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« Church Windows Project / Holy Sepulchre Ashington - History Origins of the ParishAccording to A Social History of Ashington by Mike Kirkup, the town, which once claimed to be 'the biggest mining village in the world', can trace its origins back to Anglo-Saxon times, but its modern name is first encountered three hundred years ago. The town grew from a few farms in the early 19th century to a large coal mining village when the colliery opened in 1867 and is now one of the largest towns in Northumberland. The present community grew up with the development of coal mining in the nineteenth century. The village was part of the parish of Bothal and the pastoral care of its inhabitants was entrusted to the rector of that parish. The Building of the ChurchIn March 1885, the then Rector of Bothal: The Hon. and Reverend W E Ellis, called a meeting of his Ashington parishioners at which a scheme for the erection of a new church and the formation of a new parish was introduced. The cost of providing a church to hold 300 people was estimated at £1,100 to £1,300. His Grace the Duke of Portland had given a two-acre site for the church, vicarage and burial ground, and had promised £500 towards the cost. The Ashington Coal Company had promised to give £300. At the meeting, a building committee of five members was appointed and several parishioners offered to act as collectors. In due course, WS Hicks was appointed Architect and in February 1886, William Carse & Son, of Amble started work on the building. By January of the following year, the nave and chancel were completed and the building was licensed and consecrated for worship by the Bishop of Newcastle on the 30th January 1887, the first service being held in the evening, when the Rector preached to a crowded Church. The Revd. G Butcher; the Junior Curate read the prayers. Robert Clark of Glebe Cottage, Ashington Farm offered to act as Caretaker and Messrs R L Booth and W J Charlton consented to act as Churchwardens. On the 6th February the first baptism service was held, when four children were baptised:
These baptisms were entered in the register for Bothal. The first name to appear in the register of the new church was John Barnfather, baptised on 13th June 1887. Curiously, enough, on the 26th February, Colin Graham of 12 Fourth Row Ashington is shown as having been baptised by "W Wilson; Layman". Why this should be so is not now known. Holy Communion was celebrated in the new church for the first time on 20th February 1887 and on the 12th June the burial ground was consecrated. The first funeral took place the following day. On Easter Day, an altar cross, a pair of alms dishes, candlesticks and vases were presented to the church. They seem not to have survived. On the 12th June, the church and burial ground were consecrated, the first funeral taking place the following day. In November 1887, the South aisle was completed and by the 20th July 1888, His Grace the Duke of Portland had made arrangements for the North aisle to be added, thus raising the capacity of the church to 500. By Christmas, the walls and chancel and been illuminated in colours and on Christmas Day, curtains of French damask in terracotta and gold and suspended on brass rods were presented, as was a reredos of leather cloth with hand-painted designs in gold and colours. On 29th May 1889, the Reverend John Lightfoot: Curate of Bothal was inducted as Vicar of Ashington by the Bishop of Newcastle. Our history shows he has been followed by 13 Vicars including the current incumbent, and 8 assistant curates. The Hon. Revd W E Ellis: Rector of Bothal and the Hon. Revd F R Grey; Rector of Morpeth, read the lessons. The West porch and North aisle were added in 1896. On the 21st April 1923, the War Memorial Window at the East end of the church and high above the altar: a representation of the Ascension of our Lord, was unveiled by Captain A W Milburn of the Northumberland Hussars. At the same time, the Scoutmaster of the Ashington 1st Troop; Mr Ross Miles, unveiled an oak-framed memorial containing the names of the 151 men of the parish who gave their lives in the Great War. Recent History and RestorationIn the 1970s, the original vicarage nextdoor was sold and a new vicarage was built further along Wansbeck Road. Since then, numerous alterations were made to the interior of the church. In 1996, the PCC ordered a major refurbishment of the building. This included repairing the roof, installing a damp-proof course, stripping off perished plaster and a complete redecoration and recarpeting. At the same time, the pews, which had been painted black were stripped and restored to the original varnished pine. The congregation raised the cost of the work (around £60,000) by a series of fund-raising events, the proceeds from which were matched by Barclays Bank PLC, to whom grateful thanks are due. The Miners Chapel of Remembrance, dedicated in 2012, serves as a constant reminder to our founding heritage. The Vicars of AshingtonThere have been 14 vicars of Ashington since the church was built:
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