Church in Lancashire, England
Pleasington Priory , or the Church of St Mary and St John Baptist , is a Catholic church in the village of Pleasington , Lancashire , England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building .[1] The architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner describes it as being "an astonishing church",[2] and the citation in the National Heritage List for England states it is an "exceptional form of Catholic chapel for the period before Emancipation ".[1]
History [ edit ] The church was built between 1816 and 1819 as a thank offering by John Francis Butler at a cost of £23,000 (£2.2 million as of 2023),[3] the architect being John Palmer and the sculptor Thomas Owen.[1]
In 2018, with the retirement of the Parish Priest Canon Kevin Kenny, Pleasington Priory ceased to be an independent parish and was joined with the neighbouring parishes of St Peter in Chains, Mill Hill, and St John Vianney, Livesey to form the new joint parish of St Oscar Romero. The Parish Priest, Fr Shaun Braiden residing at St Peter's.[4]
Architecture [ edit ] Exterior [ edit ] The church is built in ashlar with slate roofs. It is a large, tall church with mixed Gothic styles. Its plan consists of a five-bay nave with a clerestory , north and south aisles , and a polygonal apse . Entry to the church is at the west through a three-order portal above which are three statues on corbels .[1] On the underside of the middle corbel is a bust of John Butler in military uniform.[2] Above the statue is a carved arch, then a small parapet and a large rose window , and a gable with an openwork parapet surmounted by a crocketed cross. At each side of the portal is an octagonal turret with a three-stage pinnacle . Outside the turrets are offices, each with a niche containing on one side the name of the architect and on the other the sculptor. The aisles have five five-light windows and are battlemented ; the clerestory has triple lancet windows and an openwork parapet. The apse has tall, five-light, Perpendicular windows. On the south side is a priest's door.[1]
Interior [ edit ] The ceiling is rib vaulted with carved bosses and there are four-bay arcades with dogtooth decoration. On each side of the altar is a carved relief , one showing the Beheading of St John , the other Mary Magdalene .[1]
External features [ edit ] The churchyard contains the war graves of eight service personnel of the First World War , and nine of the Second World War .[5]
See also [ edit ] References [ edit ] ^ a b c d e f Historic England , "Roman Catholic Church of St Mary and St John the Baptist, Pleasington (1072419)" , National Heritage List for England , retrieved 10 June 2012 ^ a b Pevsner, Nikolaus (2002) [1969], North Lancashire , The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press , pp. 190–191, ISBN 0-300-09617-8 ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017), "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)" , MeasuringWorth , retrieved 7 May 2024 ^ "The Parish" . ^ PLEASINGTON PRIORY (SS. MARY AND JOHN THE BAPTIST) ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCHYARD , Commonwealth War Graves Commission , retrieved 18 February 2013 Further reading [ edit ] External links [ edit ]
Grade I
St Michael, Aughton St Mary, Barnoldswick St Peter and St Paul, Bolton-by-Bowland St Michael, Bracewell St Helen, Churchtown St Bartholomew, Colne All Hallows, Great Mitton St John, Gressingham St Cuthbert, Halsall St Patrick, Heysham St Peter, Heysham St Margaret, Hornby Lancaster Priory Old St Leonard, Langho St Wilfrid, Melling Pleasington Priory St Walburge, Preston St Wilfrid, Ribchester St Michael, St Michael's on Wyre St Leonard, Samlesbury St Andrew, Slaidburn St Peter, Stonyhurst St Saviour, Stydd St John, Tunstall St Thomas, Upholland St Mary and All Saints, Whalley
Grade II*
St Michael and All Angels, Altcar St James, Altham St John, Arkholme St Michael and All Angels, Ashton-on-Ribble Blackburn Cathedral St Mark, Blackburn St Silas, Blackburn Sacred Heart, Blackpool Holy Trinity, Bolton-le-Sands St Paul, Brookhouse St John the Baptist, Broughton St Peter, Burnley St John the Baptist, Burscough St Bartholomew, Chipping St George, Chorley St James, Church St Laurence, Chorley St Mary Magdalene, Clitheroe St John the Evangelist, Crawshawbooth St Peter, Darwen St Leonard, Downham Euxton Parish Church St Mary, Goosnargh St Bartholomew, Great Harwood St Michael, Kirkham Lancaster Cathedral St John, Lancaster St Andrew, Leyland St Cuthbert, Lytham St John, Lytham St Helen, Overton St Nicholas, Newchurch St Mary, Newchurch in Pendle St Peter and St Paul, Ormskirk St Cuthbert, Over Kellet St Mary, Penwortham St John, Pilling St Chad, Poulton-le-Fylde St George, Preston St John, Preston St Mark, Preston St Peter, Preston St Wilfrid, Preston Syro-Malabar Cathedral, Preston (former St Ignatius) St John, Silverdale St Mary, Tarleton St James, Tatham St Helen, Waddington St Leonard, Walton-le-Dale St Michael, Whittington St Anne, Woodplumpton
