 The magnificent building was begun in 1846 by Dr. John Stonard, then rector of the parish, and took four years to build.Stonard never saw it finished, however, as he died in 1849 and left it to his manservant, Edward Jones Schollick, who had reportedly saved his master's life on the sands of Morecambe Bay.Schollick became a local philanthropist with interests in shipbuilding and iron ore mining.