St James' Church, Oldham

St James’ Church stands in Barry Street on Greenacres Moor, a short distance from Oldham town centre. Built between 1827 and 1829, it was designed by Francis Goodwin after Charles Barry’s original estimate proved too low. A grant of £9,652 from the Church Building Commission helped pay for its construction. The foundation stone was laid by James Lees of Higher Clarksfield on 3 September 1827. An apse was added in 1883 by John Lowe of Manchester. The building is listed Grade II on the National Heritage List for England. The church belongs to the Anglo-Catholic tradition and rejects the ordination of women. It is part of the Archdeaconry of Rochdale in the Diocese of Manchester. Alternative episcopal oversight comes from the Bishop of Beverley, currently Stephen Race. The Parish of St James with St Ambrose Oldham oversees its work today. The church is one of the Commissioners’ churches built with public funds in the early 19th century. Outside, the ashlar stone walls and Welsh slate roofs form a nave with north and south aisles. A shallow apse sits at the east end, and a west tower rises above the main entrance. The tower has buttresses, a parapet with a clock surround, and an octagonal lantern with bell openings. Inside, galleries run along three sides, and the chancel screen and rood loft date from the 1920s. Stained glass by Shrigley and Hunt fills the windows, and the chancel holds a canopied reredos and sedilia.