Lancashire

Churches

Edmund Sharpe's final church - a return to the themes of his youth

Scotforth was a village from before the time of the Norman Conquest until the C19, when it was swallowed up by the expansion of Lancaster. The church of St Paul, Scotforth was designed by Lancaster resident and architect, Edmund Sharpe, in 1874 twenty three years after his retirement and three years before his death. It was consecrated in 1876.

Pevsner calls the church "an anachronism, almost beyond belief". The building is essentially neo-Norman, a style fashionable around 1840 (see Out Rawcliffe), and one that was largely displaced by Pugin's promotion of the Gothic and historicism. Furthermore, it makes considerable use of terracotta - a material favoured by Sharpe at the very start of his career when he built what are often known as his "pot" churches.

The building is constructed of stone, terracotta and yellow brick. The east end of the church has an apse that projects beyond the tower that sits over the chancel. It has terracotta blank arcading around the lower exterior, with tall terracotta framed windows above: all are round arched. The tower is the glory of the church. Below its saddleback roof are vesica to east and west, with a corbel table below. Then come bell-openings with geometrical tracery - a form inspired by the Early English style. The bell stage is of yellow brick with terracotta again used for the openings. It makes a very distinctive statement to all who pass by.

The nave was formerly shorter than we see today. It was extended by two bays and western transepts in 1891 by Paley and Austin. The nave windows follow the pattern elsewhere, whilst above are circular clerestory windows. These are cusped and of the same stone-coloured terracotta used throughout the building. They work well outside, but less well inside where the deep circular splays look quite industrial. Paley and Austin's additions follow Sharpe's work very closely and must include re-used material. We might expect this fidelity from the successors of the practice he founded.

Inside the church is a wide nave and side aisles separated by round arched arcades. The columns are circular with terracotta scalloped capitals. Terracotta is also used for the tall wall brackets that support the roof timbers. The floor of the nave slopes down towards the east end of the church, increasing the sense of focus on the chancel arch and apse. The chancel itself has undergone changes in the level of the floor, but still retains blank terracotta arcading to the north and south. This has scalloped and waterleaf capitals, with dogtooth ornament at the outer edge of the arches. Below one of the arches is a brass to Edmund Sharpe, recording his habitation in Lancaster, his birth in Knutsford, his death in Milan, and his burial in Lancaster, as well as his role as architect of the building (see below). The ceiling of the apse has painted roundels with the symbols of the Evangelists and an Agnus Dei. These are set against a background of leaves, zigzags and scripts. The ceiling has been re-painted in recent years following the original scheme. Below the ceiling arched windows alternate with blank arches.

The font is a massive pink granite bowl on a drum with surrounding columns. The forms of the wooden pulpit echo those to be found throughout the church - round arches, thin columns, dogtooth, etc.

The exterior from the east

The tower is placed over the chancel. This is unusual in English church architecture.

The tower and nave

The tower with saddleback roof and geometrical tracery is the church's finest feature.

Nave looking east

The nave has a shallow slope to the eastern end where the painted apse acts as a focus.

Capitals - south door

The surround of the south door is entirely of stone-coloured  terracotta.

Edmund Sharpe Memorial

The terracotta arcades of the south chancel wall hold the brass memorial to the architect of the church.

West Window

The west wheel window uses subtle colours to portray angels in a variety of poses.

Photographs and text © Tony Boughen