Church of The Immaculate Conception (RC)Long Lane Broadbottom

Built on the banks of the river Etherow, below the village of Broadbottom on land given by Lord Howard of Glossop, son of the Duke of Norfolk at a cost of £2,500. Founded by Canon Sabela from St Charles in Hadfield who also laid out the wooded grounds include a statue of the Sacred Heart mounted on a rockery plinth facing the road and a stone built grotto over a spring.

A small rural church in an attractive landscaped setting, built in Gothic Revival style in the 1890s to serve the growing industrial community of Broadbottom. The church is a local landmark, stone built and notable for its little altered interior with a fine set of Gothic altars by Boulton of Cheltenham.  The plan consists of four bay nave, apsidal sanctuary with sacristy to the east, west end with porch and bell-cote facing the road and a gabled projection to the south originally for confessionals and vestry. The stone built structure has a Welsh slate roof, with elevations articulated with stepped buttresses and projecting bays for north and south windows lighting the side altars. The west end faces the road with gabled bell-cote above a niche with a statue of Our Lady. The nave windows are glazed with plain leaded glass, the sanctuary windows are filled with 1890s stained glass by Edmonson of Manchester, given by Lord Howard. The attractive, well lit interior is unaltered spatially and retains a good set of 1890s fittings. The open roof has arch braced scissor trusses on stone corbels, and exposed rafters, walls are plain and painted white with decoration reserved for the east wall with moulded sanctuary arch and blind arches behind east side altars. The nave floor is laid with pine boards, but the sanctuary floor and steps are hidden by carpet. Intact fittings include the Gothic style Caen stone high altar and two side altars, with crocketed pinnacles, niches and marble columns, made by Boulton of Cheltenham and given by local families. The octagonal font was the gift of George Turner. The sanctuary was re ordered in 1973 when the sanctuary rails and pulpit were removed and a plain wooden forward altar provided. Pews are open backed pine. The sacristy has original fittings including cast iron corner fireplace, coloured glass panels to inner pine door and fitted vestment chest.

Opened                August 1896