Church of St. Anne,
Westby Mills,
Westby,
Lancashire, PR4 3PL
Email: holyfamilystanne@gmail.com
Tel. 01772 962776
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Welcome to the
Church of St. Anne
Westby Mills
NEW QUARTEFOIL WINDOW
Around the church walls, set well above head height, are eleven large circular windows. Two of these windows feature The Eucharist and eight depict various saints. One of these saints is our own local martyr, Blessed William Harcourt. These ten windows date between 1897 to 1933. The 'St. George' and St. Gerard Majella' windows are designed by Franz Xavier Zentler of Munich. St. Gerard is the Patron Saint of Mothers and of Motherhood, he was born at Muro Italy in 1725 and died at Caposele Italy in 1755, Beatified in 1755 and Canonised in 1904.
St. Cecilia, the patron saint of musicians is depicted seated at the organ. One commentator has identified this as one of the two stained glass windows within the church which stand out for their artistic and compositional merit, the other being the Millenium Window.
The Millenium window was designed & fabricated by local Craftsman Chris Naylor. In a contemporary style, it depicts the life blood of the Fylde from ancient to modern times. Mrs Paddy Parker, who has written a booklet, 'The Millenium Window', gives the following information. "Our Millenium window has been created and dedicated as a celebration of thanksgiving for the birth of Christ and for the faith and fortitude of our forefathers. It is also a tangible symbol of our faith as a legacy for future generations. The surrounding octafoils are a tribute to the faith and fortitude of all those who have lived and worked in the Fylde throughout the ages. They have shaped the Fylde that we have inherited".
History of the Windows (See end of text below for the new Quatrefoil Window)
On August 26th, 1860, at the hamlet of Westby Mills, a small country church was
formally opened by the Rt. Rev. Alexander Goss, Bishop of Liverpool, and dedicated to
St. Anne, the mother of Our Lady.
The church was designed to face north-south rather than the customary east-west. A
special feature at St. Anne's is the manificent stained glass windows. It's many windows
were unusal in that they were large and circular, each with eight cusps or octafoils. The
hamlet waslater submerged beneath the present reservoir but now the Grade II listed
church has survived as a hidden treasure.
The three earliest windows were installed in 1860 and 1867 at the apse end of the
church. The 'Agnus Dei' is above the altar, whilst windows depicting St. Anne and
St. Joachim are on either side. These windows were manufactured by John Hardman
& Co. of Birmingham who still trade under the name of Pugin, Hardman & Powell.