St Michael's Church, Ditton
| St Michael's Church, Ditton | |
|---|---|
St Michael's Church, Ditton, from the northwest
| |
| 53°21′45″N 2°45′40″W / 53.3625°N 2.7610°W | |
| OS grid reference | SJ 494 853 |
| Location | Ditton, Widnes, Cheshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | Parish of St Wilfrid |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Founder(s) | Lady Mary Stapleton-Bretherton |
| Dedication | St Michael |
| Consecrated | 1876 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 31 October 1983 |
| Architect(s) | Henry Clutton Bartlett and Purnell |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Completed | 1879 |
| Construction cost | £16,000 (equivalent to £1,720,000 in 2025) |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 120 feet (37 m) |
| Width | 60 feet (18 m) |
| Materials | Red ashlar sandstone Slate roof |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Liverpool |
| Clergy | |
| Priest | Fr M Moran |
St Michael's Church is in St Michael's Road, Ditton, Widnes, Halton, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.[1] It is an active Roman Catholic church.[2]
History
The church was founded when German Jesuits expelled from their own country (1872) settled in Ditton. They were victims of Bismark Kulturkampf which tried to reduce the influence of Catholicism in Germany. The Jesuit students of Theology formed a community at Ditton Hall and between 1876 and 1879 built the church.[3] It was designed by Henry Clutton.[1] The cost of the church, £16,000 (equivalent to £1,720,000 in 2025),[4] was met by Lady Mary Stapleton-Bretherton of Ditton Hall. In 1979 the interior of the church was reordered by Bartlett and Purnell.[5]
Architecture
Exterior
The church is built in red ashlar sandstone with a slate roof. Its plan is cruciform, with short transepts and a west tower. It has an eight-bay arcade which takes in the nave and the chancel. The tower is in three stages with a steep saddleback roof. The entrance to the church is through the west door of the tower, above which are three lancet windows. Above these are three-light louvred bell openings and a balustrade. The windows in the gables of the chancel and transepts are rose windows containing stained-glass. Elsewhere, the windows are lancets.[1] At the east end are two lancets separated by a large shaft.[5]
Interior
The ceiling is barrel vaulted, boarded with hardwood, running through the nave and chancel. In the north transept is an organ and confessionals are in the south transept. The chancel has a yellow sandstone wall and a marble floor; the walls of the nave are plastered.[1] The altar and lectern are made from Clipsham stone, and the stained-glass comes from Cologne.[5] The organ was built in 1879 by Gray & Davison.[6]
See also
- Grade I and II* listed buildings in Halton (borough)
- List of Jesuit sites
- Listed buildings in Widnes
- Mary Stapleton-Bretherton
References
- Back to citation occurrence 1.0 Back to citation occurrence 1.1 Back to citation occurrence 1.2 Back to citation occurrence 1.3 Historic England, "Church of St Michael, Ditton (1325926)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 20 July 2012
- Back to citation Widnes, Archdiocese of Liverpool, retrieved 19 March 2008
- Back to citation Diggle, Rev. G. E. (1961), A History of Widnes, Widnes: Corporation of Widnes, pp. 67–68
- Back to citation UK Consumer Price Index inflation figures from 1209–2024 based on data from "Inflation calculator", Bank of England, London, 18 February 2026, retrieved 1 April 2026
- Back to citation occurrence 5.0 Back to citation occurrence 5.1 Back to citation occurrence 5.2 Pollard, Richard; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2006), Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, p. 657, ISBN 0-300-10910-5
- Back to citation "NPOR [C00178]", National Pipe Organ Register, British Institute of Organ Studies, retrieved 1 July 2020