St John the Baptist Church, Rochdale

St John's Church
St John the Baptist Church
Coordinates: 53°36′41″N 2°09′18″W / 53.6113°N 2.1549°W / 53.6113; -2.1549
OS grid reference SD8985112760
Location Rochdale, Greater Manchester
Country United Kingdom
Denomination Roman Catholic
Website RochdaleOnline.co.uk
History
Dedication John the Baptist
Architecture
Status Active
Functional status Parish church
Heritage designation Grade II listed
Designated 15 September 1998[1]
Architect(s) Henry Oswald Hill and Ernest Bower Norris
Style Byzantine Revival
Groundbreaking 1925
Completed 1927
Administration
Parish St Gabriel and the Angels and St John the Baptist
Deanery St Thérèse of Lisieux[2]
Diocese Salford
Province Liverpool

St John the Baptist Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. It was founded in 1830, and built in 1927. It is situated on the corner of Maclure Road and Dowling Street, opposite the Greater Manchester Fire Service Museum in the centre of the town. It was built in the Byzantine Revival style and is a Grade II listed building.[3]

History

Foundation

From 1824, a Catholic priest resided in Rochdale. In 1830, a church was built and opened. In 1860, this church was replaced by one made of brick. In the late 1800s, with the towns population increasing, further Catholic missions were started in the surrounding area. From 1898 to 1937, the priest at St John the Baptist Church was Canon Henry Chipp.[3]

Construction

Interior

Canon Chipp sought the construction of a new, larger church to replace the one made of brick. The architect of St John the Baptist Church was Henry Oswald Hill. His design was influenced by Westminster Cathedral and John Francis Bentley. In 1917, after making the designs for the church, Hill was killed in action in World War One. In 1918, his architectural firm was bought by Henry Thomas Sandy. In 1920, Sandy was joined by Ernest Bower Norris. In 1922, Sandy died and Norris ran the firm, which became known as Hill, Sandy & Norris. The firm continued until 1969.[3]

The church was built from 1925 to 1927. The original design for the church had a bell tower, which was never built. From 1930 to 1933, the mosaic in the sanctuary was made. It was designed by Eric Newton of Ludwig Oppenheimer Ltd and cost £4000.[3]

In 1966, a presbytery was built, attached to the north side of the church. The architects for it were Desmond Williams & Associates. In 1998, the presbytery was demolished and part of the east transept was turned into residential accommodation.[3]

Parish

St John the Baptist Church together with St Gabriel and the Angels Church in Castleton, Greater Manchester, are part of the same parish called the Parish of St Gabriel and the Angels and St John the Baptist. In 1879, St Gabriel and the Angels Church started as a mission from St John the Baptist Church. In 1884, a building housing a chapel and school was built. In 1894, a presbytery was added. In 1951, with the increasing Catholic congregation in the area, the former Princess Cinema in Smalley Street (built in 1900) was bought and adapted to replace the old chapel and became the replacement St Gabriel and the Angels Church.[4]

St John the Baptist Church has two Sunday Masses, at 5:30pm on Saturday and at 9:30am on Sunday.[5] St Gabriel and the Angels Church has one Sunday Mass at 11:00am.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Church of St John the Baptist (Roman Catholic), Rochdale from British Listed Buildings, retrieved 11 February 2016
  2. ↑ Deanery from St Vincent de Paul Church, Rochdale, retrieved 11 February 2016
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Rochdale - St John the Baptist from English Heritage, retrieved 11 February 2016
  4. ↑ Rochdale - St Gabriel and the Angels from English Heritage, retrieved 11 February 2016
  5. ↑ St John the Baptist Church from Rochdale Online, retrieved 11 February 2016
  6. ↑ St Gabriel's, Rochdale from Diocese of Salford, retrieved 11 February 2016

External links

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