- St Anne's Church, Woodplumpton
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St Anne's, Woodplumpton 
Location in Lancashire
Coordinates: 53°48′14″N 2°45′42″W / 53.8039°N 2.7617°W OS grid reference SD 4993434445 Location Woodplumpton, Lancashire Country England Denomination Anglican Architecture Status Parish church Functional status Active Heritage designation Grade II* Designated 11 November 1966 Architect(s) Austin and Paley (additions and restoration 1899–1900) Administration Diocese Blackburn Province York St Anne's is a parish church in the village of Woodplumpton in Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican church in the Diocese of Blackburn and the archdeaconry of Lancaster. It has been designated a Grade II* listed building by English Heritage. The churchyard at St Anne's is the supposed burial place of a 17th century alleged witch named Meg Shelton.
Contents
History
Historically, Woodplumpton was in the ancient parish of St Michael's on Wyre, served by the parish church of St Michael. There is architectural evidence of a chapel at Woodplumpton prior to 1200; documentary evidence of such a structure dates from 1552.[1] The church was largely rebuilt in 1630.[2] The south aisle was added in 1748.[3] In 1899–1900 the Lancaster firm of architects Austin and Paley made additions and carried out a restoration of the church.[4] In 1966 English Heritage designated the church a Grade II* listed building.[5] The Grade II* listing is for "particularly important buildings of more than special interest".[6]
Architecture
Exterior
St Anne's sits on high ground in the south of the village.[1] It is constructed of red and yellow sandstone, and of gritstone with sandstone dressings.[1] The roofs are slate and stone slate.[5] Its plan consists of a nave with north and south aisles, chancel, a west tower and a vestry to the north-east.[5] The nave and aisles are all under separate gabled roofs.[5]
The tower has a window with a round head, a square clock face on the south wall, a moulded cornice and a simple Gibbs surround. It is topped by an octagonal cupola with rounded arches.[3] At the top of the cupola is a small stone dome and a weathervane.[5]
Interior and fittings
There is no structural division between the nave and the chancel; the chancel, which occupies one and a half bays, is enclosed by oak screens.[1] The north arcade has five two-centred, chamfered arches on octagonal piers with moulded caps and bases.[5] The north and south arcades are in the Perpendicular style.[3] The south aisle, 13 feet (4.0 m) wide,[1] is in the Classical style with pilasters, entablature and a moulded cornice. It has a crenellated parapet.[5] The church has two bells, dating from 1596[7] and 1837.[1]
Churchyard
Boulder signifying the grave of "Singleton witch" Meg Shelton
The churchyard lies mostly to the south and west of the church.[1] There are stocks close to the lychgate. These date from the 18th century or earlier, and have been restored. They have two stone shafts with round heads, the right-hand of which is inscribed with the initials "AB". They have received a Grade II designation from English Heritage.[8] There is a sundial south of the church. The dial, which sits on an octagonal stone shaft, is dated 1657.[1] The plate and gnomon are brass. The sundial has also been given a Grade II listing.[9]
Woodplumpton churchyard is said to be the burial place of an alleged witch, a local 17th century woman named Meg Shelton who was known as the "Singleton witch" or the "Fylde Hag".[10][11] According to legend, she was buried upside down to prevent her from escaping. The spot is marked by a boulder.[12]
References
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f g h Farrer & Brownbill (1912), pp. 284-91
- ^ Porter (1876), p. 471
- ^ a b c Hartwell & Pevsner (2009), p. 708
- ^ Price (1998), p. 97
- ^ a b c d e f g "Church of St Anne", Heritage Gateway (English Heritage), http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=185979&resourceID=5, retrieved 22 September 2010
- ^ "Listed Buildings", English Heritage, 2010, http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/caring/listing/listed-buildings/, retrieved 19 August 2011
- ^ "Woodplumpton", Database of historically significant bells and bellframes, 29 October 2007, http://www.churchcare.co.uk/bells.php, "To see the record, enter "Woodplumpton" in the "Parish or Location" text box and hit "Search the database""
- ^ "Stocks Circa 5 Metres South Of Lychgate To Church Of St Anne", Heritage Gateway (English Heritage), http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=185981&resourceID=5, retrieved 22 September 2010
- ^ "Sundial Circa 20 Metres South Of West End Of Church Of St Anne", Heritage Gateway (English Heritage), http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=185980&resourceID=5, retrieved 22 September 2010
- ^ Fishwick (1891), p. 200
- ^ "The Woodplumpton Witch", BBC Lancashire (BBC), 15 December 2005, http://www.bbc.co.uk/lancashire/content/articles/2005/10/06/spooky_woodplumpton_witch_feature.shtml, retrieved 22 September 2010
- ^ Fields (1998), p. 158
Sources
- Farrer, William; Brownbill, J., eds. (1912), "Townships — Woodplumpton", A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 7 (Constable), OCLC 59626695, http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53239
- Fields, Kenneth (1998), Lancashire Magic & Mystery: Secrets of the Red Rose County, Sigma, ISBN 1850586063
- Fishwick, Henry (1891), The History of the Parish of St. Michaels-on-Wyre in the County of Lancaster, Manchester, OCLC 5153152
- Hartwell, Clare; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2009) [1969], Lancashire: North, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, ISBN 0300126670
- Porter, John (1876), History of the Fylde of Lancashire, W. Porter, OCLC 12931605
- Price, James (1998), Sharpe, Paley and Austin: A Lancaster Architectural Practice 1836–1942, Lancaster: Centre for North-West Regional Studies, ISBN 1-86220-054-8
External links
Categories:- Church of England churches in Lancashire
- Diocese of Blackburn
- Grade II* listed buildings in Lancashire
- Grade II* listed churches
- Austin and Paley buildings
- The Fylde
- Buildings and structures in Preston
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