Leigh Parish Church Clock

Hope you don't mind, Dostaf - I thought it was time it had a thread of its own.

There's a collection of interesting information about Leigh Parish Church on www.leighlife.com - link

Shown on the link 'is the Old St Mary’s church built in medieval times, possibly the 15th century. By the 1870s the older structure was considered unsafe and needed replacement. The architects chosen to design a new church were Austin and Paley from Lancaster. The foundation stone was laid in 1871 and the church consecrated in 1873.

Parts of the tower, built in the 16th century, are all that is left of the older structure. Richard Marsh and William, his son, who were fustian manufacturers in Leigh, were among the townsfolk instrumental in rebuilding the church. The clock was provided by Richard and William and his wife Mary provided the pulpit.'

Me?

I don't mind at all Jo Anne. Interesting bit of local heritage.

Although you could be in lumber in some quarters.

'General (Discuss and ask about anything related to Wigan.)'

Seriously, I hope I personally don't need to point out that my Leigh jibes are all meant in fun.

There's a great link - here and I think it tells more of the clock, but I haven't found it yet. In the meantime, this struck me as quite interesting :

'Leigh Time Signal, 1899

When Evans died, his signal was discontinued but by a letter written in December 1898, William Edward Marsh offered to buy the apparatus and present it to the urban district. His offer was accepted and a rocket house was built at the Technical School, where on 12 July 1899 the first signal went up. Here for forty years the rocket became a reliable and regular feature; it was discontinued on the outbreak of war in 1939.'

'Leigh Time Signal, 1899


Belting stuff.

Good Evans! Could this fine fellow be any relation, Dostaf?!

"The apostle of synchronisation, 1897

George Henry Evans was a scientific surgeon, who had settled in the growing town of Leigh in 1858. He lived in King Street next to the old Town Hall. During the war against Russia Evans was a naval doctor on board the Cornwallis, which was helping to blockade the Baltic and which was commanded by Capt. Wellesley, a nephew of the great Duke. But the surgeon's main interests lay in scientific experiments and he was fascinated by the adaptative possibilities of that new source of service, electricity. In 1868 he changed his residence to Avenue House, where he installed all sorts of electric gadgets, which together made his household fireproof and burglar proof. He created a local sensation when he spoke for the first time from Bedford Basin to Gibfield Colliery in Atherton by telephone. But it is in connection with the Leigh Time Signal, which he began in 1870, that he is chiefly to be remembered. He saw the waste of time occasioned by lack of means of determining the correct standard time and how its importance had grown with railway travel and industry. In 1870 he initiated the practice of sending up a rocket, five seconds before 10 p.m. each night. The rocket signal exploded exactly at ten and local clocks, timekeepers and watches in Leigh were set right in homage to the public spirit of a good neighbour. In later life, one man had told Evans that he could see the flash at Frodsham, more than twenty miles distant. Foggy nights upset the regularity of this night rocket signal. The telephone overcame this, so the night watchman of the Albion Foundry was called and he then blew the works whistle. From the sand hourglass and earliest clocks in Leigh, from the tower dial clock of the parish church to Evans's signal and night whistle was a giant stride in the onward sweep of progress. If this great citizen of Leigh could only have seen national synchronisation by wireless and television, it would have held him hypnotized. But he died 11 December 1897."

Lovely stuff.

A grudging salute, and kudos to the good folk of Leigh.

We now need to know if we Wiganers ever had a rocket project.

Wigan, of course, being well known (to some ) as a place noted for clock manufacturing.

I've visited the church for the first time today.

It's open to view every Wed morning (following a church service)& Fri morning.

And there will be tours of St Mary's Parish Church as part of

* Leigh For All: Heritage Open Day - Sat 14 Sept 2013 *

WW What's On and WLCT

Can't beleive the coincidence.

Just updated my 'Bong On' thread.

It was striking!

Spooky.

Never mind that, Dostaf - get thee to Leigh some time soon!

I do actually visit Leigh.

And what about Leigh Parish Church? And the Turnpike?

