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The story of our church begins around the year 1850 with the building of Knott’s Mill when a number of Anglican families moved into the area. They had a long journey to attend the nearest church, St. Luke’s, as all of Lowton was one parish at that time. However, for their convenience, services and a Sunday school were held in what is now a public house — the Church Inn.
But it wasn't long before William J. Leigh, who was M.P. for South Lancashire, saw the need for a Church and a School in the area and he gave the site for the Church and the old school. Miss Mary Leigh of Hale, near Liverpool, offered to be the Patroness and provided most of the money for the buildings. She was a descendant of a Mr. Leigh, a tanner, who lived at Lowton Hall Farm in the 18th century, and she had inherited the estate.
The architect responsible for the building of the Church was Mr. Edward G. Paley of Lancaster who drew up the plans in May 1858. In 1859 the contract to build was given to James Fairclough of Wigan, the cost being £1,073.15s.Od (£1,073.75). The first sod for the foundation of the church was cut by a Mr. J. Smith and turned over by Mr. Foster, Rector of St. Luke’s Church. The building of the church was completed before May 1860 and a further eighteen months was then allowed for the equipping and furnishing of the building.
Most of the area which now forms the Diocese of Liverpool was, at that time, in the Diocese of Chester, and so it was the Lord Bishop of Chester who Consecrated and opened the Church of Lowton St. Mary on Thursday, 21st November 1861, and the Deed of Consecration bears his signature. Witnesses to the signing of the Deed were F. G. Hopwood, Rector of Winwick, Thomas Foster, Rector of Lowton St. Luke’s, and John Whiteley, Rector of Newton.
The first Vicar of St. Mary’s was the Rev. James William Smart Simpson. The first Churchwardens were two farmers — John Battersby and James Leather. The aforementioned J. Smith was appointed as sexton, clerk and apparitor. He carried out his duties at the church for thirty five years and was paid £5 a year! He lived and died in a thatched cottage, now demolished, which stood near the playground car park.
The Deed of Consecration is a lengthy and complex document but, nevertheless, very interesting. In speaking of the benefactors, it reads: "Mary Leigh of Hale, aided by the voluntary subscriptions of divers other pious and well disposed persons hath caused this Church to be erected." It concludes: "She has given one thousand pounds towards the building and a further seven hundred pounds to provide an endowment for the Minister’s salary." It also records that Thomas Brideoake gave land at the rear of the present church hall with the idea that it might provide a site for a vicarage.
Structurally the church has remained more or less unaltered since 1861. The original plans show the organ on the north wall of the chancel, although very early on it was moved to its present position, and the choir stalls on the south side of the chancel. The Vicar’s vestry at this time was entered through a door in the nave.
The original lighting in the church, especially during the winter months, was not adequate and so, in 1923, after considering the alternatives of gas or electric lighting it was agreed to install the latter, although in the early days the supply fluctuated according to the weather. Seven years later, in 1930, the Vicar’s vestry was extended to its present size, and the Chancel and Sanctuary were refurnished in limed oak. A new organ was installed and dedicated in 1933 and is still in use today. The following year the original stone pulpit was dismantled and replaced by our present oak pulpit.
The main structural addition to our church came in our Centenary year with the building of the Choir Vestry. This was built with money raised by the Centenary Fund and was dedicated in November 1961 by the Bishop of Warrington.
The church has some very fine stained glass windows. The impressive East Window was given by Robert Farrar Brideoake, the son of Thomas Brideoake, and depicts our Lord’s Nativity. The nave contains three stained glass windows. On the north side the window, given in memory of the Rev. J. W. Simpson and his wife, depicts David and Jonathan. On the south side of the nave are two windows, the first showing The Good Shepherd, given in memory of the Rev. William Berridge, and the second depicting St. Luke and St. John, given in memory of Thomas Leigh Travers and Mary Ann Travers.
