St Stephen's Church, Whelley

The first phase of the church was built between 1928 and 1930, the foundation stone being laid in November 1928, and the church being consecrated on 9 April 1930. It was designed by the Lancaster architect Henry Paley of Austin and Paley, and the church was built on land given by Lord Crawford. The first phase consisted of the east end of the church, and the first two bays of the nave and the aisles: this cost £9,863 (equivalent to £|r=-4}}}} in ). The church was completed in 1937–38, and a choir vestry was added, the cost of these additions being £5,253.

St Stephen's is constructed in red and brown sandstone with green slate roofs, and is in Free Perpendicular style. Its plan consists of a nave with a clerestory and a south porch, north and south aisles, a chancel with a canted east end, a south vestry, and a single gabled bellcote standing at right angles to the south side of the chancel. At the west end are broad buttresses, with a canted baptistry between them. In 2011 the pipe organ was replaced with an electronic imitation produced by Johannus of Holland.