The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-12-07 00:00:00

THE. LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN
RAILWAY COMPANY.

INTERESTING CEREMONY, YESTERDAY, AT

STANTONBURY.

CONSECRATION OE A NEW ctivitthi NEAR
THE COMPANY'S WORKS AT W.OLVEATON.

SPEECH OF. THE MiRO,UiS OF CHANDOS AND

THE BISHOP OP OXFORD,

( FROM OUR OWN. REPORTER. )
Yesterday was a gala day in the picturesque and
romantically-situated hamlet of Stantonbury, in the
prOttelsially heatitifill county of Bilekingharse for it was
'Oh' thit occasion that the; solenin Mid atigust ceremonial
of
,cmaSe.erating its Unique little church, now in. a state
;Of,, eanipletion, was performed. The morning :was
ushered in with dark and .sombre-tinted clouds; but
towards noon the inauspicious prospect was occassionally
brightened up with a few transient gleams 6f gladdening,
sunshine. Throughout the whole day, however,, there
'Wet not, td spa strictly, two consecutive hours of fine
Weather, which, we•needscarcely say, had a - prejudicial
effect in prev.enting many, persOns who 3sould otherwise
• haie beeni present, from atteadiiig. NetWithatandingthis
drawback,,the aWsielanoe was-both namerous and respee-
table, and cOmpristd a considerable number of the neigh-
gentry and their tenants. PrObably, many of biir
readers may not be
,aware of the precise situation of Wol-
verton, and much less of the village of Stantonbury. Wol-
verton is a small, but by no means unimportant, station
* on the London and North-Western line, being about 52
miles from the metropolis: It is one of the chief places
. along the North-Western line for the Making had
repairing of the engines, htlilding Of Carriages, and, con-
struction of the other works qt' the company.,. About
2,500 persons are employed in these works; accommodi-
tion for af-honi lieirih found initifficiarit iii the adjacent
tAiiship ef.Staritenhilry (which, amongst other moon-
i'eniendes, possessed the very grave one of being some dis-
tance from the railway works) the directors of the com-
pany, with a spirit of generOsity and liberality which is
worthy of the most unqualified eulogy; erected cottages
and substantial dwellings for the employe's quite con-
tiguous to the station,' so that' the men might be saved
the great trouble and •intenvenienco o walkingiecarib
_miles each day,tostbeir.m.orlsS -This act of magnanimous
- liberality on the part of the Marquis of Chandos and the
eOnipany or Which his lordship so ably fills the office of
chairnian has, we are happy to record, not been con-
fined to this one isolated case of kindness; but, im-
pressed with the conviction that the. many employes
Ul..:thOir service, at _Wolverton, were sadly in iheed
of spiritual instruction,. they, with the most ]addable
apirit, gaVe a large pies Of latd at .ritantenbilry, a
pillage about three quarters tif 4. Mile distant; upon which
0.,-elnircli might be erected for the Convimence of their.
dffidials. Not content with this, the directors contributed
largely to the funds for the erection of the sacred edifice,
and in a short time a sufficient sum being realised,
building operations commenced. The plans and design
of the proposed structure were submitted to-Mr. Street,
architect, of London, a gentleman of acknowledged
and well-appreciated, ability in his profession.
Mr. Joseph Mills, of Stratford-on-Avon, was
appointed builder, and under his superintendence
the works have progressed in the most satisfactory
manner. A large school-house was also erected at the
-sole expense of the lAndon and- North-Western Com-
pany, for. the tine of the children of the men employed
. in the railway works, as well as for the children of the
surrounding villagers. Yesterday being the day ap-
pointed for the consecration of the Rew church, a large
number of persons had assembled at Stantonbury, to
witness the edifying ceremony. In Wolverton, Stan.
tonbury, and many of the adjacent villages; etbrachig
circuit of about 20 miles, all work .waB sifspended for the
day, and the inhabitants, attired in their holiday costume,
might be seen wending their way along the various roads
leading to the delightful little hamlet of Stantonbury ;
and albeit the inclement and uninvit; skate of the
IvErs`st.;;, 'Men; save a few stray streaks of sunshine,was
rainy, chilly, and disagreeable throughout the whole
. day, a goodly number of visitors, many of whom had
