One of a pair of outstanding early nineteenth century Catholic churches in Wigan. A Jesuit church built in 1819 in a classical style that offers a bold and presumably deliberate contrast to the gothic of the nearby secular church of St Mary. The church interior is a single volume, with a gallery at the west end and a magnificent sanctuary ensemble, dominated by J.J. Scoles’ temple-like baldacchino over the high altar. The Walmesley memorial cross in front of the church was designed by A.W.N. Pugin.
In 1573 the Bishop of Chester described the Catholics of Wigan as ‘stubborn recusants’, and the old faith was to endure in the town throughout penal times. A Jesuit school or college was established outside the town, where in 1687 Bishop Leyburn confirmed no fewer than 1,331 people in two September days. Work started about this time on the building of a church, but the Protestant Revolution of 1688 meant that it was never finished.
In 1740 Fr Charles Brockholes SJ took up residence in Standishgate, where he built a house with chapel at his own expense. From here he administered to a congregation of 300 ‘customers’, as discretion demanded they be described. This was replaced by a purpose-built chapel in 1785, which was located approximately on the current site of the Walmesley Cross.
By 1819 the congregation had increased from 300 to 3,000, and a new church was needed. The foundation stone was laid on 27 January 1818, and the church was opened on 24 June 1819. It was built amidst some controversy (the Vicar Apostolic had plans for a new church – St Mary’s – to be served by secular clergy), to hold over 1,000 people, and cost just over £6,000. It was built at the back of the site, behind the 1785 chapel, which was demolished once the new church was complete and replaced with two houses framing the access from Standishgate (only one of which survives). The architect of the church is not known for certain, but Bryan Little suggests Robert Haulbrook, a local mason, whose bill accounted for almost half of the cost. However, the involvement of an architect seems likely, and one intriguing possibility might be Joseph Ireland, who was from an old Yorkshire Catholic family and worked almost exclusively for a Catholic clientele. Ireland’s chapel of St Mary, Enfield near Clayton-le-Moors, Lancashire (now demolished) was, like St John’s, classical and built in 1819. It was the successor to the chapel at Dunkenhalgh House, which had previously belonged to the Walmesley family, and moreover was served by Jesuit priests from Stonyhurst. There is no known documentation to link Ireland with St John’s, but the stylistic and circumstantial evidence suggests it as a possibility meriting further investigation.
The earliest and most notable scheme of redecoration and enrichment was carried out in 1834 by J.J. Scoles, favoured architect of the Jesuits, who was also working at Stonyhurst about this time. The beautiful wooden circular tempietto over the present marble altar is presumably his design, and formed part of the Revd Henry Gradwell’s augmentation of the chapel. Scoles designed a timber altar, incorporating a carved Continental panel in the frontal. This was replaced by the present marble high altar in 1959 (the incorporated panel was salvaged and stored in the vault below the sanctuary, where it remains). Scoles also added pilasters and a plinth around the perimeter walls of the chapel (some accounts incorrectly state that this work was carried out in 1849).
Work carried out in 1849 involved polychrome redecoration, under the direction of Henry Taylor Bulmer, an artist and decorator widely used by the Jesuits. The central window opening in the sanctuary was blocked to show the internal decorations to better effect and four new stained glass windows by William Wailes of Newcastle were added in the nave, the gift of the Revd Henry Walmesley SJ (the stained glass was releaded and the figures reset in plain glass in the 1920s). These mid-nineteenth century embellishments were carried out by the Revd Maurice Mann SJ, who also added a small stone sacristy on the north side of the church about this time.
In 1852, a stone memorial to Charles and Elizabeth Walmesley was erected by their children in front of the church. Charles Walmsley had been a leading figure in the construction of the church and had laid the foundation stone. The memorial was designed by A.W.N. Pugin and carved by George Myers.
A further redecoration took place in 1874, when the window behind the high altar was re-opened and provided with stained glass by William Gardner of St Helens.
In 1885, under Fr Gradwell, the church was paved with tiles, new benches installed, and gas lighting fixtures introduced. Fr Gradwell died in 1893 and in his memory marble altar rails were erected around the sanctuary, executed by J. and H. Patterson of Manchester. The pedestals of the engaged columns near the altar were also panelled and cased with marble. A Mr Preston of Wigan carried out alterations to the sanctuary, with a new arrangement of steps and new flooring of herringbone pitch-pine boards.
