St Bartholomew, Meltham
St Bartholomew, Meltham
St Bartholomew’s on Greens End Road, Meltham, is a Grade II parish church whose present Classical nave of 1782–86 stands on the site of a Commonwealth church consecrated in 1651.
- Location
- Meltham, Yorkshire
- Country
- England
- County
- Yorkshire
- City / town
- Meltham
- Address
- Greens End Road, Meltham, Yorkshire, HD9 5NW
- Postcode
- HD9 5NW
- Built
- 1782–86; tower and north transept 1835; chancel 1877–78 (on a site consecrated 1651)
- Consecrated
- 24 August 1651 (first church on the site)
- Architect
- Joseph Jagger (nave, attributed); J. P. Pritchett (tower and north transept, 1835); John Kirk (chancel, 1877–78)
- Denomination
- Church of England
- Dedication
- Bartholomew
- Diocese
- Leeds
- Parish
- Christ the King, Meltham
- Grade
- II
- Style
- Classical; Neo-Norman chancel
- Materials
- Ashlar nave and tower with raised quoins; hammer-dressed stone chancel; stone slate roof
- Grid reference
- SE 099 106
- Opening hours
- Sorry, there are no regular opening times for this church.
- Access
- Level access to the main areas. Accessible toilets nearby
Overview
The first church was consecrated on St Bartholomew’s Day 1651 by Henry Tilson, formerly Bishop of Elphin, one of very few English consecrations in the Commonwealth period. Relics of that building include a pulpit desk inscribed ‘1651 Cathedra Veritas’ and a dated lintel. Historic England records a Classical church of 1782–86, thought to be by Joseph Jagger, on that site. J. P. Pritchett added the tower and north transept in 1835; John Kirk added a Neo-Norman chancel in 1877–78.
The six-bay two-storey nave and three-tier west tower are ashlar with raised quoins; the chancel is hammer-dressed stone under a stone-slate roof. The tower has tall louvred bell-openings and four large urns. Inside, galleries on slender cast-iron columns survive, with a wood-panelled coffered ceiling. The parish is Christ the King, Meltham, in the Diocese of Leeds.