £2,050,000 in 2023)
Specifications
Length120 feet (37 m)
Width60 feet (18 m)
Spire height120 feet (37 m)
MaterialsRed ashlar sandstone
Slate roof
Administration
DioceseLiverpool
Clergy
Priest(s)Fr A. Fleming

St Michael's Church is in St Michael's Road, Ditton, Widnes, Halton, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.[1] It is an active Roman Catholic church.[2]

History

The church was founded when German Jesuits expelled from their own country (1872) settled in Ditton. They were victims of Bismark Kulturkampf which tried to reduce the influence of Catholicism in Germany. The Jesuit students of Theology formed a community at Ditton Hall and between 1876 and 1879 built the church.[3] It was designed by Henry Clutton.[1] The cost of the church, £16,000 (equivalent to £2,050,000 in 2023),[4] was met by Lady Mary Stapleton-Bretherton of Ditton Hall. In 1979 the interior of the church was reordered by Bartlett and Purnell.[5]

Architecture

Exterior

The church is built in red ashlar sandstone with a slate roof. Its plan is cruciform, with short transepts and a west tower. It has an eight-bay arcade which takes in the nave and the chancel. The tower is in three stages with a steep saddleback roof. The entrance to the church is through the west door of the tower, above which are three lancet windows. Above these are three-light louvred bell openings and a balustrade. The windows in the gables of the chancel and transepts are rose windows containing stained-glass. Elsewhere, the windows are lancets.[1] At the east end are two lancets separated by a large shaft.[5]

Interior

The ceiling is barrel vaulted, boarded with hardwood, running through the nave and chancel. In the north transept is an organ and confessionals are in the south transept. The chancel has a yellow sandstone wall and a marble floor; the walls of the nave are plastered.[1] The altar and lectern are made from Clipsham stone, and the stained-glass comes from Cologne.[5] The organ was built in 1879 by Gray & Davison.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Historic England, "Church of St Michael, Ditton (1325926)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 20 July 2012
  2. ^ Widnes, Archdiocese of Liverpool, retrieved 19 March 2008
  3. ^ Diggle, Rev. G. E. (1961), A History of Widnes, Widnes: Corporation of Widnes, pp. 67–68
  4. ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017), "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)", MeasuringWorth, retrieved 7 May 2024
  5. ^ a b c Pollard, Richard; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2006), Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, p. 657, ISBN 0-300-10910-5
  6. ^ "NPOR [C00178]", National Pipe Organ Register, British Institute of Organ Studies, retrieved 1 July 2020
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