Church of St Peter and St Paul, Ormskirk

The Church of St Peter and St Paul stands on raised ground in the north-west of Ormskirk, a market town in West Lancashire. Built mainly of sandstone, it has a nave with aisles to north and south and a distinctive tower-and-spire at the west end of the south aisle. Only three churches in England share this feature, and Ormskirk is the only one where both tower and spire rise from the same end. The earliest part, the north wall of the chancel, dates from about 1170 and still shows a Norman window. The 15th-century steeple was rebuilt in 1790 and again in 1832, while the large west tower was added around 1540–50 to house bells from Burscough Priory after its suppression. The church is remarkable for its layered history. Parts of the present building existed by the 12th century, but successive centuries added chapels, arcades and windows. The Derby Chapel, built in the late 16th century, contains alabaster effigies of Thomas Stanley, first Earl of Derby, and his two wives. The Scarisbrick Chapel holds memorials to the Stanley family, including James, the seventh earl. In the late 19th century Lancaster architects Paley and Austin restored the nave, rebuilt arcades in Gothic style and installed new flooring and seating. Inside, the nave ceiling has carved hammerbeam trusses and the aisle arcades rest on moulded piers. Between the steeple and south aisle a chamfered arch marks the original nave width. The churchyard holds war graves from two world wars and the grave of William Heaton, a Victoria Cross holder from the Second Boer War. The eight bells, cast in 1948, still ring for change ringing, while an older bell from 1576 remains unused.