St Chad's Church, Poulton-le-Fylde

There has probably been a church on the site of the present St Chad's since before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, and there is written evidence of one from 1094. The Domesday Book of 1086 mentioned three churches in the hundred of Amounderness, although they were not named. Later documentary evidence suggests that they were probably the churches at Poulton, Kirkham and St Michael's on Wyre. The dedication of Poulton's church to 7th century Anglo-Saxon saint Chad of Mercia lends weight to its pre-conquest foundation, although it is possible that it was built between 1086 and 1094. The first documentary evidence of Poulton's church dates from 1094. After the conquest Amounderness,…

Internally, the nave measures 93 ft by 36 ft, the chancel (including apse) measures 20 ft by 17 ft and the tower measures 12 ft by 12 ft. The ceiling of the church has shallow ribbed vaulting. There are galleries to the north, west and south, accessed by a Georgian staircase in the north-west that has turned balusters. The north and south galleries are supported by plain Tuscan columns and both contain box pews that date from 1752. Stained glass dates from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century and includes work by Lancaster designers Shrigley and Hunt. The pulpit was constructed in 1955 in the Jacobean style from the four sides of a 17th-century pulpit. It has arabesques and a…

St Chad's was designated a Grade II* listed building on 23 September 1950. An active church in the Church of England, St Chad's is part of the diocese of Blackburn, which is in the Province of York. It is in the archdeaconry of Lancaster and the Deanery of Poulton; the benefice includes Poulton, Carleton and Singleton. The Rev. Martin Keighley was appointed vicar of St Chad's in 2000. The ecclesiastical parish of Poulton-le-Fylde St Chad includes the Church of St Hilda of Whitby in Carleton.