Church Heritage Record 603263

5-bay nave and 3-bay apsed chancel under one roof, with narrow north and south aisles, south porch, south-west tower (uncompleted) and south chapel both attached to south aisle, and north transept with attached vestry. Recent parish hall attached to north aisle.

Nave estimated to be c 27m x 8m (90ft x 26ft).

Built 1908, designed by Austin and Paley.  The tower was never finished, and was capped at the first stage.  It was built in a prosperous new residential area of the developing Preston suburb of Ashton-on-Ribble, named after nearby Ashton Hall.  It was not originally a parish church, being a chapel-of-ease to St Marks until this was made redundant in the 1980s and vested in the CCT.  The organ chamber now also houses an office for Christian Aid.

Ashton was settled in the early medieval period and there is documentary evidence for a medieval hall and motte-and-bailey castle (Tulketh Hall) in the vicinity of the site. The site may therefore be of some archaeological potential for this and later periods, and the Sites and Monuments Record should be consulted before any development is contemplated.

The church is designed in the Perpendicular style in an Arts-and-Crafts manner, but is powerful rather than being in any way folksy, and may be considered in the very first rank of work by this leading architectural partnership.  Even in its truncated state, this is a very fine church indeed.

The uncompleted tower, square and of one tall stage, has plain square angle-buttresses and a shallow pyramidal roof.   There is a south-west stair-turret.  Large segmental-pointed south doorway with moulded surround and double doors with traceried panels and ornamental strap-hinges, flanked by short bands of blind arcading. There is a large 2-centred arched 5-light traceried window above this.

The nave has ten segmental-pointed 2-light clerestory windows on the north side, and seven on the south side, all with 2-stage traceried heads.  Stepped parapets only at the west end, a large west window of 5-lights with stepped tracery including brattished bands. The aisles have square-headed mullioned windows mostly of 3-lights, with alternating forms of mouchette tracery. 

The porch has a moulded segmental-pointed doorway with hoodmould, flanked by unusual drum-shaped angle buttresses, a string course and high parapet raised over a triangular headed traceried panel with carving of St Michael.

The chancel has three clearstorey windows on the south side matching those of the nave, and at the east end a short canted full-height sanctuary, with buttresses flanking a large segmental-pointed east window of five lights with stepped 2-stage tracery, and a plain parapet carried round from the side.

The chapel has two windows in the side like those of the aisle, an embattled parapet with blind-arcaded upstands, and an arched 4-light east window with elaborate tracery including brattishing. The north transept (the organ chamber) has windows like those of the nave, and the vestry, which wraps round it and is single-storeyed, has various windows like those of the aisles.

Moving inside, one encounters a vast space of bare stone walls. The west end has a balustraded balcony. The aisle arcades of moulded 2-centred arches are carried on octagonal columns with moulded capitals, carrying  kingpost roof trusses with curved struts passing through a waggon-roof ceiling.  The clearstorey windows are paired within segmental-arched openings. The nave is fully pewed with dark-stained benches, with nicely carved choir stalls in the chancel.  A nave altar has been introduced. Carpets over quarry tiled floors.

There are semi-octagonal responds in place of a chancel arch (there is a pointed arch to the apsidal sanctuary), with tracery panels and surmounted by very large wooden angels with outspread wings.  A very tall 2-bay arcade to the north transept of the chancel is juxtaposed in typical Austin & Paley fashion with a lower arcade to the chancel aisle and beyond this a 3-bay arcade to the chapel. The chancel east window is a blaze of 1960’s blue and red, contrasting sharply with the traditional stone reredos beneath. The floor is of chequerboard flags.  There is a double sedilia with tracery in the 4-centred arched heads in the south wall of the sanctuary, and an aumbry of similar form.