been invited by the direction of the railway company,
Were present. Many of the elite of the county
-Of Buckingliani added dignity to the occasion by
their presence ; and amongst thd ldrge dna jiril-:
liant array of ladies and gentlenien *lio Collected we
thy rifeittinii, the most noble the Marquis of Chandos,
the Right Rev. Lord Bishop of Oxford, J. G. Hubbard,
Esq., M.P. ; Lieut.-Colonel Moorsom, of Brighton, and
lady ; Captain Moss, J. P. Maule, Esq., W. G. Duncan,
Esq', W. Lowndes, Esq., of Chester; Earl Spencer,
Captain Crew, W. Fairbairn, Esq., of Manchester ;
Mr. M'Connell, the Superintendent of the locomotive
department for the Southern division; the Rev. C.
Cottar; the incumbent of the new church ; the
Rev: R. C. Lowndes, rector of Hartwell, near Ayles-
bury ; Rev. R. N. Russell, Rev. Mr. Langtrowe, Rev.
Mr. Ridley, Rev. G. P. Bowie, Rev. John C. Wharton,
Rev. R. Currie ; Rev. Harcourt Aldham, of Stoke Prior
Vicarage, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, &c., &c. Theta
was a special train that conveyed d WO fiddlier of
of persona froni. EUstriii-Station to Wolvertop, where
fehiCl6a Were in attendance, which conveyed the
irisitors to the church. The school-house was stir-
, mounted with many-coloured streamers, flags, and
banners; and nothing was wanting to render the occasion
a festive and pleasing one. The new church, so far as
it is now completed, has cost a sum of about £4,430, of
which there has been subscribed by the shareholders of
the London and North-Western Company about 2,560 ;
there has been contributed by persons locally interested and
-from other sources £1,870, and to complete the erection of
the spire and the upper part of the tower, it is estimated
that there will be still required £l,OOO. The church is
built of Ancaster stone, and it is expected will comfort-
ably accommodate about five hundred persons. being
about 100 feet in length and 30 feet in witdh. The
flooring is laid with Minton tiles, and the roof of open
timber. The height of the spire when completed will
be 156 feet 8 inches, and the elevation to the roof- is
computed at about 50 feet.. The seats in the church
are all open, having no doors whatever to them, and
the central seats are-made of highly polished oak, which
has a Very pleasing effect on the eye of the spectator;
The stone carving both in the internal and external parts
of the building is executed with great neatness, and reflects
the highest credit on the judgment of, the builder; as
well as on the taste of, the" architect. The only draw-
back, in our opinion, to 'the general ornamentation of
this building; is the total absence of stained glass in any
of the windows, an omission which, we aro given to
understand, will shortly be filled up at the expense'Sef
the railway directors. The baptismal font, situated- at
the entrance of the nave, is the beau ideal of skilful and
uniqiie workmanship. It is made from a magnificent
block of Carrara marble, presented by the foreman and
workmen of the engine factory, in connection With the
railway. works, at Wolverton. It is of an octagonal
shape, and is supported by eight columns of Devonshire
quarry stone, and is the munificent gift of the estimable
and accomplished Marchioness of Chandos, who stands
only second to her august husband in the esteem, respect,
and veneration of the people of Wolverton, Stantonbury,
'and the neighbouring districts. The pulpit is also an
object of ho slight attraction in the sacred edifice,
_both
'from its beauty of design and chaste and classic ornamen-
tation, free from that elaborate profuseness which too
frequently tends rather to encumber than beautify or
adorn. The pulpit has been also presented by Mr.
M'Connell and the employes of the company. The
land upon which the church and the schools,
are built has been " generously bestowed for that
philanthropic pUrpose by the directors or the
company, in addition to' their princely subscriptions to
the funds for the erection of the church, &c. About
twelve o'clock' a large assemblage, including many of
the gentry, clergy, and inhabitants of -the district, with
a considerable number of the railway employes, with
their wives and children, were convened within the sacred
building. Shortly afterwards his Lordship the Bishop
of. Oxford, in whose diocese the parish is situated,
attended by his chaplains, the Revs. Messrs. Randall;
