There's a tower... so where's the church?
I AM sure there must be many Lightcliffe residents who are not familiar with the view of the old St Matthew's Church in Wakefield Road (second picture).
Standing at the bus stops or waiting in traffic to join Wakfield Road from the top of Stoney Lane, the view you have today is just the tower.
It is all that remains of what is described as the new church of 1775 which replaced one that had been built on the site in 1529.
The builder of the 1775 church was a William Mallinson, who was based in Halifax. His grave is in the church cemetery and the headstone reads: 'In memory of William Mallinson, late of Halifax, Mason, who erected this Chappell (sic) in the year of our Lord 1775'.
At the time of his death in 1798 he was living in Hove Edge and was 48. He is believed to have been a member of the 19th century Halifax-based business of architectural masons, Mallinson and Healey, a company which specialised in churches.
The money to build this church came in the main from William Walker who in 1775 also rebuilt the nearby properties of Crow Nest and Cliff Hill, which formed the large part of his ancestral home and estate. Not only did he donate money to building the church, but also provided much of the wood for the roof at all three properties.
The only remaining piece of the original 1529 church had been placed in the 1775 church, and was removed from there and put in the belfry of the tower when it was demolished in the late 1960s.
In 1786 a section of the gallery inside the church was taken down and a larger one was built to replace it. This was to create extra space for the students from Hipperholme Grammar School who attended the church.
Five of the church pews were let to the school's head teacher, the Rev Richard Hudson who was at the school from 1782 to 1835. A further four pews were let to other members of the congregation as a means of raising money to pay for the organist's salary.
The church organ was given by William Priestley, a member of a prominent Lightcliffe family at the time. It was built by John Snetzler, the celebrated Swiss organ builder, and was given a grand opening when the "Messiah" was performed. The organ was encased in a mahogany case, gilt pipes in front, and was protected by glass doors. Prior to the church having the organ, music was played on string and reed instruments.
A strange custom associated with the old church was that if any person having killed a hedgehog and then produced it to the churchwarden would be paid fourpence and for a polecat threepence (in 'old' money). Further research has suggested that in those days these animals were treated as vermin. The last entry for payment of this kind by the churchwarden was in 1826.
The cemetery was extended in 1865 and a building that had stood since 1634 was taken down stone by stone and rebuilt in a more remote part of the cemetery.
Inside the church there were many monuments which reflected the Walker family's involvement with the church over a long period of time. This includes some of the earliest headstones in the cemetery.
Another notable headstone is that of theRev William Gurney, MA, who for over 20 years was the minister at the church.
The Lightcliffe Parish decided to celebrate the centenary of St Matthew's by closing it down, at least as a primary place of worship. This was during the tenure of the Rector, George Bagot. A new church of St Matthew was built a few hundred yards away, also in Wakefield Road, to the designs of the local architect W. S. Barbour. The cost of 16,000 was paid by Major Johnston-Foster who lived at nearby Cliff Hill mansion and was a member of the Foster family, of Queensbury.
The old church had now become almost redundant except for the occasional use as a mortuary chapel to serve the surrounding churchyard. They also kept up an annual service although, following storm damage in the early 1960s, this and any regular use of the building came to an end.
The vandals and lead thieves did the rest and within 10 years the damage was so intense that it was beyond repair. The Rococo plasterwork was torn off, its demise hastened by the rain that poured in.
By the end of the 60s the condition was alarming both the parish, which declared itself unable to defeat the vandals, and the ecclesiastical authorities. Its fate became a test case for the newly passed Pastoral Measure of 1969 under which decisions over the fate of disused Anglican churches were systematised for the first time.
The Bishop of Wakefield pressed for total demolition in order to remove the danger. Ivor Bulmer-Thomas, appointed Chairman of the Redundant Churches Fund set up as a result of the measure, fought hard at first for the whole building and latterly for the tower alone to be saved.
The Friends of Friendless Churches were able to save not just the tower itself of 1775, but the inscribed stone from the first church of 1529 in the belfry and, at the lower stages of the tower reached from the internal stairs, most of the Benefactions Board, which was apparently repainted in 1851, and an impressive monument of 1830 showing a mourning classical female figure signed by Richard Westmacott, RA.
Another notable headstone is that of theRev William Gurney, MA, who for over 20 years was the minister at the church.
The Lightcliffe Parish decided to celebrate the centenary of St Matthew’s by closing it down, at least as a primary place of worship. This was during the tenure of the Rector, George Bagot. A new church of St Matthew was built a few hundred yards away, also in Wakefield Road, to the designs of the local architect W. S. Barbour. The cost of 16,000 was paid by Major Johnston-Foster who lived at nearby Cliff Hill mansion and was a member of the Foster family, of Queensbury.
The old church had now become almost redundant except for the occasional use as a mortuary chapel to serve the surrounding churchyard. They also kept up an annual service although, following storm damage in the early 1960s, this and any regular use of the building came to an end.
The vandals and lead thieves did the rest and within 10 years the damage was so intense that it was beyond repair. The Rococo plasterwork was torn off, its demise hastened by the rain that poured in.
By the end of the 60s the condition was alarming both the parish, which declared itself unable to defeat the vandals, and the ecclesiastical authorities. Its fate became a test case for the newly passed Pastoral Measure of 1969 under which decisions over the fate of disused Anglican churches were systematised for the first time.
The Bishop of Wakefield pressed for total demolition in order to remove the danger. Ivor Bulmer-Thomas, appointed Chairman of the Redundant Churches Fund set up as a result of the measure, fought hard at first for the whole building and latterly for the tower alone to be saved.
The Friends of Friendless Churches were able to save not just the tower itself of 1775, but the inscribed stone from the first church of 1529 in the belfry and, at the lower stages of the tower reached from the internal stairs, most of the Benefactions Board, which was apparently repainted in 1851, and an impressive monument of 1830 showing a mourning classical female figure signed by Richard Westmacott, RA.
l The photograph below shows the view of the church from the top of Stoney Lane in 1884, and the one above is a very rare photograph showing the back of the church where it is possible to see many of the headstones and footpaths that have since been shrouded in weeds for more years than most people can remember.
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Tuesday 22 May 2012
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