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A History of Oldham Churches (Page 2)
If
Reverend Hunt was opposed to anything that seemed to be taking the English
church back towards Rome, his successor, the Reverend Isaac Alien, held very
different views. He was a loyal churchman, a staunch episcopalian and a believer
in the church liturgy. In 1632 he became the Rector of Prestwich, but when
Parliament abolished episcopacy and established a Presbyterian form of church
government during the Civil War, Reverend Alien was strongly opposed to the
change. So incensed were the local Presbyterians that he was ejected from his
living and imprisoned, and the rectory was attacked and part of it destroyed.
Three of Mr Alien's successors at Oldham in the 1640s were strong Presbyterians.
The last of them was the Reverend Robert Constantine, who was approved by the
Manchester Classis but
disliked by the patron of the living,
one of the Asshetons of Chadderton. As a result he was suspended for a few years, restored to the living in 1654 and then ejected under the Act of Uniformity in 1662; he went on to found a church at Greenacres (see Greenacres Congregational Church). The Reverend John Lake, who took over during Constantine's suspension, lived in Chadderton and was once again a staunch Churchman; he later became a Bishop. The eighteenth century saw Oldham and its surrounding townships grow rapidly with the advent of the Industrial Revolution. Crompton had had a chapel since about 1515, but Royton got its own church in 1757,Oldham's second church (St Peter's) was built in 1768 and a year later a church was built at Hollinwood to serve both Hollinwood and Chadderton. As expansion The font from the old church , believed date from around 1400 continued and industry brought wealth to the town, it was suggested that the old mediaeval church should be replaced, and this plunged Oldham into controversy once again. Those who wanted the new church claimed that the population had outgrown the old one, and that in any case the fabric was unsafe. The first to argue against the scheme were the outlying townships, who would have to provide part of the money for the new building as well as maintain their own churches. Some people disliked the way the trustees handled the funds, and the men of culture and historians like Butterworth objected on the ground that destruction of the mediaeval church would be an act of vandalism. The matter was to be decided by a vote, but the voting was greatly influenced by two events. The first was a visit by Dr Law, the Bishop of Chester, who on seeing the church declared that it was in a ruinous state. The second event appeared to prove him right. During the Sunday service on 3rd July 1825 the chimney stack of the vestry collapsed and fell on to the roof. Fearing that the whole church was about to collapse, the congregation panicked and fled via any exit they could find, including, it was said, the windows. In the confusion hats, coats and bonnets were crushed and several people were trampled; one man, Mr Peter Blain,was severely injured. So the fate of the old church was sealed and Parliamentary permission was sought to demolish it and build a new one. The famous Charles Barry, then a young man and not yet knighted, submitted plans which would have incorporated much of old church into the new one, but tl-were rejected and eventually architect Mr Lane of Manchester chosen. The last service in the church was on 29th July 1827 demolition went ahead. Des assurances that the fabric was in poor condition, it took blasting to remove some of the masonry. The foundation stone of the new church was laid in October and work on the body of church began. Royal assent was finally granted on 19th June 1828 for completion of the work in the chi and the vestry, and the new church opened on 12th December
One of Charles Barry's drawings for the proposed new church, with the east end of the old church looking small by comparison Page 2
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