St Alban's Church, Broadheath

St Alban's Church is in Lindsell Road, Broadheath, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Bowdon, the Archdeaconry of Macclesfield, and the diocese of Chester.[1] The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.[2]

St Alban's Church, Broadheath
St Alban's Church, Broadheath Location in Greater Manchester
OS grid reference	SJ 767 896
Location	Lindsell Road, Broadheath, Altrincham, Greater Manchester
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St Alban, Broadheath
History
Status	Parish church
Dedication	Saint Alban
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	12 July 1985
Architect(s)	Austin and Paley
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1899
Completed	1900
Specifications
Materials	Brick with stone dressings Tiled roofs
Administration
Parish	St Alban, Broadheath
Deanery	Bowdon
Archdeaconry	Macclesfield
Diocese	Chester
Province	York
Clergy
Vicar(s)	Revd Daud Gill
Laity
Reader(s)	Peter Johnson, Jean Bailey
Churchwarden(s)	Eileen Dixon, June Nixon (Dept)

History

The first church services in Broadheath were conducted in 1853 in a canal boat on the Bridgewater Canal. In 1871 a school was built and the services were moved there. Building of the church began in 1899. It was designed by the Lancaster firm of architects, Austin and Paley, and opened for worship on 8 November 1900. The vestry and bellcote were added in 1902. St Alban's became a parish in its own right in January 1911.[3] The west end of the church was not finished at the time, the nave having only two bays. It was completed towards the end of the 20th century, the architect being Geoff Worsley, and the additions were consecrated in 2000. In 2008 an immersion font was installed in the nave.[4]

Architecture

St Alban's is constructed in brick with stone dressings, and is roofed in clay tiles. Its plan consists of a nave with a clerestory, north and south aisles, north and south transepts, a vestry, and a chancel. The clerestory has three-light windows, and there are four-light windows along the sides of the aisles. The east window has five lights, and the west wall is blank. The south transept forms a continuation of the aisle, but the north transept is taller, it carries the bellcote, and has its own roof. The vestry has a pyramidal roof.[2][4]

Inside the church, the brick arcades are carried on octagonal stone piers. In the chancel are a sedilia and piscina, both with ogee-heads.[2] The 2000 extension contains doors leading to offices. The immersion font is "like a narrow swimming pool in the middle of the nave".[4]

See also

• Listed buildings in Altrincham
• List of churches in Greater Manchester
• List of ecclesiastical works by Austin and Paley (1916–44)

References

1. St Alban, Broadheath, Church of England, retrieved 31 January 2012
2. Historic England, "Church of St Alban, Altrincham (1107845)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 31 January 2012
3. History of our Church, St Alban's, Broadheath, retrieved 31 January 2012
4. Hartwell, Clare; Hyde, Matthew; Hubbard, Edward; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2011) [1971], Cheshire, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, p. 98, ISBN 978-0-300-17043-6