Greater Manchester is mainly urban, and is one of the most densely populated regions in Europe.[17] In the second half of the 18th century, the Industrial Revolution played an important role in the growth and development of Manchester and its surrounding area, and industry continues to be a major part of the region's economy. There are few buildings surviving from before the Industrial Revolution, but many from the 19th and 20th centuries.[18] The bedrock consists mainly of Carboniferoussandstones, including millstone grit, which is a major source of building material for the region's churches. The superficial deposits are of boulder clay, which provides material for making bricks.[19]
The church originated in the 15th century, but was virtually rebuilt during the 19th century. The north side was partly rebuilt in 1821. Between 1841 and 1845 Richard Tattersall rebuilt the south wall, and restored the internal piers, pews and galleries. In 1886–88 J. S. Crowther built the west tower. The church is mainly in the Perpendicular style. Twenty of the windows contain medieval stained glass dating from about 1497 to 1512, donated by Sir Thomas Assheton, and depicting scenes from the life of Saint Helen.[20][21]
St Mary's dates mainly from between 1520 and 1550, and is entirely Perpendicular in style. There were restorations in the 19th century, including one by J. Medland Taylor in 1878–80. At the west end is a castellated tower. Inside the church is a camber beam roof with gildedbosses. The church also contains effigies dating from the 15th and 17th centuries.[22][23]
The oldest fabric in the church dates from the 13th century. There were alterations and additions in each of the following three centuries, particularly in the 15th century. The chancel was rebuilt in 1862–63 by J. P. Holden. The roof of the nave has been described as "the chief treasure of the church"; it is coffered, and decorated with elaborate bosses, some with sunbursts.[25][26]
The church was built in 1880–82, and designed by J. Medland Taylor and Henry Taylor for Joseph Sidebotham, a local industrialist and politician. It is constructed in red brick with tiled roofs, and has a cruciform plan. Over the crossing is a large tower consisting of a truncated pyramidal roof, above which is a timber-framed bell stage with a pyramidal spire containing dormer openings. The marguerite, a symbol of Saint Anne, features prominently in the decorative scheme.[27][28]
This began as a collegiate church in 1421, and became a cathedral in 1847. It was constructed in sandstone, mainly in the 15th and 16th centuries, and is in the Perpendicular style. A series of restorations was carried out in the 19th century by John Palmer, by J. P. Holden, who raised the height of the tower, by J. S. Crowther, who rebuilt the navearcades, and by Basil Champneys, who added the west porch. The cathedral was bomb-damaged in 1940, and was subsequently repaired by Hubert Worthington.[6][31]
St Ann's was built in 1709–12 in Neoclassical style. It consists of a six-baynave, with a semicircular apse at the east end, and a west tower. The tower originally had a three-stage cupola, which was removed in 1777 and replaced with a balustradedparapet. The church was remodelled and restored by Alfred Waterhouse in 1887–91. Inside are galleries on three sides, supported by Tuscan columns. The stained glass scheme in the apse was designed by Frederic Shields.[13][32]
The church stands on a hill, and contains some Norman material in the tower arch. It was rebuilt in 1412 by Bishop Thomas Langley, with a further rebuilding in 1524 by Sir Richard Assheton. There were more alterations carried out in the 17th and 19th centuries. Between 1957 and 1960, George Pace added vestries and a porch. A notable feature of the church is the weatherboarded belfry, dating from 1667, on the tower.[5][33]
G. F. Bodley designed the church for the Manchester banker Edward Stanley Heywood. It was built in 1870–74 on a concrete raft to prevent damage from mining subsidence, and cost £33,000. The church is constructed in brick with stone dressings and tiled roofs. The buttresses are internal; they rise through the roof, and are capped by small gables. Many of the internal furnishings were designed by Bodley, including the large and elaborate reredos. On the chancel walls are paintings and stencilling.[11][34]
A church has been present on the site since at least 1200, but the oldest part of the present church is the tower, which dates from the 15th century. The nave and aisles are from the following century. The south porch was added in 1865, followed by two chapels in 1874–75. In 1888–89, Paley, Austin and Paley replaced the chancel, added a turret at the east end, and rebuilt the north chapel. The same architects also designed many of the internal furnishings. Among the monuments is one by Sievier.[35][36]
