St Helen's Church, Churchtown

St Helen's, Churchtown
St. Helen's Church in 2009
St Helen's, Churchtown Location in the Borough of Wyre
Coordinates: 53°52′44″N 2°47′24″W / 53.8788°N 2.7900°W / 53.8788; -2.7900
OS grid reference	SD 4816242798
Location	Churchtown, Lancashire
Denomination	Anglican
Website	sthelens-stmichaels.org.uk
History
Dedication	St Helen
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	17 April 1967 (1967-04-17)
Specifications
Height	62 feet (19 m)
Administration
Parish	Garstang St Helen
Deanery	Garstang
Archdeaconry	Blackburn
Diocese	Blackburn
Province	York
Clergy
Vicar(s)	Rev Andrew Wilkinson
Assistant	Rev Constance Whalley

St Helen's Church is an Anglican church in the village of Churchtown in Lancashire, England. Historically, it was the parish church of Garstang; today, as Garstang is split into more than one ecclesiastical parish, St Helen's parish is Garstang St Helen (Churchtown). It is in the Diocese of Blackburn. It has been designated a Grade I listed building by English Heritage. St Helen's is known as the "cathedral of The Fylde".

St Helen's is situated close to the banks of the River Wyre. Historically, the village of Churchtown (once known as Kirkland) was part of the ecclesiastical parish of Garstang, with St Helen's as the parish church. The oldest parts of the church date from the 13th century, these are the piers and responds in the chancel, and the arch piers in the nave. The church was rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries. In 1736, an overflow of the River Wyre flooded the churchyard and damaged the church, necessitating its restoration. In 1811 the roofs were replaced, the walls were raised and a clerestory added.Further restoration work took place in 1866–1869 by E. G. Paley at a cost of £1,372 (equivalent to £110,000 in 2015).

St Helen's is one of only two Grade I listed buildings in the Borough of Wyre and includes: