18:07 16/03/2010 St.BARTHOLOMEWS, GREAT HARWOOD The first mention of this church is in a document dated 1335, in which it is described as "the Chapel of Harwode". It would have been a simple structure, built as a chapel of ease and served either from the well established church of Blackburn or from the very new Whalley Abbey. Originally dedicated to St Lawrence, it changed to St Bartholomew probably in the years after the reformation. Mid 16thC. Apart from the chancel, the main part of the church is substantially as it was during the reign of Queen Elizabeth The Tower dates sometime in the 15th century and is the oldest part, the huge stones being evidence of this. Against the tower arch can be seen the pitch of an earlier and steeper nave roof The Nave was rebuilt sometime during the 16th century. The Nave ceiling is not originally for the church and is thought to come from Whalley Abbey. In 1881 it was decided to enlarge the church by building a chancel. More recent alterations to the fabric of the church were added during the 1980s. Demolishing the old choir vestry and building an extension to provide more space for the choir, a toliet and enough room to hold meetings for various parish groups.This extension was dedicated by the Bishop of Burnley on Trinity Sunday, 1988. Inside there is a Poppy Head Pew which can be dated between 1518 and 1547. An old oak chest made of huge planks, bound with large iron straps and hinges. It has three locks and this is where church documents were kept as ordered by Queen Elizabeth I. Keys to the locks were kept by the vicar and the two churchwardens. The font is dated 1662 The original graveyard with family vaults, tombs, and headstones surrounded the church. Owing to their age, many fell into disrepair. Most of the stonework cleared in early 70’s so that areas could be grassed over to make it easier to maintain. All the graves were recorded before stones were removed, and a few have been left in situ. BACK TO WALK REPORT St.JAMES, ALTHAM. Dating back to Saxon times St James was founded in 1140 and was formerly dedicated to St Mary. The original Parish Church for the people of Altham and Clayton-le-Moors another St Marys is now located in Clayton. There was the graveyard here and a satellite graveyard near the canal bridge closer to Clayton. The church was almost entirely rebuilt in 1859. St. James is also the home of a memorial to the victims of the nearby disaster at Moorfield Colliery in 1887. An explosion ripped through the mine killing 68 men and boys and injuring many more. Many families within the area were affected by the events. Next door is The Walton Arms and it is believed the site dates back to at least Tudor times when it was on the pilgrimage trail to nearby Whalley Abbey. Small hamlets like Altham would have a place of worship and a local hostelry of sorts was often nearby. Parts of the existing Walton Arms began life trading as a Coaching Inn named The Black Bull and it changed its name in 1820 as a compliment to the then Lord of the Manor - Mr. R. T. Wroe Walton. BACK TO WALK REPORT St. JOHNS, READ The youngest of the churches today St Johns was built in 1886. The land on which it sits was donated to the parishioners by the Lord of the Manor of Read who lived in Read Hall. The people of Read mainly went to St. Marys at Whalley so it was decided to build a chapel-of-ease. The design for the structure of the church was put out to tender and was won by one Henry Ross - an architect from Accrington of all places! The church predates just about all of the houses nearest to it as it was intended to serve not only the growing village and the Hall but also the hamlets like Turners Fold (although at the time of construction it was known as Hitchens Fold with the change happening five years either side of WW1 – after a casualty perhaps??). The building was extended in 1911 and the steeple added. Nearby Read Hall and Park was the seat of the Nowell family from the 1300s and Roger Nowell was a magistrate at the time of the Lancashire Witches in 1612 sending them to Lancaster for trial and eventual execution. However perhaps the most important of the Nowells was Alexander, who was one of the great English theologians of the Elizabethan Era and there is something for which Alexander Nowell should have all our gratitude. He was the inventor of bottled beer! A better word would be "discovery" as Alexander came across his achievement by accident while fishing, probably when a youth on an expedition on Sabden Brook, on his father's estate. BACK TO WALK REPORT St.MARYS and ALL SAINTS, WHALLEY. There was a church here in 628 in the period when St. Paulinus was said to have preached at Whalley. Legend has it that Paulinus visited Whalley as the Celtic crosses in the churchyard testify. There are 3 Celtic crosses and the monks of Whalley Abbey attributed them to St. Augustine which would make them some 1370 years old. More modern estimates date the oldest cross to the 10th century and taking the Celtic pattern into account it is more likely that they commemorate a Scottish mission from Iona. Nevertheless their existence here proves that a Christian presence was established before the Norman Conquest in 1066! St Mary & All Saints was built on the site of an 8th Century church (known as 'the white church under the leigh')...and a later Norman (circa 1100) church. The Parish of Whalley is the oldest parish in Lancashire; with the Medieval parish being the second-largest in the whole of England containing 45 Townships. The present church building dates from around 1200 with the tower being added in 1440. The 13th Century Church building is Grade 1 listed. The Roll of Deans and Rectors of Whalley goes back to 1122AD; it is also interesting to note that between 1348 and 1537 monks from the Abbey were incumbents here. Perhaps the most notable features are the choir stalls in the chancel. These were carved for the Abbey around 1430 and were moved from the Abbey at the time of the dissolution. Three of the 15th Century misericords have inscriptions; one in Latin, one in Norman French and one in early English. The organ was built originally in 1727 for Lancaster Priory but was moved to Whalley in 1813 as a gift from a local benefactor. The eight bells were cast in 1924. BACK TO WALK REPORT HOME - COMMITTEE - THE WALKS - GENERAL INFO - LINKS - SITEMAP