St Mary the Virgin Haughton Green Road Haughton Green near Denton

Timber‑framed, but with a funny polygonal N tower, containing the baptistery below. The idea to do a timber‑framed church came of course from Denton. As it is, the interior is as idiosyncratic as those of the neighbouring Taylor churches. The nave is very wide, the s aisle cross‑gabled, and the weirdest traceried openings are set between the nave roof and the aisle bay roofs. The arcade has timber posts, the roof tie‑beams and raking queen-posts, and the chancel arch is cusped

On Saturday morning the Bishop of Manchester (Bishop Fraser) consecrated the new church of St Mary the Virgin, at Haughton Green, near Denton. The church is situate at one extremity of the parish of Denton, and stands on the crest of a hill overlooking Haughton Dale. The site has been given, and a large proportion of the funds for the erection of the church supplied by Mr James Walton of Dolforgon Hall, who is a large employer of labour in the immediate locality. In point of style, the church closely resembles the old parish church at Denton, being erected on a framework of timber on the principle of the lath and plaster houses of the sixteenth century. The nature of the material and the mode of construction which had to be followed as a matter of necessity led the architects to give the church breadth rather than height, and although the structure cannot be said to possess much stateliness of character, it has a quaint and picturesque appearance. The principal feature externally is an octagonal tower of red brick, varied at intervals with oaken bands richly carved. The belfry itself is of oak, and is surmounted by a pyramidal tiled roof, furnished with a gilt vane of St Mary’s fleur de lys. The church gains much in appearance from the long projecting eaves and gables, which also serve to protect the timber and plaster work below, and in strength from the oak frames buttresses that project on all sides considerably beyond the outer walls. The chancel end is decorated with patterns stamped in cement - a mode of treatment largely followed in districts where plastered walls are common. In point of colouring the effect is very satisfactory, the light grey cement work contrasting well with the dark oak framing and patterns ans the reddish brown tiled roof of the building. Internally the church is divided into a nave and south aisle, the one being marked off from the other by timber pillars supported on stone bases. The basement of the bell turret opens into the church by an arch, and forms a baptistry; and what is known in architectural phrase as a Alean-ro chancel aisle@ contains the vestry and organ chamber, with the heating vault below. In the side walls of the nave and aisles are broad windows of one, two, four and five lights, and on the north side of the nave roof (there being no clerestory) are three gabled dormer windows. The east and west windows are both of large size, and all are filled with ornamental glass. Considerable pains have been devoted to the decoration of the chancel, and with much success. The church will seat over 400 persons. The cost of the church, including the wall which forms the boundary of the burial ground, is upwards of £3,000. Messrs Medland and Taylor (sic) are the architects. [Manchester Guardian 27 March 1876 page 6]

Consecrated     25 March 1876.

Reference    Manchester Guardian 27 March 1876 page 6
Reference    Manchester Courier 1 April 1876 page 6
Reference    Building News 7 April 1876 page 357