19th Century

In 1882, the new plans were drawn up by Thomas Harris, architect and churchwarden of the parish. The main features of the alterations were the removal of the end wall, the creation of a chancel for a robed choir and a sanctuary within the new apse.

The upper galleries on the sides of the church were removed, thus revealing the full length of the windows and letting in more light. New, beautifully carved mahogany choir stalls with angel ends were installed. The floor was covered with marble mosaic and a fine marble pulpit and two balustrades were constructed, the latter bearing the letters Alpha and Omega. A gilded cross in the ceiling is above the site of the original altar. The new decorations, full of symbolic references and scriptural quotations, with Alleluia as the central theme, were in the neo-classical style combined with the pre-Raphaelite love of detail.

The Apse frescoes of Christ in Majesty with angel choir and seated saints by John Crompton are still extant but the Nave frescoes (no longer visible) by Edward Armitage, RA were painted over after the Second World War when the war damage to the church was repaired.

Click below to learn about the following 20th Century.