The Jesuits handed the church over to the Archdiocese of Liverpool in 1933. In 1959 the wooden high altar was replaced by the present marble one, and a marble Lady altar introduced. The permanent altars enabled the church to be consecrated, and this took place on 17 June 1959. In 1962 an addition was built on the south side of the church, housing a baptistery and larger sacristies, from designs by T.B. Marsden of Southport.
The church underwent major repairs in the early 1990s, including rewiring and the treatment for dry rot. This was followed by liturgical reordering, by Anthony Grimshaw Associates. The main elements (high altar, communion rails, pulpit) were retained and a dais with altar, ambo and presidential chair installed in the nave. The benches for the congregation were arranged around the dais on three sides. A carpet was fitted in the circulation areas of the nave, repeating the pattern of the tiles below, and the polychrome scheme of decoration was renewed. The font was brought back into the main body of the church, this time near the sanctuary, and the 1959 Lady altar was relocated to the former baptistery in the 1962 extension, to form a Lady Chapel.
Description
The interior was not inspected at the time of the listing, and is therefore not described in detail in the list entry (below). In addition to those mentioned above, the principle features include:
List descriptions
Church
GV II*
Roman Catholic church. Dated 1819 on frieze of colonnaded porch; restoration in progress at time of inspection (July 1992). MATERIALS: sandstone ashlar, hipped slate roof. STYLE: Classical. PLAN: rectangular, set back from, and at right-angles to street. EXTERIOR: 2-storey 5-bay symmetrical west front with full-width Ionic colonnaded porch, the frieze inscribed “ERECTED ANNO DOMINI MDCCCXIX”, 1st-floor impost band, cornice with blocking course and small central upstand. Large round- headed doorways in the 3 centre bays, all with stepped voussoirs, panelled double doors and fanlights with radiating glazing bars; and at 1st floor large round-headed windows in the 1st, 3rd and 5th bays, that in the centre now filled with C20 mosaic and the others with renewed arched joinery. 4-bay side walls, pilastered, with large round-headed windows in the 1st 3 bays; small vestry with hipped roof attached to 4th bay of north side; louvred cupola with domed roof over 4th bay of south side. Rear: large round-headed window in centre, flanked by pairs of 12-pane sashes on 2 levels. INTERIOR: not accessible at time of inspection, but noted to have Corinthian pilasters with entablature and prominent mutuled cornice, internal apse with giant Corinthian semi-columns and elaborate baldacchino, and west gallery on Corinthian columns. Forms group with Walmesley monument in front (qv) and with No.93 (St John’s Club (qv)) beside entrance passage.
(Little B: Catholic Churches since 1623: London: 1966-; Watkin D: The Buildings of Britain: Regency: London: 1982-).
Walmesley Cross
GV II
Commemorative cross. Dated 1852 on base, said to be by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (Pevsner). Commemorates Charles and Elizabeth Walmesley. Sandstone. Mounted on 3 square steps; square pedestal with dedicatory inscription; square shaft with roll-moulded corners, shields and symbols of the Evangelists at the base, figures of the Virgin and St John on corbels at the top, and a crocketed gablet. Forms group with Church of St John (qv) and with No.93 (St John’s Club, qv). (The Buildings of England: Pevsner N: South Lancashire: 1969-: 425).
St John’s Club
GV II
Probably a school; occupied as club since c1900. c1820; altered. Handmade red brick in Flemish bond, with sandstone plinth and dressings, hipped slate roof. Rectangular plan at right-angles to street, forming south side of passageway to Church of St John. 2 storeys, 1:3:1 windows, symmetrical, with a pedimented 3-bay centre; plinth, 1st-floor sillband, moulded cornice and pediment. The centre has a large round-headed doorway (up 2 steps with nosings), with a set-in wooden doorcase including slender semi-columns and an entablature with triglyphs and guttae, a 6-panel door and blocked fanlight (replacing former metal radial fanlight). Both floors have sashed windows with raised sills and wedge lintels, mostly unhorned and 12-paned, but 4-paned at 1st floor of 1st bay and both floors of 5th bay. One-bay extension to left with 4-pane sashed window at 1st floor only. Right-hand return (facing street) has entrance to club. INTERIOR not inspected. Forms group with Church of St John (qv) and with Walmesley monument (qv) in front of church.
Text amended and new photos added by AHP 04.01.2025
Architect: Possibly Richard Haulbrook, mason
Original Date: 1819
Conservation Area: Yes
Listed Grade: Grade II*
