Bell Tower - St Luke - Sheen, Staffordshire
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SMacB
N 53° 09.032 W 001° 49.938
30U E 578089 N 5889653
Bell tower of St Luke's church, Sheen, with a ring of 6 bells.
Waymark Code: WM16QDT
Location: East Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/17/2022
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Bell tower of St Luke's church, Sheen, with a ring of 6 bells.
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"The present church of ST. LUKE, a dedication in use by the 18th century, dates from 1852. Its predecessor was built between 1828 and 1832 and itself replaced a church dating from the Middle Ages or the 16th century. In the 18th century that church consisted of a chancel, a nave with a south porch, and a west tower.
The tower at least appears to have been built or rebuilt in the 16th century: the curate Henry Longworth (d. 1540 or 1541) left money for building a tower, to be spent within three years of his death, and in 1559 Ralph Gylmen left money for the same purpose.
The church was rebuilt apart from much of the north wall between 1828 and 1832. For over a year during the early stages of the work no services were held, but the new building was in use by 1830. It was in 'no regular style of architecture' and consisted of an aisleless nave with a communion table at the east end, a south door, and a west tower. There was a west gallery, and a vestry was formed in the base of the tower.
The church was later described by Benjamin Webb as 'a well meant but wholly unecclesiastical structure', and in 1850 A. J. B. Hope offered to rebuild it at his own expense.
The new church was consecrated in 1852. Built of rough ashlar gritstone, it consists of a chancel with a north vestry, an aisleless nave of nearly the same size as its predecessor, a south porch, and a west tower, all in a 14th-century syle. It was designed, like the school, by C. W. Burleigh of Leeds. Hope became dissatisfied with him and on his resignation replaced him with William Butterfield, who designed the vestry, the reredos, and the font. The north wall was again retained. The tower of the former church was remodelled, buttressed, and raised by a belfry stage. A spire was planned, but its building was deferred because the foundations of the tower were feared to be inadequate. A temporary pyramidal cap was replaced in 1864 by a short wooden spire, now covered with copper."
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