Church Of The Ascension, Lower Broughton
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The Church of the Ascension is a
Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
listed Anglican church in
Lower Broughton Broughton is a suburb and district of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. Located on the east bank of the River Irwell, it is northwest of Manchester and south of Prestwich. Historically in Lancashire, the former manor house, Broughton Hall ...
,
Salford Salford ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Greater Manchester, England, on the western bank of the River Irwell which forms its boundary with Manchester city centre. Landmarks include the former Salford Town Hall, town hall, ...
, England. In February 2017 a fire destroyed the roof and interior of the building.


Location

The church is located on Ascension Road in Lower Broughton, in the United Kingdom, at grid reference SJ89NW and National Grid reference SJ 82657 99812. It is next to Green Grosvenor Park and River View Primary School.


Architecture


Exterior

The brick building has a roof made of
Welsh slate The existence of a slate industry in Wales is attested since the Roman period, when slate was used to roof the fort at Segontium, now Caernarfon. The slate industry grew slowly until the early 18th century, then rapidly during the Industrial ...
. It is constructed in an Early English style with "robust, muscular detail". The
narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of Early Christian art and architecture, early Christian and Byzantine architecture, Byzantine basilicas and Church architecture, churches consisting of the entrance or Vestibule (architecture), ve ...
to the west has an arched doorway on each side, with a
gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...
d porch, and a large
rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' wa ...
. The aisles are divided into four bays. The eastern apse had ornate brickwork, and the building had Victorian-era stained glass. The building was a rare example of the work of Medland Taylor.


Interior

The
nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
has two aisles. The
chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...
has chapels in the
transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...
. The east end of the church has an
apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...
that is a little higher than the
nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
.


History


Early history

The church was built in 1869. It was used as an
Anglican church Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
, and contained memorials from
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.


Restoration

It was Grade II listed on 20 October 1998. In September 2013 grants totalling £250,000 from
English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...
and the
National Lottery National Lottery may refer to: *National Lottery (Ireland), the state lottery of Ireland *National Lottery (United Kingdom), the lottery franchise in the United Kingdom *South African National Lottery, established in 2000 *A number of countries con ...
, were awarded to restore both the inside and outside of the building, and to replace the roof. The church was used for
worship Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity or God. For many, worship is not about an emotion, it is more about a recognition of a God. An act of worship may be performed individually, in an informal or formal group, ...
.


2017 fire

On 12 February 2017 the church caught fire, and the fire brigade was called at 11:08pm. The fire took dozens of firefighters with six
fire engine A fire engine or fire truck (also spelled firetruck) is a vehicle, usually a specially designed or modified truck, that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to ...
s to extinguish. The fire melted gas pipes inside the building, with the subsequent gas ignition causing additional damage to the building. Most of the fire was extinguished in an hour, although firefighters stayed at the site overnight. The roof of the building collapsed during the fire, and the interior was destroyed. The top parts of the gable ends of the building were dismantled to make the building safe. A fundraising campaign to restore the church was launched after the fire, with the hope that the building can be saved. Canon David Wyatt of the Church of the Ascension, described the fire as hurtful and frustrating but noted the “heart-warming” response from parishioners.
Greater Manchester Police Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England. , Greater Manchester Police employed 6,866 police officers, 3,524 memb ...
investigated the fire.
CCTV Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of closed-circuit television cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signa ...
footage of suspects was released to the public. A 22-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of arson on 17 February, although the origin of the fire remains unknown. A project to rebuild the church over two years was announced in June 2017. The Church reopened in October 2022, with the licensing of Rev Canon Falak Sher, with over 200 people in the congregation. The New Pipe Organ. The previous organ, a 2 manual tracker Jardine's instrument, was destroyed in the fire. The New instrument was installed by the Nottingham based firm, Henry Groves & Sons. It is a 3 manual electro-magnetic organ which boasts 53 speaking stops over 3 manuals and pedal board. It is a far superior instrument, the first Henry Groves instrument in Manchester, and the North West.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lower Broughton, Ascension 2010s fires in the United Kingdom 2017 disasters in the United Kingdom 2017 fires in Europe Grade II listed churches in the City of Salford Churches completed in 1869 February 2017 in the United Kingdom