St Nicholas Church, Wrea Green
St Nicholas Church is in the village of Wrea Green, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Kirkham, the archdeaconry of Lancaster and the diocese of Blackburn. Its benefice is combined with those of St Matthew, Ballam and St Michael, Weeton. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.
History
In 1721 the trustees of Nicolas Sharples' charity bought a plot of ground in the village from a Jane Whiteside and erected on it a small chapel, paid for by funds they had raised amongst themselves. The church was licensed for services in 1722 and was consecrated by the Bishop of Chester on 20 June 1755. In 1846 an order in council added to the township of Ribby with Wrea the township of Westby and formed them into the new parish of Ribby with Wrea, making it a perpetual curacy. In 1869 it became a titular vicarage. The small chapel was pulled down and on 13 May 1848 the new vicar, G L Parsons, laid the foundation stone for the present structure.The church was rebuilt in 1848–49 by the Lancaster architects Sharpe and Paley at a cost of about £1,600. It opened on 23 September 1849 but was not consecrated until 4 May 1855. In 1857 the pulpit, organ chamber, vestry, and stalls were added, but the architect responsible for this is not known. The steeple was added in 1884 by the successors in the same practice, Paley and Austin at a cost of £1,300. In 1931–32 Henry Paley of the same practice, now called Austin and Paley, added a marble floor to the chancel, new steps, and new choir seats. An extension at west end of the church, completed in 2007, provided the village with a fully-equipped community centre.