St Ninian's Church is an

Anglican 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 th ...

church in the Parkfield area of

Douglas, Isle of Man Douglas ( gv, Doolish, ) is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,677 (2021). It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and on a sweeping bay of . The River Douglas forms part of the town's harbour ...

, and falls within the Diocese of Sodor and Man.

History

St Ninian's Church was built on land which was owned by the renowned

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

Henry Noble Henry Bloom Noble JP (18 June 1816 – 2 May 1903) was a Cumbrian-born philanthropist and businessman who at the time of his death was the richest resident of the Isle of Man. Noble bequeathed a large amount of his vast fortune to the people of ...

; the construction cost was also met from Noble's estate. Built in the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style, the architect was

W. D. Caröe William Douglas Caröe (1 September 1857–25 February 1938) was a British architect, particularly of churches. Early life Caröe was born on 1 September 1857 in Holmsdale, Blundellsands near Liverpool, the youngest son of the Danish Consul in ...

. It is thought that the dedication to St Ninian reflects Noble's

Cumbrian The Cumberland dialect is a local Northern English dialect in decline, spoken in Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands, not to be confused with the area's extinct Celtic language, Cumbric. Some parts of Cumbria have a mo ...

heritage (he was born at Clifton, Cumbria) and the county's association with St Ninian. On 6 July 1913 the Bishop of Sodor and Man conducted the ordination of the Reverend Gleave of

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...

, who was admitted a deacon and became the first

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

of the church. The first wedding in the newly-opened church was on 17 September 1913, when Peter Kissack married Vera Handley. St Ninian's Church was

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

on 25 March 1914Isle of Man Examiner, Saturday, March 28, 1914; Page: 2 by the Bishop of Sodor and Man, Dr Denton Thompson. The large congregation included the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man, Lord Raglan and members of his family; the

Clerk of the Rolls The Clerk of the Rolls ( gv, Cleragh ny Lioaryn) is a judge and Head of the Judiciary in the Isle of Man. This position was formerly distinct from that of the Deemsters but now the Clerk of the Rolls is held jointly with the office of First Deem ...

, Thomas Kneen; the

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

, George Ring; Deemster George Callow;

High Bailiff The High Bailiff ( gv, Ard-Vaylee) is a legal position held within the Isle of Man. The High Bailiff is the head stipendiary magistrate. The current High Bailiff is Her Worship Jayne Hughes, who took office on 11 March 2019. The High Bailiff a ...

James Gell; and the Mayor of Douglas accompanied by several members of the borough council. The Vicar General read the deed of consecration, which was signed by the Bishop.

Windows

St Ninian's Church features prominent stained glass windows in its eastern end in memory of

and his wife Rebecca, as well as several

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

saints.Mona's Herald, Wednesday, September 17, 1913; Page: 7 The unveiling ceremony took place on 14 September 1913 and was performed by Rev. Canon Kermode, Vicar of St George's. The window consists of four lights, two showing the Ascension of Jesus and two showing the Resurrection. Above is a small window decorated with the arms of the Diocese of Sodor and Man. On the north and south sides of the chancel are four lights, two on each side, with figures representing St German,

St Columba Columba or Colmcille; gd, Calum Cille; gv, Colum Keeilley; non, Kolban or at least partly reinterpreted as (7 December 521 – 9 June 597 AD) was an Irish abbot and missionary evangelist credited with spreading Christianity in what is toda ...

St Maughold Maughold (also known as Macaille, Maccaldus, Machalus, Machaoi, Machella, Maghor, Mawgan, Maccul, Macc Cuill; died c. 488 AD) is venerated as the patron saint of the Isle of Man. Tradition states that he was an Irish prince and captain of a ban ...

and

St Patrick Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints be ...

. In the side chapel there are two lights at the east end, with figures of St Ninian and St Martin; and two lights on the north side representing St Bridget and

St Kentigern Kentigern ( cy, Cyndeyrn Garthwys; la, Kentigernus), known as Mungo, was a missionary in the Brittonic Kingdom of Strathclyde in the late sixth century, and the founder and patron saint of the city of Glasgow. Name In Wales and England, this s ...

. The windows were designed and installed by Horace Wilkinson Ltd of London.

Modern use

Today St Ninian's Church continues to play an active part in the life of the local community. It is a

registered building Registered may refer to: * Registered mail, letters, packets or other postal documents considered valuable and in need of a chain of custody * Registered trademark symbol, symbol ® that provides notice that the preceding is a trademark or service ...

St Ninian's Church Hall

Built by Messrs Callow and Sons of Douglas in 1930, St Ninian's Church Hall was constructed from

artificial stone Artificial stone is a name for various synthetic stone products produced from the 18th century onward. Uses include statuary, architectural details, fencing and rails, building construction, civil engineering work, and industrial applications su ...

. This method of construction had several advantages:Isle of Man Examiner, Friday, April 24, 1931; Page: 8 * The stones could be cast to various shapes and sizes. * All joints could be interlocking joints. * Enabled more precise polishing and finishing. The hall was used for various recreational activities until it was demolished in the early 2000s. Today the area where the church hall was situated has been developed into residential accommodation.

References

Isle of Man Building Control Districts showing parish boundaries

External links

* {{Commons category inline 20th-century Church of England church buildings Buildings by W. D. Caröe Buildings and structures in Douglas, Isle of Man Church of England church buildings in Europe Churches completed in 1913 Churches in the Isle of Man Registered Buildings of the Isle of Man