The Church of the Ascension is a Grade II listed Anglican church in Lower Broughton,

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

, 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 expanded rapidly until the l ...

. It is constructed in an Early English style with "robust, muscular detail". The

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or lobby area, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex ...

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. 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 and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ov ...

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 churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building wi ...

. The east end of the church has an

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. ...

that is a little higher than the

History

Early history

The church was built in 1869. It was used as an

Anglican church Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

, and contained memorials from

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

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, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

and the National Lottery, 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. It may involve one or more of activities such as veneration, adoration, praise, and praying. For many, worship is not about an emotion, it is more about a recogniti ...

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 (also known in some places as a fire truck or fire lorry) is a road vehicle (usually a truck) that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to an ...

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 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

{{Reflist, 30em, refs= {{NHLE, num=1386122, accessdate=17 February 2017 {{cite web, title=Church of the Ascension, Ascension Road {{! Historic England, url=https://historicengland.org.uk/services-skills/grants/visit/church-of-the-ascension-ascension-road-m7-1ag/, website=historicengland.org.uk , publisher=Historic England , accessdate=17 February 2017 {{cite web, title=The Church of Ascension, Broughton, url=http://www.salfordwarmemorials.co.uk/the-church-of-ascension-broughton.html, website=Salford War Memorials , accessdate=17 February 2017 {{cite web, title=Salford - Church of the Ascension, Lower Broughton {{! Heritage Lottery Fund, url=https://www.hlf.org.uk/our-projects/salford-church-ascension-lower-broughton, website=www.hlf.org.uk, accessdate=18 February 2017, language=en, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170219092836/https://www.hlf.org.uk/our-projects/salford-church-ascension-lower-broughton, archive-date=19 February 2017, url-status=dead {{cite news, last1=Bainbridge, first1=Pete, title=LIVE: Huge fire at Church of Ascension in Salford is visible across the city, url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/live-huge-fire-church-ascension-12595229, work=Manchester Evening News, date=13 February 2017 {{cite news, last1=Britton, first1=Paul, title=Church destroyed in huge fire had recently undergone £250k makeover, url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/church-destroyed-huge-fire-recently-12596435, work=Manchester Evening News, date=13 February 2017 {{cite news, last1=Rucki, first1=Alexandra, title=Firefighters remain at scene after huge fire at church overnight, url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/firefighters-remain-scene-after-huge-12595320, work=Manchester Evening News, date=13 February 2017 {{cite news, last1=Yarwood, first1=Sam, title=CCTV released after arson attack on church in Salford, url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/cctv-released-after-arson-attack-12599113, work=men, date=13 February 2017 {{cite news, title=Blaze that gutted church in Lower Broughton 'suspicious', url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-38954965, work=BBC News, date=13 February 2017 {{cite news, title=Blaze at Grade II-listed church in Salford treated as arson, police say, url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/13/church-roof-caves-blaze-rips-grade-ii-listed-building-salford/, work=The Telegraph , date=13 February 2017 {{cite news, last1=Yarwood, first1=Sam, title=Fundraising bid launched to save historic church gutted by fire, url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/fundraising-bid-launched-try-save-12600197, work=Manchester Evening News, date=14 February 2017 {{cite news, last1=Rucki, first1=Alexandra, title=Man arrested following huge fire at Salford church, url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/man-arrested-following-huge-fire-12618454, work=Manchester Evening News, date=17 February 2017 {{cite news, last1=Bardsley, first1=Andrew, title=Salford church gutted by huge fire could be rebuilt within two years, url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/church-of-ascension-fire-broughton-13231790, work=Manchester Evening News, date=24 June 2017 2010s fires in the United Kingdom 2017 disasters in the United Kingdom 2017 fires in Europe Lower Broughton Churches completed in 1869 February 2017 events in the United Kingdom