St James the Great Church, Hebden Bridge is also known as Hebden Bridge Parish Church, Mytholm and Mytholm Church, Hebden Bridge.
The need for a new church was supported by Rev Charles Musgrave and Rev Joseph Charnock.
The church was designed by Pickersgill and Oates, and built under the Million Pound Act on land given by Rev J. A. Rhodes and his wife Mary.
An early proposal was to build the church on land which Rev and Mrs Rhodes owned in the Hangingroyd district of Hebden Bridge, above Market Street, but it was discovered that Mrs Rhodes had only a life interest in the land and so the site at Mytholm was given. Rev Rhodes also gave the stone for the construction from a quarry nearby.
It was built at a cost of £2,700.
The church was consecrated on 5th October 1833.
It was a chapelry within the Ancient Parish of Heptonstall until the new Parish of Hebden Bridge was created in 1844.
A church school was built in 1870.
The church was enlarged and a new chancel added in 1874-1876 by R. Norman Shaw during the curacy of Rev Augustine Harley Walker. A new chancel screen and new altar rails were installed by the Hey family. All windows have stained glass from the 1870s by Heaton, Butler and Bayne. The oak altar rails were designed by Sutcliffe & Sutcliffe. The font is a memorial to the Rev Sutcliffe Sowden.
A new organ was presented to the Church by Dr W. Thomas of Hebden Bridge. It was inaugurated on 25th November 1876.
The church had various alterations in the 20th century.
In 1906, electric light was installed in the Church and Vicarage.
In 1912, new seats were installed in the gallery, and new choir stalls were carved by Harry Percy Jackson in Austrian oak. The choir stalls were dedicated on 27th July 1912.
On 17th June 1933, the Consistory Court granted permission for a granite tombstone in the churchyard after the vicar refused permission.
The carved reredos by Alfonso Noflander was added for the centenary in 1934.
A new organ was installed in 1966.
The tower was altered in 1982.
There are war memorials inside the church, and a stone cross for those who died in World War I in the churchyard – see Hebden Bridge War Memorial.
A list of some of the Vicars of Hebden Bridge is given in a separate Foldout
The records for the Church are held at the West Yorkshire Archive Service office in Wakefield (Collection WDP67): Baptisms [1833-1997], Banns [1845-1944], Marriages [1841-1996] and Burials [1831-1894].
See St James Memorials, Hebden Bridge, St James the Great Church, Hebden Bridge: Graveyard, Sowden Chapel and Tin Mission, Mytholm
This & associated entries use material contributed by Diana Monahan
Page Ref: QQ_82
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