| St John's Church | |
|---|---|
| St John the Baptist Church | |
 | |
 St John's Church | |
| 53°36′41″N2°09′18″W / 53.6113°N 2.1549°W /53.6113; -2.1549 | |
| OS grid reference | SD 89851 12760 |
| Location | Rochdale, Greater Manchester |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | Parish of St Gabriel and the Angels and St John the Baptist |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Dedication | John the Baptist |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* listed[1] |
| Designated | 15 September 1998[2] |
| Architect(s) | Henry Oswald Hill and Ernest Bower Norris |
| Style | Byzantine Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1925 |
| Completed | 1927 |
| Administration | |
| Province | Liverpool |
| Diocese | Salford |
| Deanery | St Thérèse of Lisieux[3] |
| Parish | St Gabriel and the Angels and St John the Baptist |
St John the Baptist Church is aRoman CatholicParish church inRochdale, 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 theByzantine Revival style and is a Grade II* listed building.[1]
From 1824, a Catholic priest resided in Rochdale. He wasFr William Turner, who later becameBishop of Salford. Originally,Mass was said in a room of a warehouse on Clegg Street. In 1829, St John's Church church was built and opened on Ann Street in Rochdale. Fr Turner was priest until 1835, when he became the priest atSt Chad's Church inCheetham Hill. He was replaced by a Fr Dowling. In 1860, this church was replaced by one made of brick. In 1871, Fr Dowling died and was replaced by adean, Fr O'Neill.[4] In the late 1800s, as the towns were increasing in population, further Catholicmissions were started in the surrounding area. From 1898 to 1937, the priest at St John the Baptist Church was Canon Henry Chipp.[5]
Canon Chipp sought the construction of a new, larger church to replace the one made of brick. He wanted a church to resemble theHagia Sophia in Istanbul.[1] The architect of St John the Baptist Church was Henry Oswald Hill. He was the cousin of Charles Joseph Gadd theVicar General of thediocese. The design of the church was influenced byWestminster Cathedral andJohn Francis Bentley. On 21 October 1917, after making the designs for the church, Hill was killed in action duringWorld War I flying as a captain in theRoyal Flying Corp, serving in what later becameNo. 52 Squadron RAF.[6] He also designed St Teresa's Church inIrlam in 1900, St Brigid's Church inBradford in 1901, St Alphonsus inOld Trafford in 1903, Our Lady and the English Martyrs Church inUrmston in 1911, andSt Joseph's Church inHeywood in 1913.[7]
In 1918, Henry Thomas Sandy bought Hill's architectural firm. In 1920, Ernest Bower Norris joined the practice. In 1922, Sandy died and Norris ran the firm, which became known as Hill, Sandy & Norris, which ceased operations in 1969.[5] St John's Church was the first time Norris had built aByzantine-style church.[8] From 1962 to 1964, he designed a similar church, St John Fisher Church, inWest Heath, West Midlands.[9]
The church was built from 1925 to 1927. The original design for the church had abell tower, which was never built. From 1930 to 1933, the mosaic in thesanctuary was made. The theme of the mosaic iseternal life. It was designed byEric Newton of Ludwig Oppenheimer Ltd, cost £4000 and was made by craftspeople in Manchester.[1][10]
In 1966, apresbytery was built, attached to the north side of the church. The architects for it were Desmond Williams & Associates. In 1998, a residence was added to the side of the church. This was done by demolishing the presbytery and a section of the easttransept.[5]
St John the Baptist Church together with St Gabriel and the Angels Church inCastleton, Greater Manchester, are part of the sameparish called the Parish of St Gabriel and the Angels and St John the Baptist. In 1879, St Gabriel and the Angels Church started as amission from St John the Baptist Church. In 1884, a building housing a chapel and school was built. In 1894, apresbytery was added. In 1951, with the increasing Catholiccongregation 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 present St Gabriel and the Angels Church.[11]
St John the Baptist Church has a SundayMass at 9:30am.[12] St Gabriel and the Angels Church has one Sunday Mass at 11:00am.[13]
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