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Parish church of St Mary the Blessed Virgin, Luddenden
The church stands adjacent to a weir on the fast flowing Luddenden Brook in the steep-sided Luddenden Dean, and is prone to flash flooding (most notably, in recent decades, in 1989 and 2015).
There has been a church on this site since the 14th century, initially as a chapel of ease to the large parish of Halifax. The present building, in late Georgian style, is the third one, and was built in 1816, the architect being Thomas Taylor. It is listed grade II (list entry 1134509).
As with many Georgian churches it originally had no chancel (one was added in 1866 and extended in 1910), but did have side galleries, which were not removed until 1950. A subsequent reordering in 1986 introduced the unusual internal stone wall with glazed windows to create a meeting room and kitchen area at the west end; an upper room was added within the space in 1996. The oldest item in the church is the 17th century font, which is still in use.
There are burials under the church itself, a practice that ceased in 1859, and the churchyard was closed to burials the following year. A separate cemetery, operated by a local burial board rather than the parochial church council, was opened on the other side of the brook.
Following the closure of the church at Luddendenfoot, this is the only Anglican church in the combined parish, and is in the present Diocese of Leeds (formerly Wakefield).
There has been a church on this site since the 14th century, initially as a chapel of ease to the large parish of Halifax. The present building, in late Georgian style, is the third one, and was built in 1816, the architect being Thomas Taylor. It is listed grade II (list entry 1134509).
As with many Georgian churches it originally had no chancel (one was added in 1866 and extended in 1910), but did have side galleries, which were not removed until 1950. A subsequent reordering in 1986 introduced the unusual internal stone wall with glazed windows to create a meeting room and kitchen area at the west end; an upper room was added within the space in 1996. The oldest item in the church is the 17th century font, which is still in use.
There are burials under the church itself, a practice that ceased in 1859, and the churchyard was closed to burials the following year. A separate cemetery, operated by a local burial board rather than the parochial church council, was opened on the other side of the brook.
Following the closure of the church at Luddendenfoot, this is the only Anglican church in the combined parish, and is in the present Diocese of Leeds (formerly Wakefield).
Created: Thu, 21 Feb 2019, Updated: Thu, 21 Feb 2019
10 images use this description: (all images taken in 2019)
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