St James' Church, Poolstock

St James’ Church stands in Poolstock, a district of Wigan in Greater Manchester. It is an active Anglican parish church designed in the Decorated style by the Lancaster architect E. G. Paley. The building is made of Parbold sandstone with slated roofs and a large west tower in five stages. Inside, the nave has a clerestory and north and south aisles, while the chancel is lower and includes a chapel to the south. The church was paid for by Nathaniel Eckersley, a local colliery owner and MP, who chose St James as its patron saint in memory of his brother. The church is worth visiting for its Grade II* listed status and its role in the history of Wigan. Built between 1863 and 1866, it took three years to complete and was consecrated in 1866. The total cost was over £15,000, a large sum for the time. In 1970, the neighbouring Church of St Thomas closed and its parish merged with St James’. The church also contains a two-manual organ built by Hill and Son in 1865–66 and a ring of eight bells cast in 1896. Inside, visitors find octagonal and quatrefoil columns supporting the arcades, with detached marble shafts beneath the clerestory windows. The ornate stone reredos stands below the large five-light east window, which is flanked by niches containing statues. The south chapel holds furnishings moved from St Thomas’ Church, and the chancel windows feature stained glass by Hardman. The west tower has clock faces and bell openings, while the battlemented parapets add to the church’s striking exterior.