Just inside the main door is a brass tablet ‘raised by subscription’ which records the service of James Smith, the first clerk and sexton, 1861-1896. Above the door is a panel bearing the names of past vicars. This was presented to the Church by Miss Guest in memory of her father, Dr. Guest. The list of names is as follows:
J.W.Simpson 1861 - 1886
W. A. Nicklin 1886 - 1890
William Berridge M.A. 1890 - 1897
Francis Smith 1897 - 1914
Benjamin Webster 1914 - 1919
George Arthur Guest M.A. 1919 - 1925
William Samuel Jones M.A. 1925 -1936
Arthur A. Shaw L.Th. 1936 - 1941
Donald Arthur Smart 1941 - 1949
Albert Edward Newby 1949 -1969
Robert Alexander Lally 1969 - 1982
Bob Britton 1983 – 2002
In memory of the Rev. A. E. Newby a bench seat and an oak cupboard for hymn books and prayer books were fitted at the rear of the Church in 1972, and in 1983, in memory of the Rev. R. A. Lally, the Vicar’s vestry was equipped with a cupboard for the storage and safe keeping of church documents and records.
Amongst these are the Church Registers which date back from 1862, and by looking at the Burial Register we can see the high infant mortality rate in those early years of our church’s history. Of the first twenty-four burials in the churchyard, only seven were adults. The first wedding in the church took place in March 1862 and it is interesting and revealing to note that both parties could not write but signed the register with ‘their mark’ — an X.
One document in the church is a plan of the original seating in 1861 which shows that the center pews and those on the Lectern side were ‘Paid Sittings’ — the average fee being 5 shillings (25p) per seat which raised approximately £25 per year. The seats on the Pulpit side, except for three rows, were free, as were the four rows which were behind the Font. The Sunday School children sat on benches where the choir stalls now are. It was not until 1917 that it was agreed that all seats in the church were to be free.
Looking back through the records certainly gives many insights into the early life of our church from many angles. For example, on the financial scene, the accounts for the year 1892/3 show a total expenditure for the year of £104 which includes payments to the sick and poor of £2.l0s.0d (£2.50) and one payment of 10 shillings (50p) for organ blowing for the year!
Of the visiting dignitaries to our church, one was Bishop Ryle who came in 1890 and who preached a sermon which was well received. This is one comment which was recorded, in dialect, at the time: "He’s one othe reet soart of parsons. He didn dally but went reet at his wark, and he didn begin furt exalt hisel, but plain forrard talk and wen eed dun he gav oer beant anny mur bother."
The church ‘officials’ up to 1916 consisted of two wardens and four sidesmen, but in that year the latter were increased to twelve ‘to increase the interest of the people.’
In 1917 they formed a Church Council, but with the advent of the new Enabling Act, a Parochial Church Council as we know it, consisting of 20 members and 2 wardens was elected in 1920 and its first meeting was held in May 1920.
In 1955 the Trustees of Lowton Independent Methodist Chapel very generously made a gift of a twelve yard strip of land parallel to the churchyard to be used as an extension to the graveyard. This land was consecrated by the Bishop of Warrington on the 25th May, 1983 and is now in use.
In 1965 the School Managers and the Parochial Church Council first discussed the possibility of building a new school to replace the one which had served the parish for over 100 years. The land on which the ‘old school’ was built was given, as mentioned before, by William J. Leigh and the money for the building provided by Miss Mary Leigh, and these gifts are noted by an inscription on a stone at the front of the building which reads:
These Schools
Were erected by Miss Mary Leigh of Hale
Patroness of St. Mary’s
On land given by William J. Leigh, M.P. for
South Lancashire 1862
The new school was built in three phases. 1970 saw the completion, and the opening by Mrs. F. Newby, of the first phase of the building — the hall. The Infant Department began its life in 1973 and the Junior Department in 1976. In March of the following year the school was officially Opened and Dedicated by the Rt. Rev. Michael Henshall, B.A. Bishop of Warrington.
The ‘old school’, of course, is still with us and continues to serve the church and community in a dual role. It was transformed in 1977 into a Nursery Unit, run in conjunction with our new school, and into a Church Hall, which is now ‘home’ for several of our organizations, and is used quite extensively for a variety of purposes.