The church dates from the 14th century. The tower is probably from the following century, and was restored in 1665. The chancel was rebuilt in 1817. J. Medland Taylor carried out restorations and extensions in 1870 and 1905; these included replacing the south transept with an aisle, giving the church an almost square plan.[7][37]
Designed by Alfred Waterhouse, the church was built in 1882–83 for Sir William Houldsworth. It is constructed in red brick with stone bands and dressings. Outside the east end of the south aisle is a tower linked to the body of the church by a flying bridge; the tower is surmounted by a lead spire. At the east end of the church is an apsidalchancel flanked by a Lady chapel and a vestry.[10][38]
The church was built in 1870–73, and designed by J. Medland Taylor for Albert Hudson Royds, a local banker and prominent Freemason. It is constructed in sandstone with tiled roofs, at a cost of £28,000. The church has a cruciform plan with a tower at the crossing. It is notable for its combination of Gothic Revival architectural features with symbols of Freemasonry. The church closed in 2009, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.[39][40][41][42]
The church, opened in 1909, was designed by Ninian Comper as a cheaper alternative to repairing the previous chapel-of-ease of 1742.[43] The unusual name derives from the medicinal herbs (balm/locally baum, possibly lemon balm or white mint) which grew wild in the area.[44]
The first church for the Christian Scientists in Britain, the Edgar Wood Centre was built in 1903–04, with additions in 1905–07. Its design is Expressionist with Art Nouveau details. Constructed in partly rendered brick, it has a steeply pitched roof. The entrance front has a window shaped like a cross, and an entrance under a semicircular arch. There are two wings, one of them in the form of a turret with a conical roof. Along the sides of the church are dormer windows. The building is now used by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God.[45]
All Saints was built in 1821–26 as a Commissioners' church. It was designed by Charles Barry, and was his first commission. The church is tall, in a style that has been described as "fanciful" Gothic. Its plan is rectangular, with a cantedapse at the east end, and a west tower. Many of the internal furnishings are by Austin and Paley, and one of the monuments is by Sievier.[12][46]
St Wilfrid's dates mainly from about 1582–84 when it largely replaced an earlier church. A new tower was added in 1867. In 1913–14 the east vestry was built by Austin and Paley. The west tower has an octagonal bell stage. Inside the church the arcades are supported by Tuscan columns, probably the earliest full-scale use of the Tuscan order in England. The church also contains a piscina and aumbry dating from the 13th or 14th century, and 14th-century monuments.[47][48]
The chancel and the northeast chapel date from the 14th century, and are in Decorated style. The rest of the church was rebuilt between 1813 and 1817 in Perpendicular style. Alterations were made in 1881–82 by J. S. Crowther. In the chancel are a sedilia, a double piscina and an Easter Sepulchre, and there is another piscina in the chapel. Also in the church are a number of monuments, including one by Richard Westmacott.[49][50]
This was a Commissioners' church and an early design by George Basevi. It is in Greek Revival style. At the east end is a large portico supported by six Ionic columns, and at the west end is a clock tower. The church was refurbished by T. H. Allen in 1881, and the chancel was remodelled by J. Medland Taylor in 1890. Inside the church are galleries on three sides, carried on Corinthian columns.[51][52]
This is basically a timber-framed church, but some parts are in stone, and others are in brick. The west front and south aisle are dated 1645, although some parts are probably older, and the brick tower at the east end is dated 1711. There have been more alterations since. Inside the church is a font dated 1603, a Jacobeanpulpit, and a three-sided communion rail dating from the 17th century. The church is now redundant and under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.[8][54][55]
^"About Us". rochdaleparishchurches.org.uk. St Chad's and St Mary in the Baum, Rochdale. Archived from the original on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
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Pollard, Richard; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2006). Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West. The Buildings of England. New Haven, CT; London, England: Yale University Press. ISBN0-300-10910-5.