The Annals of WillenhallHackwood, Frederick William
History
The Annals of Willenhall
Hackwood, Frederick William
Willenhall (Walsall, England)
This edifice was a fair specimen of the crudities which went to make up
the “churchwarden architecture” of the period; consisting mainly of a
plain, box-like nave, pierced on either side by half a dozen staring
oblong windows, and having in the whole of its hulk not one curved line
or rounded form by which relief could be afforded to the eye at any
single point. At one end of this unimposing structure was a flattened
scutiform excrescence which served as the chancel; from the others rose
the tower, the only feature by which the building could be recognised as
a church. The tower, not to put the rest of the church out of
countenance, was equally crude; its window piercings being as debased in
the Gothic style as was its cornice in quasi-classical; and topped as it
was by a low-pitched hipped roof or squat pyramid, from the point of
which rose high into the air the famous Willenhall weathercock—the brazen
bird flaunting itself aloft, as if deriving its defiance from the
aggressive-looking furcated finials which surrounded it at the four
angles.
This church endured only for about a century, being replaced in 1867 by
the present edifice, erected at a cost of £7,000, raised by public
subscription. The Chairman of the Committee for the rebuilding was Mr.
R. D. Gough, who, with his wife, contributed £1,700. Other large
contributors were Mrs. Stokes (with £505), and the Vicar and Trustees
(who gave £1,000).
St. Giles’s Church is now a substantial stone building in the Decorated
style, consisting of nave, aisles, chancel and transepts, and having at
the west end a lofty square tower, terminated with a pinnacle at each
angle. The new fane was soon adorned by the insertion of a number of
stained glass windows; the large east window was presented by Mr. R. D.
Gough; others were given by the Lords of the Manor of Stow Heath
(emblazoning the arms of Leveson-Gower and Giffard); by the Earl of
Lichfield and the Rev. Charles Lane (also heraldically distinguished);
one was put in as a memorial to members of the Clemson family; and
another to commemorate Mrs. Anwell, a connection of the Gough family.
The work of enlarging the church was undertaken in 1897 in memory of the
late Incumbent, Mr. Fisher; and a fine organ was installed in celebration
of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. Also at the same time choir stalls
were introduced, the choristers being brought from the gallery, which
latter feature was rightly removed altogether. Among the improvements
promoted by the Incumbent and his energetic churchwardens, Dr. John T.
Hartill and Mr. H. H. Walker, of Bentley Hall, were the enlargement of
the churchyard and the scheme for providing a church house.
As the new incumbent, Mr. Rosedale, was a nephew of Mrs. Gough, the
generous contributor to the rebuilding fund of 1865–7, just mentioned, it
was suggested that the house she occupied might fittingly be transformed
to serve as a Parsonage.
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account