ROGER FROST: An historical mystery surrounding St Stephen’s Church, Burnley

I have resisted the temptation to make use of it in this series because, though the image is certainly of a part of Burnley which does not figure very often in this column, there are a few problems associated with the card which needed to be resolved.

Printed at the bottom of the card are the words, “Laying the Foundation Stones by Bishop Hoskyns at St Stephen’s”. That should tell you much of what you would want to know, but there is no date and, notice, the church is already built! Ceremonies of this kind precede the construction of a building. The inference is, therefore, that what is depicted on the photo records some other event associated with St Stephen’s. The question is, what might it be?

I was determined to find an answer when I attended, with colleagues from Burnley Council, a visit to Burnley Wood to mark the beginning of the construction phase of a number of houses in the area. From the site, there was a very pleasant view over the town to Pendle Hill to the north and, looking around, it soon became clear just how fortunate will be the people who live in these new houses when they are built.

To the east was St Stephen’s Church which, from my vantage point, looked far more impressive than I had previously thought it to be. The old houses, many of which in recent years had been boarded up, had been demolished. For just about the first time I realised what a good building St Stephen’s actually is. I should, of course, never have doubted its quality as the architect was James Green of Portsmouth, who had designed the Mechanics and Aenon, which are still with us, and the 1870 market hall, which regrettably is not.

The current plans for Burnley Wood were explained to those of us who attended the meeting and I am pleased to report there will be some style to the houses which are to be constructed and, just as importantly, the area around the church is going to be given the special attention it deserves. It is planned that St Stephen’s is not going to be hemmed in by houses, as was the case in the past. There is going to be a public square – a piazza I have heard it called – in front of the building. Similarly, consideration is being given to an architectural feature for what will be an important public area.

All of this does not address the problems to which I refer at the beginning of this article. Of these the easiest to resolve is the length of the Burnley episcopate of Edwyn Hoskyns. He was the first Suffragan Bishop of Burnley (in those days in Manchester Diocese) and held that office from 1901 to 1904 when Alfred Pearson became bishop.

The inference is, then, that whatever Bishop Hoskyns was involved in, took place between 1901 and 1904. The church, however, had been consecrated on 1st February, 1879 and additional work was undertaken at the church in 1888 and 1895 but neither of these dates falls into the episcopate of Bishop Hoskyns.

Those of you who know St Stephen’s might be aware of a clue as to what might be going on in the photo. The church is not exactly surrounded by open land but it is clear that, on the north, there has been another building and very close to the church. An examination of a map of the area revealed this was the original site of the school associated with St Stephen’s.

Before we get to this stage, let me tell you that, by the middle of the 19th Century, Burnley Wood was within the Parish of St Paul’s, a church which now no longer exists. It stood in Saunder Bank, some distance from Burnley Wood, and as this latter area began to be developed at this time, it was thought a place of worship was necessary. In 1865 a mission was established at 34 Springfield Road and, soon after, a Sunday school was commenced. By 1870 the first day school was established in Tarleton Street and there was a promise that, as soon as finances allowed, a church would be built.

In the meantime the school buildings also served for Sunday worship. A foundation stone for the church was laid in 1876 and, over the two years in which the building work was carried out, it was decided the church should be consecrated on St Stephen’s Day 1878, hence the dedication. This day was missed and the important event eventually took place in February, 1879 when the respected Bishop Fraser of Manchester officiated.

As indicated, St Stephen’s soon became a significant institution in Burnley Wood, the church becoming involved in numerous activities in the area. One of them was the provision of education and the relatively small school buildings by the church quite quickly proved to be inadequate for the purposes for which they were intended. In 1901, fund-raising efforts to enlarge the school building started in earnest and, in due course, a foundation stone for the building was laid by Bishop Hoskyns in 1903.

This is the event depicted in the photo we publish today. On reading the legend, at the bottom of the card, at first it appeared to me the foundation stone was that of the church but that was not the case. Another little problem resolved!