Christ Church, Harpurhey — A Gothic Echo in Stone

#hellohalloween#europetrip Nestled along Church Lane in Harpurhey, Christ Church stands as a quiet sentinel of Manchester’s spiritual and architectural past. Built between 1838 and 1841, this Grade II listed building was designed by Edward Welch, the same architect behind Birmingham Town Hall. Its structure reflects the Early English Gothic style, with a blend of solemnity and strength. The church is crafted from sandstone ashlar, topped with a slate roof, and features a seven-bay nave that embraces a west steeple. The tower is squat and two-staged, flanked by broad pilaster buttresses and crowned with an unusual spire — a tall belfry stage with concave buttresses finished as pinnacles, clasping steep gablets. These gablets house stepped triple-lancet louvres, with clock faces above them — a striking silhouette against the Manchester sky. The windows are tall and narrow, grouped in triplets of lancets, framed by close-set buttresses and hoodmoulds with figured stops. The polygonal apse at the rear adds a gentle curve to the otherwise angular structure, while the porches and vestries on either side offer symmetry and balance. Inside, the church is reported to have galleries on three sides and an open roof with heavy trusses, echoing the industrial strength of the city it serves.