The Visit
Visited recently with @BrainL , after what felt like a hell of a drive (pun intended) we eventually made it to the church, sneaked our way past the sleeping homeless person in an archway and made our way in.
It was a completely normal explore until @BrainL almost (but did a little) fell through the floor on the upper floor, luckily no major harm was done and we carried on snapping after laughing
History
The origins of St. Saviour's At Stubbylee Hall, Bacup, lived Mr. John Holt, J.P., a Christian man with a real concern for the spiritual needs of the people living on his estate around the Lee Mill area. His dreams of building a church were not fulfilled in his own lifetime. When St. John's fell into a state of extreme disrepair and collapse a committee was formed to rebuild it but progress in making the necessary arrangements was so slow that one of the members of the committee, Mr. James Maden Holt (the son of Mr. John Holt) withdrew and determined to go ahead with the building of a church at Stubbylee. After obtaining the consent of the incumbent of St. John's, the Rev. B. Tweedale, and of the Bishop of the diocese to the assignment of a district for the proposed new church, Mr. Holt looked round for a suitable clergyman to tackle the undertaking. He learned that the Rev. William Whitworth, Vicar of St. Jude's, Ancoats, was willing to accept the onerous task of working up the new- parish and invited him to be the first vicar. Mr. Whitworth was duly licensed and began his labours in an old mill at Rockliffe. It was intended that these premises should be only temporary so very few alterations were made. The floor was covered with sawdust and benches mounted on bricks were used as pews. Worship commenced there in 1854.
Work now began on the Sunday School building in New Line and was completed in 1858. The congregation and scholars were called together for a final address by Mr. Whitworth in Rockliffe Mill. A procession then formed and marched to the new school, which was opened by Mr. Whitworth who gave a further address. The upper part of the school was used as a church for the next few years. The vicarage was built next and Mr. Whitworth took up residence there about 1860, shortly before the building of the church commenced.
The church was consecrated on Monday, the 23rd of January, 1865, by the Lord Bishop of Manchester, the Right Rev. J. Fraser, and was designated "St. Saviour's, Bacup". Representatives of the local Wesleyan, Baptist and Independent churches were present at the service.
The cost of the erection of the church, school and vicarage was borne entirely by Mr. James Maden Holt and amounted, as near as can be ascertained, to £8,000, £2,000 and £1,400 respectively, exclusive of the value of the sites.
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Visited recently with @BrainL , after what felt like a hell of a drive (pun intended) we eventually made it to the church, sneaked our way past the sleeping homeless person in an archway and made our way in.
It was a completely normal explore until @BrainL almost (but did a little) fell through the floor on the upper floor, luckily no major harm was done and we carried on snapping after laughing
History
The origins of St. Saviour's At Stubbylee Hall, Bacup, lived Mr. John Holt, J.P., a Christian man with a real concern for the spiritual needs of the people living on his estate around the Lee Mill area. His dreams of building a church were not fulfilled in his own lifetime. When St. John's fell into a state of extreme disrepair and collapse a committee was formed to rebuild it but progress in making the necessary arrangements was so slow that one of the members of the committee, Mr. James Maden Holt (the son of Mr. John Holt) withdrew and determined to go ahead with the building of a church at Stubbylee. After obtaining the consent of the incumbent of St. John's, the Rev. B. Tweedale, and of the Bishop of the diocese to the assignment of a district for the proposed new church, Mr. Holt looked round for a suitable clergyman to tackle the undertaking. He learned that the Rev. William Whitworth, Vicar of St. Jude's, Ancoats, was willing to accept the onerous task of working up the new- parish and invited him to be the first vicar. Mr. Whitworth was duly licensed and began his labours in an old mill at Rockliffe. It was intended that these premises should be only temporary so very few alterations were made. The floor was covered with sawdust and benches mounted on bricks were used as pews. Worship commenced there in 1854.
Work now began on the Sunday School building in New Line and was completed in 1858. The congregation and scholars were called together for a final address by Mr. Whitworth in Rockliffe Mill. A procession then formed and marched to the new school, which was opened by Mr. Whitworth who gave a further address. The upper part of the school was used as a church for the next few years. The vicarage was built next and Mr. Whitworth took up residence there about 1860, shortly before the building of the church commenced.
The church was consecrated on Monday, the 23rd of January, 1865, by the Lord Bishop of Manchester, the Right Rev. J. Fraser, and was designated "St. Saviour's, Bacup". Representatives of the local Wesleyan, Baptist and Independent churches were present at the service.
The cost of the erection of the church, school and vicarage was borne entirely by Mr. James Maden Holt and amounted, as near as can be ascertained, to £8,000, £2,000 and £1,400 respectively, exclusive of the value of the sites.
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