St Mark's Church, Worsley

St Mark’s Church stands on a 10-acre site in Worsley, a village shaped by the Industrial Revolution. The church was designed by George Gilbert Scott and built between 1844 and 1846 on land once called Cross Field. Its Grade I-listed building is made of sandstone with slate roofs and a tall spire that rises to 185 feet. The churchyard is enclosed by stone walls and lych gates, with the M60 motorway to the east and woodland to the north. The spire is a familiar landmark for drivers passing on the motorway. The church is one of Scott’s earliest works and is recognised as one of his finest in the Decorated Gothic style. Inside, the nave has an oak hammer-beam roof and the chancel is flanked by the Ellesmere Chapel on the south side. Twelve windows were brought from France, Belgium or Italy, and others were made by Edward Burne-Jones. The church also contains a family vault beneath the chapel and a tomb of Francis Egerton. Visitors find a richly decorated interior with carved oak pews, a limestone font and a pulpit made from panels Scott collected on his travels. The church clock strikes thirteen times at 1 o’clock, using a mechanism invented by the Duke of Bridgewater. The churchyard holds war graves from both world wars and a memorial to St Vincent Beechey. The tower’s flying buttresses, pinnacles and gargoyles add to the striking exterior.