St Hilda's Church, Darlington is a

Grade II listed 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, H ...

former

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

church on Parkgate,

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

History

A new parish was formed from St John's Church, Darlington containing a population of 11,000. The site was donated by Mary Eason of Ladbrooke Gardens, Notting Hill, London who also contributed £1,000 to the cost of construction and another £1,000 to its endowment. The foundation stone was laid by the Bishop of Durham on 21 September 1887. The church was designed by the architect

John Loughborough Pearson John Loughborough Pearson (5 July 1817 – 11 December 1897) was a British Gothic Revival architect renowned for his work on churches and cathedrals. Pearson revived and practised largely the art of vaulting, and acquired in it a proficie ...

. It consisted of a nave, north and south aisles, organ chamber, chapel, chancel and two vestries. The west window overlooked Parkgate. A tower was planned but not built. The roofs were of pitch pine open woodwork, and in the nave are six piers of stone with moulded bases and capitals, supporting arches of stone and brick. Four triple light lancet clerestory windows illuminated the church as the building was surrounded by other tall buildings. The altar was of oak, and the floor paved with wood blocks, and Staffordshire tiles. The brick and stone works was done by Messrs McKenzie Bros, the joiner was R.T. Smith, the plumbing was done by H. Patch, the roof slating by Messrs J. & G. Wharton, and the painting by Messrs W.H. & W. Hoskins. The pulpit was the gift of Mrs. R. Child and was designed by the architect and constructed of Leeds stone by Messrs Priestman & Sons, Bleckwellgate, Darlington. The font was the gift of Mrs. Harland. The brass lectern was the gift of Mr. W. Russell. Pevsner noted that the building was ''a boldly massed composition of nave, chancel, N chapel, and S vestries, despite being extremely cheap.'' The church was consecrated on 30 August 1888 by the

Bishop of Durham The bishop of Durham is head of the diocese of Durham in the province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler (bishop), Paul Butler was the most recent bishop of Durham u ...

Rt Revd. Joseph Lightfoot.

Post Anglican use

The church was declared redundant by the Church of England in 1986. The church is now the Light and Life Mission Church.

Organ

The 3-manual tubular-pneumatic action organ was built by T.C. Lewis of Brixton in 1892. The organ cases were designed by

and executed by Mr. T.M. Hobson of Darlington. The organ cost £192 (). A specification of the organ can be found on the

National Pipe Organ Register The British Institute of Organ Studies (BIOS) is a British organisation and registered charity which aims to promote study and appreciation of all aspects of the pipe organ. Further, it acts as a lobbying body to raise awareness of organ issue ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Darlington, St Hilda Church of England church buildings in County Durham Grade II listed churches in County Durham St Hilda Former Church of England church buildings