All Saints' Church

Cadw's description

Location

Situated in a rectangular walled churchyard in Bryn Pen-y-Lan and reached from a by-road running S off the A539.

History

Built for James Ormrod 1887-9 by Bolton architect R. Knill Freeman in memory of Ormrod's wife Cordelia. Ormrod inherited Pen-y-Lan Hall from his brother-in-law Thomas Hardcastle of the Bolton manufacturers Ormrod & Hardcastle.

Exterior

Fairly free architectural treatment with some C14 detailing reminiscent of the later years of the Austin & Paley practice. Red sandstone blocks with horizontal tooling laid in courses; courses of smaller narrower blocks interspersed. Tiled roof with iron crucifix finial at east end and a bellcote with three bells over the chancel arch. Polygonal east end, projecting porch to N and large vestry to S. Stepped buttresses with blind tracery detailing, carved heads and grotesques at eaves, porch is gabled. Chancel windows are flat-headed with C14 style tracery, others with tracery of various historical styles.

Red sandstone crenellated churchyard wall and lych gate.

Interior

Aisless with barrel-vault roof to nave and chancel, that in the latter with painted and stencilled designs and texts in gold, black and green. Wide chancel arch, steps up to chancel which has floor of encaustic tiles, steps up to altar.

Furnishings: Font at W end, stone with marble stem; oak pulpit on sandstone base N side of chancel arch; oak pews, oak chancel screen with rood and open arcading with ironwork by Worrall; ornate carved choir furnishings: organ by H.H. Whitely of Chester with painted and stencilled pipes; ornate carved reredos with panels painted by A.O. Hemming signed and dated 1907. A scheme of good painted and stained glass in chancel, probably by the Lancaster firm Shrigley & Hunt.

Reason for designation

Listed as an architectural design of some distinction with an unusually good contemporary interior scheme.