SJ9398 : St Peter's Church, Ashton - the east end is swathed in scaffolding during restoration work
taken 10 years ago, near to Ashton-Under-Lyne, Tameside, England
St Peter’s Church was built between 1821 and 1824, and was designed by Francis Goodwin in a free Perpendicular style constructed in ashlar stone with a slate roof. The church is an example of a Commissioners’ Church built with money voted by Parliament as a result of the Church Building Act of 1818 and 1824 (Link ). It is a Grade II* listed building (English Heritage ID:212664); in the listing text (Link British Listed Buildings ) English Heritage describe it as “a particularly imposing and elaborate example of a Commissioner's Church”.
An intriguing feature of the church is the clock in the east gable which is driven by a shaft extending the length of the church from the mechanism in the west tower.
During 2013-14 a programme of refurbishment of the east end of the church was carried out.
More information can be read at: Link - A Short History Of St Peter’s Church, Ashton-Under, written for its 150th birthday by John Hedges
Listed buildings and structures are officially designated as being of special architectural, historical or cultural significance. There are over half a million listed structures in the United Kingdom, covered by around 375,000 listings.
Listed status is more commonly associated with buildings or groups of buildings, however it can cover many other structures, including bridges, headstones, steps, ponds, monuments, walls, phone boxes, wrecks, parks, and heritage sites, and in more recent times a road crossing (Abbey Road) and graffiti art (Banksy 'Spy-booth') have been included.
In England and Wales there are three main listing designations;
Grade I (2.5%) - exceptional interest, sometimes considered to be internationally important.
Grade II* (5.5%) - particularly important buildings of more than special interest.
Grade II (92%) - nationally important and of special interest.
There are also locally listed structures (at the discretion of local authorities) using A, B and C designations.
In Scotland three classifications are also used but the criteria are different. There are around 47,500 Listed buildings.
Category A (8%)- generally equivalent to Grade I and II* in England and Wales
Category B (51%)- this appears generally to cover the ground of Grade II, recognising national importance.
Category C (41%)- buildings of local importance, probably with some overlap with English Grade II.
In Northern Ireland the criteria are similar to Scotland, but the classifications are:
Grade A (2.3%)
Grade B+ (4.7%)
Grade B (93%)
Read more at Wikipedia Link