St Mary Magdalene's Church, Clitheroe

The earliest record of a church on the site is in 1122, when it was granted to Pontefract Priory. The church was restored in 1881 by the Lancaster architects Paley and Austin. In 1898 the timber roof and clerestory were added by Frederick Robinson. In 2008 a piece of the spire fell off and it was discovered that the spire was crumbling, and in 2010 an appeal was launched to raise money for its repair.

Inside the church are north and south galleries carried on cast iron posts. The arcades between the nave and the aisles are supported by tall octagonal piers. In the chancel is an ogee-headed piscina dating from the 14th or 15th century. The octagonal font is plain, and is said to be from the 17th century; it stands on a 20th-century base. The polygonal pulpit was moved here in 1979 from St John's Church, Darwen. The monuments include damaged effigies dating from the 15th century in the south chapel. Also in the chapel is a brass plate to the memory of John Webster, an astrologist and local headmaster, who died in 1682. On the north chancel wall is a hatchment, and wall tablets to the…