Building Name

Church of St Mary, Birch, near Middleton

Date
1827 - 1828
District/Town
Birch, Middleton
County/Country
GMCA, England
Work
New build
Status
Demolished 1963

The church served a scattered parish some 4 miles by 3½ miles in extent.  It was assigned a District from the parishes of Bury and Middleton by Order in Council, 11 August 1842, (London Gazette, 27 September 1842).

An invitation to the ceremony for the laying of the foundation stone at the original church on 11 June 1827 stated that it was to be performed by Robert Gregge Hopwood. Written on the commemorative trowel, which was to be presented to Mr Hopwood, is this inscription: ‘To Robert Gregge Hopwood Esq, who laid the first stone of the Chapel of St Mary at Birch, in the Parish of Middleton on the 11th day of June 1827, having magnificently given the site of Edifice for the service of God forever’. However, it seems that Robert Gregge Hopwood was unable to attend and it was his 13-year-old daughter, Augusta who actually performed the stone-laying ceremony. Placed beneath the stone was a glass vase containing coins of the realm.