“The monuments form a familiar contrast of medieval serenity and Georgian bombast.”
Category: Lancashire
Slaidburn, St Andrew, Lancashire, *
“The church sits proud on a mound, with a former village grammar school beyond it. The interior is notable for its 17th and 19th-century woodwork.”
Lancaster, St Mary, Lancashire, **
“Lancaster’s treasure is the set of choir stalls, with some of the most remarkable woodcarvings in the north of England…Set into their backs are modern tapestries, a drastic intrusion but one which works surprisingly well. They were designed by Guy Barton and worked by ladies of the paris in 1962-75. The soft reds, blues and gold in Gothic settings offer an excellent foil for the surrounding stalls.”
Barton-Upon-Irwell, All Saints RC, Lancashire, **
“The interior is extraordinary. The small nave has arcades of banded painted stone with the most effusive floral capitals imaginable. At the west end is a large gallery with gaudy modern window glass.”
Blackburn Cathedral, Lancashire
A moving and rare expression of 20th century Anglican faith, with a giant sculpture of the “Working Christ” on a weaver’s loom.
Preston, LDS Temple, Lancashire
While local LDS chapels are all cookie cutter utilitarianism, their temples are a different story, built in the tradition of the great Anglican cathedrals of past centuries, radiant with the faith and vitality of today’s expanding Mormon membership.
Standish, St Wilfrid, Lancashire, **
I wish I could have captured the beauty of the interior, but I was rushed by the parish priest, who was on his way out. The exterior “stands big and black, defying the surrounding housing estates, motorways, flyovers and superstores. Damn the lot of them, it seems to cry, and erects a battlemented gatehouse as if to keep them out.”
Great Mitton, All Hallows, Lancashire, **
“The tombs are among the best in the county.”
My long-suffering wife, regretting coming along for today’s pilgrimage.
A Photo Pilgrimage to England's Thousand Best Churches 