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Rochdale Parish Church
St Chad's Church, Rochdale
St Chad's Church, Rochdale
Rochdale Parish Church
53°36′52″N 2°09′28″W / 53.614479°N 2.157836°W / 53.614479; -2.157836
Location	Rochdale, Greater Manchester
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Website	www.rochdaleparishchurches.org.uk
History
Status	Active
Founded	601 (601)
Dedication	St Chad
Architecture
Functional status	Parish Church
Architect(s)	Ninian Comper
Style	Gothic Revival
Completed	1100
Specifications
Bells	8
Administration
Province	York
Diocese	Manchester
Parish	Rochdale
Clergy
Vicar(s)	Revd Anne Gilbert

St Chad's Church is the Church of England parish church of Rochdale in Greater Manchester, England. It forms part of the Diocese of Manchester. It is an active place of worship and community hub for the town and outlying suburbs around the town. It is a grade II* listed building and sits at a high elevation above both Rochdale Town Hall and the town centre.

History

St Chad's was the mother church of the ancient parish of Rochdale and was founded before 1170, possibly on an Anglo-Saxon site. Much of the current building is the result of late Victorian restoration. A local legend relates that the site was chosen by spirits and fairies as on several occasions stone for the church building was moved from near the river to the hill on which St. Chad's stands. The church is accessed from the town below by a flight of 124 steps. The town stocks (no longer in use) are in the churchyard.

St Chad's Church is a medieval foundation; however this is not apparent from its outside aspect. The arcades (13th century) have some round and some octagonal piers and variations in ornamentation, while the tower arch is of the 14th century. In the 1850s, there was a restoration by Joseph Clarke; a rebuilding and lengthening of the chancel which included arcades with narrow bays was the work of J. S. Crowther in 1883–85. In the 1850s, the north aisle was rebuilt; in the 1870s the south aisle was rebuilt and the height of the tower increased by the addition of a large and ornate bell-stage. In the Dearden chapel is a monument to John Dearden, rector in the 14th century; in this chapel are also a number of brasses to members of the Dearden family which are however forgeries made for James Dearden c. 1847. The monument to Jacob Dearden (died 1825) is by R. W. Sievier. The most notable monument is the signed work of William Coleburne of London; it commemorates James Holte of Castleton (d. 1712) and Dorothea his wife (d. 1718) and is made of grey and white marble.

Notable graves

• John Collier (1708–1786), caricaturist and satirical poet

See also

• Listed buildings in Rochdale
• List of churches in Greater Manchester

References

1. "Rochdale: St Chad". manchester.anglican.org. Church of England: Diocese of Manchester. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
2. "St Chad's, Rochdale: Where Medieval and Victorian Gothic Collide". Visit Manchester. 4 May 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
3. Historic England. "Church of Saint Chad (1045812)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
4. "Choir visit for Remembrance Week – St Chad's, Rochdale Parish Church". rochdaleonline.co.uk. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
5. St Chad, Rochdale – Church of England, GenUKI, retrieved 23 December 2010
6. Pevsner, N. (1969) Lancashire; 1: The Industrial and commercial south. Harmondsworth: Penguin; pp. 374–75
7. Fleetwood-Hesketh, Peter (1955) Murray's Lancashire Architectural Guide. London: John Murray; p. 169; it is described here as one of the finest in Lancashire and one of the few of Coleburne's works to be signed

Further reading

• Wild, A. S. (1981). Top o'th' steps: a history of St. Chad's parish church, Rochdale (PDF). Rochdale: St. Chad's Educational Trust. ISBN 0950852708.
• Dixon, K. H. (2004). Top o'th' steps: a history of St Chad's parish church, Rochdale: based on the original book by A S Wild (PDF) (revised ed.). Rochdale: St. Chad's Educational Trust.

External links

• Official website

v t e Buildings and structures in Rochdale Borough, England
Buildings	Arkwright Mill Baron Street drill hall The Baum pub Malta Mill, Middleton Number One Riverside Rochdale Pioneers Museum Rochdale Town Hall Central Library, Museum and Art Gallery Rochdale Cenotaph
Places of worship	St Chad's Church St Edmund's Church St John the Baptist Church, Rochdale St John the Baptist's Church, Smallbridge Church of St Mary in the Baum
Education	Falinge Park High School Kingsway Park High School Matthew Moss High School Oulder Hill Leadership Academy Rochdale Sixth Form College St Cuthbert's RC High School Springhill High School, Rochdale
Transportation	Castleton railway station Heywood railway station Littleborough railway station Mills Hill railway station Rakewood Viaduct Rochdale Interchange Rochdale railway station Smithy Bridge railway station
Sport and entertainment	Spotland Stadium
Demolished	Ellenroad Mill Athletic Grounds, Rochdale Castleton Cricket Club Ground Harp Mill, Castleton Mars Mill, Castleton Merefield Ground Milnrow Road Ground Roch Valley Viaduct Rochdale Castle
Lists	List of schools in Rochdale List of mills in Rochdale
Listed buildings in	Heywood Littleborough Middleton Milnrow Rochdale Wardle

• Buildings and structures in Rochdale
• Church of England church buildings in Greater Manchester
• Grade II* listed churches in Greater Manchester
• Anglican Diocese of Manchester
• Commissioners' church buildings