Burscough Methodist Church, formally Wesleyan Chapel at Burscough Bridge, is situated in

Burscough Burscough () is a town and civil parish in West Lancashire in the ceremonial county of Lancashire, England. It is located to the north of Ormskirk and northwest of Skelmersdale. The parish also includes the hamlet of Tarlscough and the Martin M ...

and is part of the Lancashire West Methodist Circuit. It was built in between 1868 and 1869 of a brick construction in a

cruciform Cruciform is a term for physical manifestations resembling a common cross or Christian cross. The label can be extended to architectural shapes, biology, art, and design. Cruciform architectural plan Christian churches are commonly described ...

layout. The church was opened on 26 March 1869, with construction coming in under budget. The contractor, foreman and architect all donated gifts to the church for its opening, as did the Mayor of

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Irish ...

. A large portion of the church was used by the Methodist's

Sunday school A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. Su ...

Location

Burscough Methodist Church is on Orrell Lane in Burscough, located to the west of the

A59 road The A59 is a major road in England which is around long and runs from Wallasey, Merseyside to York, North Yorkshire. The alignment formed part of the Trunk Roads Act 1936, being then designated as the A59. It is a key route connecting Merseysi ...

and to the north of the Leeds Liverpool Canal. Prior to the completion of the church building in 1869, the group had met in a room on Bridge Street which became too small for the growing congregation. Burscough Methodist Church was originally known as the "Wesleyan Chapel at Burscough"

Construction

Construction began on 20 July 1868 with a ceremony to celebrate the laying of

foundation stone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over time ...

by James Wood. Around 600 people attended, with the local railway offering reduced fares for the occasion. Wood was presented with an inscribed silver trowel as a gratitude for laying the stone and his generous donations towards to development. The building was designed by architect T. Bridge in "early pointed style of architecture", and construction was overseen by his father, E. Bridge. The church was built of bricks in a cruciform layout, including a spire. 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 ...

measured , the

transepts 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 withi ...

each and 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. Ove ...

. It included lancet windows in pairs or trios, arched ceilings and coloured brick arches around the doors and windows. The church included an entrance porch constructed from a wooden design. Although the construction cost was estimated at £950 (worth approximately £527,000 in 2015)Comparing labour cost between 1869 and 2015, £950 is valued at approximately £526,800.00 b
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/ref> the building was constructed under budget at a cost of £800 (worth approximately £444,000 in 2015).Comparing labour cost between 1869 and 2015, £800 is valued at approximately £443,600.00 b
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/ref> A number of gifts were given to the church including the communion table from the builder, E. Bridge, the pulpit from the foreman, Anthony Derby and carpets from the Meek family of Preston and Wigan. The Mayor of Southport, Dr. Woods, and his wife donated a hymn book & bible, which were bound in Morocco, as well as a red silk cushion for pulpit and the marble mantle-piece for the vestry.

Opening of the Church

The building was officially opened on 26 March 1869 with a public ceremony and the church was said to be "filled to overflowing". At the time of opening the Church was divided by a wooden screen and only the nave was used for church purposes, the rest was for the use by the attached school In 1870 the church was given the rights to conduct marriage ceremonies. The school next door to the church, Burscough Bridge Methodist School, was opened on 9 January 1871.

Renovations

In 1906, the church was renovated with internal decoration and a new roof at a cost of £200 (worth approximately £74,000 in 2015).Comparing labour cost between 1906 and 2015, £200 is valued at approximately £73,560.00 b
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/ref> Then in 1938 a stained glass window was replaced in memory to Francis Henry Rouffignac who was headteacher at the attached Burscough Methodist School. A significant renovation was undertaken at the church in 2014 at a cost over £300,000 The changes included making the church accessible for wheel-chair users, creating a reception area with a new entrance and windows to the northern elevation. The church is part of the Lancashire West Methodist Circuit

Notes

References

{{coord, 53.60342, -2.84435, display=title Methodist churches in Lancashire Churches in the Borough of West Lancashire Burscough