All Saints Franciscan Friary, Barton

Introduction

All Saints Franciscan Friary in Barton is a notably complete and unspoiled example of Edward Welby Pugin's work, said to be his best.

History

The church is listed Grade I and is considered the chief work of architect Edward Welby Pugin. The church replaced a chapel of c.1830 and was added on to the pre-existing de Trafford Chantry of 1863, at the NE angle. Cardinal Manning preached at the solemn opening in June 1868. The Friars Minor Conventual have cared for the church since 1962. Barton serves as a house for the Crusade of Mary Immaculate and as a centre for recruiting vocations.

Architecture and furnishings

The church has a rock-faced stone exterior with slate roof, nave, aisles, west bell turret, and an apsidal chancel with north chapel. The interior has arcade arches, piers, and chancel arches in banded pink and yellow stone, with well carved foliage capitals. The church has a lofty scissor-braced roof structure springing from angel corbels. The chancel is rib-vaulted and lavishly gilded.

The church contains an elaborately carved stone altar and reredos. Good wall paintings include one showing Edward Welby Pugin with a plan of the church. The church has an eight-bay nave and aisles with weathered plinth, buttresses and gabled porch. Each bay has two-light plate tracery aisle windows and two-light Geometrical tracery clerestory windows.

The west front has a rose window above an arcade of pointed lights and arched doorway, flanked by bold buttresses. The chancel is four-bay polygonal with two-light plate tracery windows and grotesque gargoyles. The side chapel is 3 x 1 bay with a steep hipped roof and parapet with pierced quatrefoils.

Chancel windows are by JH Powell of Hardman & Co. The chancel mural showing EW Pugin is by JA Pippett. Sacristies of 1901-02 were by Pugin & Pugin. The Lady Chapel triptych of 1902 is attributed to S Pugin Powell. The church has timber pews and stained glass.