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Topography and Natural History of Lofthouse and Its Neighborhood
Topography and Natural History of Lofthouse and Its Neighborhood Author:George Roberts Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PLACES OF WORSHIP. LOFTHOUSE CHURCH. Lofthouse Church was built in 1839-40. It is an exceedingly plain structure, consisting simply of porch, nave, and sma... more »ll vestry, with bell-turret. It stands near the turnpike road, on a piece of ground given by Miss Margaret Harrison, daughter of the late T. Harrison, Esq., of Lofthouse. The corner-stone was laid by the Eev. John Bell, vicar of Rothwell, on the 1st of July, 1839. On that date a procession of the neighbouring clergy, parish-school children, and inhabitants assembled at Lofthouse Hall, the residence of John Jones, Esq., and proceeded thence to the site of the church. Having arrived, Mrs. Jones presented a silver trowel to the vicar of Rothwell, bearing the following inscription :—" This trowel was presented to the Rev. John Bell, vicar of Rothwell, by the Ladies of the Parish, on the occasion of his laying the foundation-stone of Christ Church, at Lofthouse, on Monday, the first of July, 1839." The Rev. James Horrox then commenced the service appointed for the occasion, and after Mr. Bell had invoked the blessing of Almighty God upon the Holy Work, he desired the stone to be lowered, and having applied the level, and struck the upper surface three times with the mallet, the air resounded with the Doxology from a thousand voices. The Rev. John Bell then addressed the assembly in the following words: — " I cannot, my Christian friends, allow this opportunity to pass away without congratulating you upon the interesting ceremony you have just now witnessed. It will, I assure you, always be to me a subject of unfeigned thankfulness to the Almighty Disposer of every event, whenever Ireflect that I have been permitted to be the humble instrument in His hands of laying the foundation-stone of a building to be raised to His honour a...« less