Church of Our Lady of Mount Camel and St Patrick, Oldham

The Roman Catholic Church dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Camel and St Patrick now sits in a prominent position next to the new King Street Metrolink stop in Oldham town centre. It was the second Catholic church in Oldham following the building of St Mary’s on the other side of the town centre. The church was built to serve the rapidly growing population of mainly Irish Catholic families arriving in Oldham to work in the cotton mills and in the building industry. It was originally a chapel of ease attached to St Mary's and started life in a former Unitarian Chapel in Foundry Street in I858. In I862 it became independent of St Mary's and the parish priest started to look for land to build a new church. A plot of land nearby on Union Street/ John Street was given by John Lees Ainsworth, a recent Catholic convert. and the foundation stone was laid on Easter Monday I869. The architect was Thomas Mitchell of Oldham and the builders were Finnegan of Manchester. The foundation stone was laid on Easter Day I969 and the first Mass in the new church was held on 5 June I870. The church is in a simple Early English style with the main entrance via a gabled porch in the liturgical west gable which is surmounted by a bell-cote containing a single bell. There is a four-bay nave terminating in a canted apse which contains a rich reredos with pinnacles and niches installed in I873 to designs by George Goldie. The original stencilled decoration of the apse. which had been over-painted. has now been restored in a modified form and die reredos restored and re-painted. The forward altar and ambo designed by joe Burke have been retained. The stencilling and decorating work was carried out by the Preston firm of Bernard Watson Ltd. They have a long history of carrying out ecclesiastical work originally as john Corbishley and Sons Ltd before being incorporated in I979 into the firm of Bernard Watson Ltd. The church lighting has also been renewed by Anthony Smith Ltd. of Gloucester. [GMCPS Newsletter No 34 Spring 2019]

Reference           Brian Hartley GMCPS Newsletter No 34 Spring 2019