Church Of Saint Edmund

Description

This information is taken from the statutory List as it was in 2001 and may not be up to date.

SD 81 SE ROCHDALE EDMUND STREET

6/53 Church of Saint Edmund

II*

Church. 1873. J.M. & H. Taylor for Hudson Royd.

Irregularly coursed rubble with ashlar dressings and slate roof. Short wide nave with gallery and west porch. Large transepts with south porch and crossing tower with staircase and bell turret to north-east corner. In a Gothic revival style. Chancel with Royd chapel to south and vestry to north. North Elevation: the whole building arises from a battered stone plinth; the nave is of three bays with weathered buttresses, square-headed 1, 2 and 3-light windows with "fancy tracery" (Pevsner) and hood moulds, coloured stone banding, a castellated circular stair turret to the right and a steeply pitched roof with coped gables. The transept is treated similarly except for the three gable windows which are lancet shaped and of 1, 2 and 1-light, the central one being taller and in two tiers. The tower has angle buttresses which become both clasping and diagonal at the lower level, square shaped blind arcading, two 2-light geometrical traceried openings to the lantern stage with blind arches in between and on either side, crocketed banding, decorative castellations with crocketed corner pinnacles and an octagonal corner stair turret with traceried bell-stage, castellations and small spire capped with a vane and five-pointed star. The vestry is of one bay and is approached by a flight of steps and a cusped doorway; the chancel is of two. Each is roofed separately and architectural treatment is as above apart from the diagonal buttressing. East window: five-light with Decorated tracery, carved voussoirs of alternating colours and drip mould. South chapel: the entrance to the three-bay Royd chapel has columns with moulded bases and foliated capitals; the pointed arch has unusual diagonal moulding above surrounding the family coat of arms. West and south porches are similar in that the raked parapets, banding and raked blind arcading express the flight of steps within. The west porch has a flattened ogee opening with cusped panel above including a carving of St. Clement. Interior: the central crossing is surrounded by four massive detached polished granite columns with moulded capitals and bases which support the lantern above. It is no longer visible having been enclosed in 1911. The transepts are virtually as big as the nave which has a timber gallery. The 3-bay arcade between chancel and chapel has particularly fine foliated capitals and polished granite columns, which along with the chapel roof, carved corbels, the hammerbeams, and the reredos (designed by Rev E W Gilbert, the first vicar) show early Arts and Crafts influence (Pevsner). The roofs are of massive timber construction, the chancel roof being particularly elaborate and springing from granite shafted, and toi,fated corbels. "Almost every fitting and feature has reference to the Lore of masonry." (Pevsner) Internally and externally such reference extends not only to the front, lectern and communion rail but to roof trusses, stained glass and more abstract qualities such as proportions which are said to relate to those of Solomon's temple. The church is probably James Medland Taylor's finest work. B.o.E.

Listing NGR: SD8913213832

Content

This is part of the Series: IOE01/1091 Ioe Records Taken By Pamela Jackson; within the Collection: IOE01 Images Of England

Rights

© Ms Pamela Jackson. Source: Historic England Archive

This photograph was taken for the Images of England project