The Church of St Mary with St Peter,
Anglican Parish Church
Tour of Oldham Parish Church
Guided tours of the
Church are scheduled every second Saturday of the month, between 9:30 am and
1:00 pm.
The present building
The present dates
from 1830 and was designed by the Manchester architect, Richard Lane. Its cost
was £30,000, of which one sixth was spent on the crypt structure alone. Other designs by Charles Barry were far superior
but rejected. (Barry was later knighted for his designs for the House of
Commons.)
The crypt was closed in 1852 despite the large amount of money squandered on
it.
The main body of the
church contained mainly private pews, but 120 free seats were allocated to the
poor. The old font, which dates from about 1400, is now stored in a
local-interest centre.
The old chest at the
back of the church dates from about 1350. It has three different locks: one key
was held by the vicar, one by the wardens and one by the bishop. Another chest
dates from the mid 1800s, and came from a solicitor s office. Originally, it
would have been a sea chest.
The inside of the
church was redecorated in 1976, and much Victorian clutter removed. The
architect responsible was S.E. Dykes-Bower, who was also responsible for
Westminster Abbey.
Coats of arms
Above the wardens’
pew is displayed the coat of arms of the old Oldham Borough. Above the south
porch is displayed the coat of arms of the new Oldham Metropolitan Borough.
Above the north porch is displayed the coat of arms of the now defunct Greater
Manchester Council. Below the organ is displayed the Royal Coat of Arms.
The Triptych behind the High Altar
The Triptych was painted by Sydney Watkins in 1908, and loosely follows
the Pre-Raphaelite School. It depicts the risen and ascended Christ seated on
the Throne of Heaven. He is surrounded by the heavenly orchestra and saints
both pre- and post-reformation.
The Lake chapel
At the front of the north aisle lies the Lady Chapel, dedicated to Dr
John Lake, Vicar 1550–1554. Lake later became Bishop of Chichester. He later
refused to take the oath of loyalty to William and Mary.
In this chapel the triptych is also painted
by Watkins and represents the Adoration of the Shepherds flanked by
representations of St. Chad. Bishop of Lichfield in the seventh Century, Sir Ralph Langley holding a model
of the church, Dr Lake and St. Elizabeth.
Wardens
In the wardens pew you will see five seats. Originally there were four
wardens – one from each township, plus the office of constable, dating back to
about 1697.
In the eighteenth
century, wardens were semi-state officials, which may help explain the presence
of the Royal Coat of Arms above the organ. The role of the wardens was to
distribute public charities, prenticed youths, appointed civic officials,
collected the church rate, and policed the public houses during the church
services, to ensure that the people did not neglect their church duties.
In 1733, they also
paid thirteen shillings a year to a dog whipper, to keep the pets of public
worshippers in order when they followed their owners to church.
About 1900, the Mayor
was also appointed an Honorary Warden, regardless of his religion (or hers, as
several lady mayors have served in recent years).
Tower
Ascent of the tower is made by means of a
spiral stone staircase of 155 steps. Spiral staircases are always clockwise
when climbing. Builders followed the tradition adopted developed within
medieval castles: the defender would descend the staircase while wielding his
sword in his right hand, but the attacker was forced to use his left.
The ringing room
Oldham Parish Church is lucky to possess a peal
of thirteen bells (originally twelve). The tenor bell is the largest and weighs
33 hundredweight (1.65 tons, 3,696 pounds or 1676.5 kilograms). The tenor bell
is reputed to have been responsible for the deaths of two ringers. It is,
however, more likely that the exercise engendered by ringing showed up physical
weaknesses rather than any inherent danger in ringing the bells.
The bells were recast by Taylors of
Loughborough, and are renowned for their quality. This, coupled with their
unusual three-tier arrangement, attracts visiting ringers from all over the
country and abroad.
On ascending the tower, it is possible to see
the bells in their metal frame. Unfortunately, considerations of Health and
Safety now prevent us from permitting visitors to climb the spiral staircase.
Tower top
When standing on the tower top as the bells are
ringing, the tower sways slightly. This is normal and wholly acceptable. On
some of the top stones, the marks of the masons who built the church can be
seen, together with some original graffiti, probably marking events during the
final stages of building.
The parish records
The parish records
go back as far as 1558 (just before Elizabeth I). They therefore pre-date the
records at Prestwich. There are full records of all baptisms, marriages and
funerals until the graveyard was closed in 1852 – a period of 294 years. The
record therefore affords a valuable reflection of the social history and
occupations within Oldham.
The parish records
were transferred to the diocesan archives in 1997, which are housed within the
Central Library, St. Peter's Square, Manchester. They can be examined and
searched at the appropriate times. The Oldham Local Interest Centre holds
microfilm copies of the records.
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posted 10 December 2007