St Alban's Church is in Lindsell Road, Broadheath,

Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester, southwest of Sale, Greater Manchester, Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2021 United Kingdom ce ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...

, England. It is an active

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

in the deanery of Bowdon, the Archdeaconry of Macclesfield, and the diocese of Chester. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

History

The first church services in Broadheath were conducted in 1853 in a canal boat on the

Bridgewater Canal The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, Greater Manchester, Leigh, in North West England. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester. It was ...

. 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. The west end of the church was not finished at the time, the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

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

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

aisle An aisle is a linear space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, in buildings such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parliaments, courtrooms, ...

s, north and south transepts, a vestry, and a

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Broadheath, St Alban's Church Church of England church buildings in Greater Manchester Grade II listed churches in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford Diocese of Chester Austin and Paley buildings Gothic Revival church buildings in Greater Manchester Churches completed in 1900 Churches completed in 2000 20th-century Church of England church buildings Saint Alban's English churches dedicated to St Alban

History

Architecture

See also

References