The Turnpike library is handy for books about Wigan.

Unlike in Wigan, such tomes spend a lot of time on the shelves.

A volunteer at the church told me a lady who's knowledgable about its history would be there on Friday, but I was happy to just appreciate being there today. There is a pamphlet for visitors too - A short guide to Leigh Parish Church.

Unlike in Wigan, such tomes spend a lot of time on the shelves.

And truthfully, if I lived in Leigh, those tomes would be more likely to spend time on the library shelves that at home with me.

Exactly.

On a reciprocal note, it's probably easier to find books about Leigh sitting on the shelves in Wigan

I mean if I as an almost Wiganer lived in Leigh, Dostaf.

* Leigh For All: Heritage Open Days - Sat 14 Sept 2013 from 10:30am to 3:00pm *

Leigh Civic Square (outside the Town Hall, Library and Parish Church)

The Heritage Day is back and with more free events and activities than ever before, for history lovers of all ages – all to celebrate Leigh’s heritage.

Rugby League Talk by Geoff Lee; Family & Local History Fair; Town Hall and Parish Church Tours; The Wigan Ukulele Band; A Taste of Tongan Food (Rugby World Cup); Vintage Car Rally and Peppa Pig will be in town…

Cost Tours free. Small charge for some activities. (WLCT)

* This weekend - Heritage Open Days www.heritageopendays.org.uk *

"LEIGH Parish Church is opening its doors for the national Heritage Open Weekend.

The church’s silver, vestments and parish registers will be on display and guided tours will be available on request this Friday and Saturday from 9.30am until 3pm.

On Saturday tours of the bell tower will take place on the hour from 9.30am." (link)


Museum Of Wigan Life - Thurs 12 Sept to 14 Sat Sept 2013 

'Visit the museum for tours of this Grade II listed building designed by Alfred Waterhouse and opened in 1878.
Please call 01942 828128 for tour times and further information.'


Also on this Sat: Park Lane Chapel, Bryn - Heritage Day - Sticky thread

We've been on a tour of Leigh Parish Church's bell tower this morning and give it a ringing endorsement.

Was the clock on time though, Jo Anne?

Erm ... there ... or thereabouts ... I think, Dostaf.

I do know the chimes are on the hour, quarter past and half past (I don't think the guide said quarter to). And the mechanism was automated in the '90s so it's all run electronically since then.



The Priest Bell

Cast at Wigan in 1715 by Luke Ashton, this bell was originally used to call the Priest in from the fields when it would have been customary for the Priest to hold another position in the parish such as gentleman farmer. The bell would have been used to summon him from the fields. Falling into disrepair the decision was taken to have the bell restored and hung here to commemorate the restoration of the church's historic ring of eight bells in the spring of 2010.

The eight bells in the tower were cast at Gloucester.

'Cast at Wigan in 1715 by Luke Ashton'


There's a novelty.

Mind you, a lot of church organs in Wigan probably originated in Leigh.

Has that been discussed on WW before, Dostaf? I can't remember.

May have been, Jo Anne.

Leigh organ builders; Thos Pendlebury & Co

Thanks, Dostaf. Pendlebury Organ Works ( www.leighlife.com)

See, I'm happy to give them Leythers credit where credit is due.

If it's in Leigh it's geet be wrong!

Not all of the time.

Bl^^dy Leythers maulin' with intricate instrumentation, doesn't seem reet.

It was one of them who supposedly discovered the Spinning Jenny.

I've just googled 'Spinning Jenny' and wikepaedophile say it was invented by James Hargreaves. He was born in Oswaldtwistle, near Blackburn. So did them bl**dy Leythers pinch his design for their own grubby ends.

See, Ray, this is where you need to learn more about them.

They are rather peeved as they reckon it was they who were robbed.

So they were already good at bearing grudges when they got annexed.

High six anyone?

Dear Lord an innovative Leyther, is that an oxymoron?

And just remind Jo Anne where he got married.

Leyth Parish Church where they ringeth them bells.

Saves being accused of tandeming.