Grade II
St Andrew, Accrington St James, Accrington Christ Church, Adlington St Paul, Adlington St Andrew, Ashton-on-Ribble St Leonard, Balderstone All Saints, Barnacre St Lawrence, Barton Holy Trinity, Blackburn Holy Trinity, Blackpool St John, Blackpool St Mary and St Michael, Bonds St Mary, Borwick St John, Bretherton St James, Briercliffe St James, Brindle All Saints with St John Baptist, Burnley St Andrew, Burnley St Mary, Burnley St Stephen, Burnley Capernwray Chapel Christ Church, Bacup Christ Church, Chatburn St Chad, Claughton St Andrew, Cleveleys St Paul, Constable Lee St Saviour, Cuerden St Cuthbert, Darwen St Mark, Dolphinholme St John, Ellel St Paul, Farington Immanuel, Feniscowles St Mary, Fleetwood St Peter, Fleetwood St Thomas, Garstang Christ Church, Glasson St Michael, Grimsargh St Ambrose's Church, Grindleton St Wilfrid, Halton-on-Lune St James, Haslingden All Saints, Higher Walton Holy Trinity, Hoghton St John the Divine, Holme Chapel Christ Church, Lancaster St Thomas, Lancaster St Peter, Leck St Paul, Longridge St Peter, Mawdesley St Mary's Church, Mellor Holy Trinity, Morecambe St John the Divine, Morecambe St Laurence, Morecambe St Paul, Nelson Immanuel, Oswaldtwistle St Leonard, Padiham Nazareth Unitarian, Padiham St John, Poulton-le-Fylde St Oswald, Preesall Carey Baptist Church, Preston City Church, Preston Emmanuel, Preston Fishergate Baptist Church, Preston Moor Park Methodist Church , Preston Preston Central Methodist Church All Saints, Preston St Joseph, Preston St Luke, Preston St Mary, Preston St Paul, Preston St Thomas, Preston St Thomas of Canterbury and the English Martyrs Church, Preston St Peter, Quernmore St John, Rawtenstall St Anne, St Anne's-on-the-Sea St Thomas, St Anne's-on-the-Sea St Peter, Scorton St Paul, Scotforth St Anne, Singleton St Paul, Skelmersdale St Luke, Slyne with Hest Church of the Good Shepherd, Tatham St Oswald, Warton St Michael, Weeton Christ Church, Wesham St Michael, Whitewell St Luke, Winmarleigh St John the Evangelist, Worsthorne St Nicholas, Wrea Green St James, Wrightington Bar St John the Evangelist, Yealand Conyers St Mary, Yealand Conyers
Grade I
Grade II*
Grade II
Scheduled monuments Unlisted
Ruined or demolished
Listed in
Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford
Churches Salford Cathedral - Cathedral Church of St John the Evangelist St Anne's Church, Blackburn Pleasington Priory St Patrick's Church, Bolton Church of St Mary of the Assumption, Burnley St Marie's Church, Bury St Michael and St John Church, Clitheroe St Mary's Church, Manchester (Hidden Gem) Church of the Holy Name of Jesus, Manchester Manchester Oratory Gorton Monastery St Wilfrid's Church, Hulme Corpus Christi Priory Christ Church, Nelson Our Lady and St Joseph Church, Heywood Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St Patrick Church, Oldham St John the Baptist Church, Rochdale St Peter's Church, Stonyhurst St Ann's, Stretford All Saints' Church, Urmston Schools Mount Carmel Roman Catholic High School, Accrington St Damian's Roman Catholic Science College, Ashton-under-Lyne Brownedge St Mary's Catholic High School, Bamber Bridge Our Lady and St John Catholic College, Blackburn St Mary's College, Blackburn Thornleigh Salesian College, Bolton Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic College, Burnley Holy Cross College, Bury St Gabriel's Roman Catholic High School, Bury Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School, Colne St Thomas More Roman Catholic College, Denton The Barlow Roman Catholic High School, Didsbury St Patrick's Roman Catholic High School, Eccles Mount St Joseph School, Farnworth Holy Family Roman Catholic and Church of England College, Heywood St Joseph's Roman Catholic High School, Horwich St Cecilia's Roman Catholic High School, Longridge Loreto College, Manchester Our Lady's Roman Catholic High School, Manchester St Bede's College, Manchester St Matthew's Roman Catholic High School, Manchester St Peter's Roman Catholic High School, Manchester Xaverian College, Manchester Blessed John Henry Newman Roman Catholic College, Oldham St Monica's High School, Prestwich All Saints' Catholic High School, Rawtenstall All Hallows Roman Catholic High School, Salford St Anne's RC Voluntary Academy, Stockport Stella Maris School, Stockport Stonyhurst College Stonyhurst Saint Mary's Hall St Antony's Roman Catholic School, Urmston St Ambrose Barlow Roman Catholic High School, Wardley