Welcome

Welcome to the Web Site of Christ Church, Accrington. We hope you enjoy your visit. There's plenty to see here - articles about life and faith, and the work of our church here in the community.

We're 160 Years Old .....

Christ Church was the first parish church in Accrington It was consecrated by the Bishop of Chester in 1840, in which diocese Accrington then was. It was built for £11,000, mostly funded by the Hargreaves family, the owners of nearby Broadoak Print works. It was another branch of the family that earlier invented the famous Spinning Jenny.

The new church boasted three large balconies in addition to the 5,000 square foot of floor space. It held 926 worshippers, and two-thirds of the boxed pews were rented to local families.

The normal Sunday attendance in the 19th Century was 700. Christ Church set up mission churches at St. Mary's (Belfield Road), St. Paul's, Barnfield and also St. John's, Baxenden. At one time, it had three Sunday and day schools and was responsbile for the care of more than 1,000 pupils.

The church is constructed out of attractive coursed sand stone with dressed window and door openings with three 'blind' columns to each side of the north and south transcept doorways, the former being blocked up. There are weathered mid-height and high level strong courses and large plinths.

The plan is cruciform with north and south transcepts, and is roofed with Welsh slate. There is a new flat roofed entrance at the west end, erected in 1968. The original roof, with many turrets and spires, was condemned as unsafe and demolished in 1968. A new roof was constructed at a lower level.

The large leaning tower and spire had previously been demolished, the builders having skimped on the foundations. The church stands in its own grounds and is surrounded by terraced houses, with the pleasant Christ Church Square on the east side. It is also within the Christ Church Conservation Area.

Evangelical Church
Christ Church was Lancashire Low Church-to-broad for the first 125 years. For 6O years father and son Greenshill were vicars while at the church school  (now  no more), father and  son  Barton  were headmasters in  a remarkable leadership  double. 

The Church  Building
The  arrival  of the Rev. George Storey in  the  mid-sixties brought a change in more ways  than  one. Lancashire Low Church gave way to a decided Evangelical emphasis, with the twin focus on the full authority of Scripture and a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Both spiritual  and physical restorations were feats of a strong leader with a God-given vision. This was  especially  true considering George was  a modern pioneer  of the theory that the church and  its  work should  not  rely  on raffles nor jumble sales  but  on direct giving to God.

Continued in next column......

With  brief  exceptions,  Christ Church has  not  been short  of money and has been able to give 1O percent (sometimes 12.5%) of its annual  income  to missions and work outside  the parish  boundaries without too many problems.

George  Storey stayed for 17 years and retired  in  the parish.  His successor's  task was difficult from  the start. The Rev. John Stockwell followed a successful ministry, and he also brought in a more modern, perhaps gentle charismatic, ministry. He had different gifts, and  the changes he eventually tried to introduce  were seen by many of the traditional Christ Churchers  as threats,  or even as disloyalty to the still  resident retired vicar.

The ministry of John Stockwell brought stirrings  which were uncomfortable for long-standing church  members, but welcomed by newer members who thought that changes were due.  He left after an uncomfortable four  years, some  saying that he had destroyed the traditional ways while  others praised him for shaking the church  loose for a contemporary ministry.

The present vicar,  the Rev Kevin Logan, arrived with the nineties with the task  of  bringing together  old  and new,  modern and  traditional  and leading the whole church forward with the best of both worlds.

The Area

Christ Church Parish in South Accrington is bordered by the newly-established Accrington team ministry on the  town side and by St. John's Baxenden to the south in  the  Accrington Deanery (Diocese of Blackburn). Much of the  wedge-shaped parish  is populated by blades of grass as it stretches out from Manchester Road and beyond the by-pass to the east.

The space at the wide end of the wedge accommodates  an attractive variety  of  private detached  and  semi-detached housing,  a large but compact area of largely privately-owed terraced  housing  and also two  small council  estates, one of which has seen  much  better days.

There  are 1,5O4 houses and just over 6,OOO  residents. There is only one shopping area (Nuttall Street leading into Manchester Road) plus a small number  of  corner shops.