St Ambrose's Church, Grindleton

St Ambrose's Church, Grindleton
St Ambrose's Church, Grindleton, from the south
St Ambrose's Church, Grindleton Location in the Borough of Ribble Valley
Coordinates: 53°54′23″N 2°21′48″W / 53.9063°N 2.3632°W
OS grid reference	SD 762 456
Location	Grindleton, near Clitheroe, Lancashire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St Ambrose, Grindleton
History
Dedication	Saint Ambrose
Architecture
Status	Parish church
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	20 February 1984
Architect(s)	Austin and Paley (Rebuilding)
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1805
Completed	1898
Specifications
Materials	Sandstone, slate roofs
Administration
Parish	Grindleton
Deanery	Whalley
Archdeaconry	Blackburn
Diocese	Blackburn
Province	York
Clergy
Rector	Revd Roger G Good

St Ambrose's Church is in the village of Grindleton, which is situated about 3 miles (5 km) northeast of Clitheroe, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Whalley, the archdeaconry of Blackburn, and the Diocese of Blackburn.^[1][2] Its benefice is united with that of St Peter and St Paul, Bolton by Bowland.^[3] The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.^[4]

History

The west tower and part of the nave date from 1805.^[4] In 1897–98 the Lancaster architects Austin and Paley rebuilt the body of the church, other than its south side.^[5] That rebuilding also included replacement of the box pews and the pulpit.^[6]

Architecture

The church is constructed in sandstone and has slate roofs. Its plan consists of a three-bay nave, a north aisle, a south porch, a single-bay chancel, and a west tower. The tower is in three stages, with a lunette west window in the middle stage. The top stage contains lunette-shaped bell openings, and the parapet is battlemented with pinnacles at the corners. Each bay contains a two-light window. The south porch is constructed mainly of timber. Between the nave and the chancel is a buttress. The south wall of the chancel contains a three-light window, and the east window has four lights. The west window, and the windows along the north aisle, have two lights each.^[4]

Inside the church is a five-bay timber arcade. The chancel contains a double sedilia and a piscina. The stained glass in the east window dates from the late 1800s, and contains depictions of the Four Evangelists.^[4] Another window depicts Saint George and Joan of Arc, and beneath it is a memorial to the two world wars.^[6] The two-manual organ was built in 1879 by Bevington, and restored and overhauled in 1979 by R. D. Holmes and E. H. Holmes.^[7]

External features

The churchyard contains the war graves of three soldiers of World War I, and an airman of World War II.^[8]

See also

• Listed buildings in Grindleton
• List of ecclesiastical works by Austin and Paley (1895–1914)

References

1. Semley, Ronnie (16 April 2014). "Diocese of Blackburn is now home to SIX new Parishes". Diocese of Blackburn. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
2. "Bishop of Blackburn Julian welcomes new parishes to diocese". Lancashire Telegraph (Newsquest (North West)). 21 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
3. Grindleton: St Ambrose, Grindleton, Church of England, retrieved 4 January 2012
4. Historic England, "Church of St Ambrose, Grindleton (1072188)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 4 January 2012
5. Brandwood, Geoff; Austin, Tim; Hughes, John; Price, James (2012), The Architecture of Sharpe, Paley and Austin, Swindon: English Heritage, p. 242, ISBN 978-1-84802-049-8
6. The Parish Church of St Ambrose, Grindleton Village, retrieved 4 January 2012
7. Yorkshire, West Riding (Lancashire), Grindleton, St. Ambrose (R00617), British Institute of Organ Studies, retrieved 4 January 2012
8. GRINDLETON (ST. AMBROSE) CHURCHYARD, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, retrieved 14 February 2013