Roundell (vicar of Buckingham), and Archdeacons
Bickersteth and Clarke, proceeded to the. west-door of.
the church, where he was received by the minister, pros
perly habited, and many of the principal inhabitants,
when a petition, bearing the signatures of the incumbent
and churchwardens, was delivered to his lordship, pray;,
ing that he would consecrate the church and the burial
ground belonging thereto. His lordship received the
petition, and •in accordance with- his orders it was read,
after which the bishop signified his intention to comply;
with the request. Then that beautiful and truly sublime
ceremonial of the Church of England, (whose ritual is
so gloriously enriched with these chaste, pure, and soul-
inspiring rites and ordinances of the primitive ages
of Christianity,) was proceeded with. His lordship;
attired in his episcopal robes, and the attendant clergy,
each in fitting costume, formed a procession, and went -
up the nave towards the communion tables, repeating
the 24th • Psalm alternately as they went. The other
portions of the interesting ceremony m connection with
the consecration of the church• having been gone
through, his lordship also solemnly consecrated the
baptismal font, and administered the rites of the
Holy ffaerament of. BaptisM to an infant of Mr.
M'Connell's, the locomotive superintendent. The
" Veni Creator .Spiritus,'.'and other hymns having been
chanted by a very- efficient choir, chiefly composed of
the school children and others attending the church, and
accompanied by a sweet toned organ. His lordship
ascended the pulpit, and delivered an earnest and ims
pressive sermon. He selected for his text the 14th
verse of the sth chapter of the Epistle of St. Paul to
the Ephesians,—" Wherefore he said, awake thou that
sleepest and arise from the dead, that thou mayst live
ui Christ." He proceeded to allude to the particular
season of the year that they were then called upon to
perform that very solemn and holy function that they
had met to witness. The -peculiar character of the
. gathering differed from most other consecrations, ins
asniuch as it presented this pecUliar feature,—that the
• church • was built and consecrated in order that a
Population might worship in it, which had been,
as ss.-- *ere, raised up .on a sudden. The 'great
commercial enterprise, which was one of the distinguish-
ing characteristics.of the present age, had necessitated
the erection of that grand edifice for the vast number of
the workingsclasses that were 'brought together in that
busy hive of industry.. That land which for yearshad
been trodden 'and ,passed' over by the agricultural
labourer was now soleinnly consecrated to the service of
the omnipotent lehOvah, by the erection of an edifice to
be dedicated and set apart for religious worship ; but now
instead of its being an isolated hamlet, whose echoes had
formerly resounded to the voice of the husbandman, it
was now a scene Of busy and active indhstry ; instead-of
being a miniature world of silence, it- was a world of
capital and enterprise, and was a vast centre of trade and
labour. The population there brought together were
remarkable for their intelligence, for their thriftiness,
and their saving and economical habits and sobriety:
But it was also a fluctuating population, with no
inherited relations—there perhaps for a season
.and then away, and with no prospect of. transmitting
their impressions to some future generations, and how
necessary it was that the members of such a population
should be indoctrinated with right and salutary reli-
gious teachings, and brought under the influence of the
gospel. There abounded in it great worldly activity,
great intellectual activity, and physical activity ; but
there was one great element yet required to make the
community a happy and a prosperous one, and that was
a religious activity. He then continued to say that
. each season of the church had its own appropriate lesson
• --Easter . had its message of joy.; Lent its message of
zetortifiCation ; Christmas its glad tidings of great comfort
„to the Christian mind; and Advent had its own peculiar
frote-S—H-Ciefeired to the great changes that were to
happen in the future, when the,poWers of heaven should be
shaken to their centre, and the shadei and fleeting visions
of the night would be chased by the gray light of the
dawning morning. There was q golden flushing in tl4l