Church of St Mary (Bishop Lee Memorial Church), Palmerston Street, Beswick

St. Mary, Beswick, was to have been one of Manchester’s greatest churches and the architects’ attempt to create a noble building suitable to replace the Cathedral. As the church was being built in 1878 local rumour concluded that it had everything needful, as a commanding site, one of the finest firms of architects in Paley and Austin and the diocesan intention to erect a memorial church to Bishop Lee for this to become the new cathedral.  The parishioners soon became sadly disillusioned when additional funds were not forthcoming to build little more than a third of the total concept and the arcade of flying buttresses soaring up to a fine central tower reduced to just two on each side of the nave. In this unfinished state St. Marys admirably served the purpose of a parish church after an ecclesiastical area had been severed from Christ Church, Bradford. Another use came to the church in 1961 when it was transformed into the location for the film “A Kind of Loving", but even at this time the population of the immediate Manchester suburbs was fading away and the continuance of St. Marys was under threat. Just four years later this noble shadow was stricken with a devastating outbreak of dry-rot and had to be demolished. [Dobbs: Like a Mighty Tortoise page 209-210].

TO BUILDERS – PROPOSED NEW CHURCH AT BESWICK, MANCHESTER. Persons desirous of submitting TENDERS for the ERECTION of a Proposed NEW CHURCH at Beswick, Manchester, may see the plans and specification at the office of the Manchester Diocesan Church Building Society, 42 John Dalton Street, Manchester from Friday 21 April to Friday 5 May (both days included) Bills of quantities may be obtained from the architects, Messrs Paley and Austin, Lancaster. Tenders to be sent (under cover) to the architects not later than Saturday 6 May. Lancaster 12 April 1876. [Manchester Guardian 22 April 1876 page 5]

BESWICK - The memorial stone of a new church now being erected at Beswick was laid on Monday by the Bishop of Manchester. The new building, which is to be dedicated to St. Mary, will contain seats for 600 persons. The style is English Decorated, the architects are Messrs. Paley and Austin, Lancaster; and the contractors Messrs. Cordinglev and Stopford, builders, of Manchester. The amount of the contract is £8.700. [Building News 20 July 1877 page 49]

NEW CHURCH FOR BESWICK — The memorial stone of a new church now being erected at Beswick was laid on Monday by the Bishop of Manchester. The new building, which is to be dedicated to St. Mary, will contain seats for 600 persons, and eventually, when the scheme of the promoters is completed, there will be accommodation for upwards of a thousand adults. The style of the building is English decorated Gothic. The architects are Paley and Austin; the contractors Messrs Cordingley and Stopford, builders of this city. The amount of the contract is £8,700. The cost of the site was £1,800. so that the total outlay will be £10,000. At present divine service is conducted in a mission-room by the Rev. J. P. Rountree, curate-in-charge. After the stone had been laid the Bishop addressed the assemblage. He said that, of the 30 townships constituting the old parish of Manchester, Beswick was the last that was being provided with a church. It was a church partly built as a memorial of the late Bishop Lee who by his will bequeathed £4,000 for the erection of a new church in one of the poorest districts in his diocese. Owing to the action of the law of mortmain, however, the bequest lapsed, and they would have had no right to more than £500 but for the generosity of the Bishop's widow, who gave up her right, and handed over £2,300 for the purpose of the erection of that church, and gave £1,000 in addition towards the erection of the parsonage. Altogether the sum of £6,300 had been contributed. [Manchester Guardian 18 July 1877 page 6]

Yesterday morning the Bishop of Manchester consecrated the Church of St Mary, Beswick, which has been erected in memory of the late Bishop Lee. The site cost £1,300, and the cost of the erection of the church, so far as it has been completed, has been £9,500, making altogether about £10,800 A deficiency remains of about £1,200. The chancel still remains to be erected, together with the parsonage house. The erection of schools is also contemplated. [Manchester Guardian 18 June 1878 page 7]

Reference     Manchester Guardian 15 April 1876 page 1– contracts
Reference     Manchester Guardian 22 April 1876 page 5 – contracts
Reference    Manchester Guardian 18 July 1877 page 6
Reference    Manchester Times 21 July 1877
Reference    British Architect 20 July 1877 Page 31
Reference    British Architect 28 September 1883 Page 147 - Illustration of interior by T Raffles Davison