Parish Church of St Mary with St Peter, Oldham

The Church of St Mary with St Peter stands in the centre of Oldham, a town shaped by the Industrial Revolution. A church has occupied the site since 1280, when a small chapel served the surrounding townships. By the 15th century an Early English Gothic church replaced it, but rapid population growth in the early 19th century made rebuilding necessary. The present Gothic Revival building was completed in 1830 to designs by Richard Lane, a Manchester architect. English Heritage recognises the church as a Grade II* listed building of national importance. The church’s interior holds notable works by Edward Stanley Watkins. Behind the high altar is a reredos triptych he created in 1908, showing Christ in Majesty in medieval style with leading English church figures. Watkins also designed the triptych in the north aisle side chapel. The tower contains a peal of twelve bells cast in 1922 by John Taylor & Co, with an extra flat sixth bell added in 1978. An original bell from 1722 by Abraham Rudhall II remains in use. Visitors enter a spacious nave under a steeply pitched roof of slate and stone. The aisles lead to the chancel where the reredos triptych draws the eye upward. The side chapel’s triptych adds colour and detail to the north aisle. Outside, the churchyard was enlarged in 1805 and Church Lane now ends as a cul-de-sac. The lowered Church Street and nearby Church Terrace mark changes made when the churchyard grew.