History of Our Churches
Want to known more about our churches? Read below to discover their history.All Saints Church North Featherstone History
Recorded in the Doomsday survey of 1086, the oldest remaining part of the church is the 12th century, North wall of the Nave. Robert de Lacey of Pontefract Castle gave the living to Augustinian monks of of St Oswalds Priory, Nostell and the Prior appointed the Vicar of Featherstone until the Reformation in 1540, when Robert Ferrer, the last Prior of Nostell surrendered the Priory, and with it the Church of All Saints Featherstone. The church then passed into the hands of the Dean and Chapter of Christ Church Oxford. Other parts of the church date from the 15th and 16th centuries and a small booklet is available with more detail of the history of the church.
A fire ravaged the interior of the chuch in 1998, destroying the pipe organ and vestries in the South Aisle. Redevelopment work, which had already been planned,was amended and brought forward allowing the church, which has no church hall, to be restored in a manner which provided two rooms for community use within the body of the church itself. The re-building was completed by August 2000.
Various groups make use of the accommodation on a regular basis. There is a flourishing Art group and also a Flower arranging group which meet on a weekly basis. The accommodation is also used on a monthly basis for meetings of the North Featherstone Ladies Circle, and, less frequently at the moment, a Men’s Group. More formally, the PCC meets on a monthly basis.
The rooms are available for hire and are used on a less regular basis for meetings and other activities of groups from outside the church, for which a small fee is payable.
The church is a small community church which welcomes visitors to its many activities and, of course to its services. There are, of course, some restrictions on the size of groups which can be accommodated, and some activities prove more popular than others. The group leaders, however, are happy to compile waiting lists where this proves necessary.
Any visitors will be warmly received during times when the church is open.
Facilities:
- Toilets (including disabled and baby changing)
- Car Parking
- Wheelchair access
- Hearing (Induction) Loop
- Autism or Asperger Aware/Accessible.
St Thomas Church Purston Cum South Featherstone History
The Purston National School, where the first Church of England services in Purston were to be held, was opened in April 1862 after being built on the site of the old tithe barn, the property of the Dean and chapter of Christchurch, Oxford. It was financed by the Rev. T.H.Hall who was a typical squire cum parson living at the Hall in the village. Purston Hall dates from the 1820’s and was built for Thomas Hall who originated from Worsborough Dale near Barnsley.
Thomas Hall died in 1857 and left the estate to his only child the Rev Thomas Hepworth Hall M.A. The house initially called Purston Lodge was renamed Purston Hall by the new owner. He was born in 1826, and went to Cambridge University in 1845. After leaving university he held curacies at Ripponden and Edmonton, Middlesex, before being appointed lecturer at Halifax parish church where he served for three years, 1855-1858. He retired to Purston on taking over the estate and began the philanthropic work that eventually led to the building of Saint Thomas’s Church. He financed the building of a
schoolmaster’s house and school. A licence was granted in March 1866 for divine services to be held in the school.
On September 4th 1871 The Rev T, H. Hall was found dead in the Grand Hotel at Scarborough. An Order in Council, dated October 25th 1875 decreed that all that part of the Featherstone parish south of the railway line be made into the parish of Purston cum South Featherstone. Plans were prepared to build a church dedicated to Saint Thomas. It was to· be of stone with a nave, north and south aisles and a chancel. The original design included a tower with a spire, but unfortunately lack of funds led to this part of it being omitted. The site was donated by the Dean and Chapter of Christchurch College, Oxford
The Rev B. Burgon was appointed to be the vicar of the new parish in January 1876 and the foundation stone for the new church was laid on April 18th of that year. The ceremony was carried out by Percy Craven Hall son of the Rev T. H. Hall. In his speech he said that laying the stope had:
“Given great pleasure. more especially so as it was the wish of his late father.”
The church was consecrated by the Archbishop of York on June 18th 1878.
Facilities:
- Car Park Available
- Hearing (Induction) Loop
Saint Thomas’s church as it would have been built, if sufficient funds had been available.