St Clement's Church: Broughton Lane, Lower Broughton, Salford

ST CLEMENT'S CHURCH, LOWER BROUGHTON - Yesterday the Bishop of Manchester consecrated the new Church of St Clement, Broughton Lane. The church is one of three to be erected from a fund realised by the sale of St Clement's Church, Lever-street and which amounts to the sum of about £13,500. Towards the cost of the church the trustees of the fund have given £2,500, the sum of £500 being set apart as a repair fund; Mr William Clowes, who owns the land on which the church is built, has given the site and £2000, besides an additional £1000 towards the endowment, and the Diocesan Church Building Society have made a grant of £330. The church is a plain substantial brick structure, containing sitting accommodation for 732 persons, the whole of the seats to be free and unappropriated. There are no nave arches or galleries, the whole space being covered by one roof, 52 feet in width. The foundation stone was laid on 7th April last by Mrs Fraser, and the church has been erected from designs prepared by Mr H Lord, architect, John Dalton-street by Messrs Southern, builders, Salford. The amount expended is £6,130, leaving a balance to be cleared of £343. The Parish of St Clement will be formed from the increasing populations surrounding St John's and the Ascension, Broughton. (Report continues with details of the ceremony and details of the fund.) [Manchester Guardian 17 February 1881 Page 5]

At the present time three churches are in the course of erection in the ancient parish of Manchester, all dedicated to St Clement, towards the erection and endowment of which grants have been made, with the concurrence of the Charity Commissioners from the charity or trust estate now consisting of a fund being the proceeds of the sale of the unconsecrated building formerly known as St Clements Church which stood at the corner of Lever-street and Stevenson Square. The principal sum of £13,500 was, by order of the Charity Commissioners to be distributed as follows: St Clement, Greenheys, £7,500; St Clement, Higher Openshaw, £3,000; St Clement, Lower Broughton, £3,000; making the total amount of grants and contributions in aid of erection or endowment of the three churches from the St Clements Fund £13,500.  The cost of the erection of the three handsome churches will be considerably in excess of this amount. The additional outlay has been met by the munificence of private subscribers and grants from the Manchester Diocesan Church Building Fund. [Manchester Guardian ref lost Thursday Feb 17 1880?]