St Bede's Church, Widnes

The church was completed in 1847 and had been designed by Weightman and Hadfield. The land was donated by members of the local Dennett family, who also paid towards the cost of the building, which came to £3,000 (equivalent to £|r=-4}}}} in ). The church was consecrated on 22 September 1847. In May 1856 the original church bell was consecrated by Revd Alexander Goss, bishop of Liverpool. This was replaced in 1879 by the present bell, which was blessed by the then bishop of Liverpool, Revd Bernard O'Reilly. In 1922 the church was renovated, and the roof was replaced. The church is currently undergoing considerable restoration (2024)

St Bede's is built in red sandstone with a slate roof. Its plan consists of a north tower, a nave with a clerestory, east and west aisles, a chancel and a north porch. The tower has angle buttresses and gargoyles, and is crenellated. The windows in the nave are paired lancets, those in the clerestory have trefoil heads, and the tracery in the chancel windows is curvilinear. The entrance to the church is in the tower, and is in Decorated style. Inside the church the arcades are carried on alternate round and octagonal columns. The altar dated 1850 is said to be by A. W. N. Pugin. The large organ is sited under the tower. There is stained glass in the south window, and on the east and west…