In January of 1983 we welcomed the Rev. Bob Britton as our Vicar, together with his wife Wynn, and their family. Our church life was strong and healthy; there was an increase in the size of the congregation and the laity started taking a greater part in our services. Each month we held a Family Service when the Church was frequently filled ‘to capacity’. A healthy sign, too, was the continuing rising attendance in our Sunday School (later re-named J.A.M. Club [Jesus and Me]) and the fact that our children and youth organizations were full, and several had ‘waiting lists’. A keen interest in the Bible developed and almost fifty adults belonged to the two Bible Study Groups.
Every Ascension Day a Day of Prayer and Gifts was held when there were people praying in church from 7 o'clock in the morning until 7 o'clock at night. This continues to this day.
Perhaps an accurate reflection of the love our people have for their church was shown in 1984/5 when some £10,000 was given and raised in approximately 12 months for the re-roofing of the church which was carried out and completed in 1984.
Generosity, too, was evident through gifts and furnishings given to the church. These included kneelers for the choir and congregation, an amplification system, a white linen cloth for the Lord’s Table, containers for the wine, water and bread at Holy Communion, a Lectern Bible, an Altar Service Book, Hymn books, Service Books and a beautiful portable oak Baptismal Font.
In April of 1986 we undertook a ‘Parish Visit’ when each home in the parish was visited by a member of our congregation who left a Church Magazine and an information leaflet about St. Mary’s. This was followed in May by a Procession of Witness — the first for many, many years — in which the majority of our congregation, our organizations and Day School took part. These annual processions continued for many years but eventually had to stop because of the high cost of policing.
Our relationships with our neighboring churches of other denominations were good, having been strengthened and enriched by members meeting together for study and the congregations joining together more frequently for acts of worship.
To mark the 125th Anniversary in 1986, the church was redecorated, the pews re-furbished and the aisles and chancel re-carpeted. A display giving the history of the church was exhibited in the Church Hall and an historical booklet, from which most of the information recorded here (up to 1986) was produced.
By 1988 the organ was beginning to show its age and a further large sum was raised so that the organ could be rebuilt. Its completion was marked with an organ recital being given by Professor Ian Tracey, the celebrated Cathedral organist.
One of the big events of 1989 was the formation of the Winwick Deanery of which St Mary's are now part - we were formerly part of the Warrington Deanery.
Then in 1990, in agreement with neighboring parishes, some of the Parish boundaries were changed to make allowance for some of the new estates that had been built and also to remove many anomalies.
In May 1991 Radio Merseyside recorded a Songs of Praise from St Mary's - this was broadcast later in the year.
As part of the celebrations to mark the Millennium, a capsule, which contained photographs and other memorabilia, was buried in the Church grounds. The intention is that this will be opened in 100 years time to give the people of 2101 an idea of what Church life was like in 2001. A copy of St Mark's Gospel was also given to all the primary school children in the Parish and new kneelers were made by the Mothers' Union.
The year 2001 also saw the introduction of the use of Common Worship Services in Church. These replaced the ASB (Alternative Service Book) which, in turn, had replaced the Book of Common Prayer some 20 years earlier. The end of the year also saw the refurbishment of both the choir and vicar's vestries and the installation of new lights in church.
In May 2002 we said goodbye to the Rev Bob Britton and Wynn as they went into retirement. Amongst the many farewell gifts from the members of the church in appreciation of all that Bob and Wynn had done was a day trip on the Northern Belle to Durham. A celebratory party was also held in Lowton Civic Hall.
Fortunately the interregnum didn't last too long and on the 5th February 2003 the Rev Bill Stalker was licensed as Priest-in-Charge of St Mary's and he and wife Pam quickly won their way into the hearts of the parishioners - well, what else would you expect of a Scouser! Bill, with the help of members of the congregation, has introduced several new initiatives including the Going for Growth and Giving in Grace programs; prayer triplets and clusters; Open Church whereby the church building is open every morning for anybody who wants to spend time in prayer and contemplation; and the church website.
In November 2004 St Mary's together with Lowton St Luke's and Golborne St Thomas' were officially commissioned as a Church Cluster whereby we will continue and increase the co-operation and sharing that has existed over many years between the three Parishes.
The Church continues to grow and flourish and we have much to thank God for by the way He has provided for our needs, both in the past and in the present. We can be sure we can trust Him to continue to provide in the future and, resting in this certainty, may we continue to be faithful to Him and grow and go from strength to strength in the Lord. |
