St Mary's Church, The Parsonage, Manchester

Although the erection of a church in this district had been contemplated as early as 1727, as a result of the increased in population through the traffic opened out between Manchester and Liverpool by the Act of 1720 for deepening the channel of the Irwell and Mersey, it was not until 1753, being the twenty-sixth year of the reign of George Il. that the Act was obtained for proceeding with the building.

The Mercury of the 10th April, 1753 has the following: "We are informed that the bill for the erection of a new church in this town has passed both Houses of Parliament;" and on the 24th of the same month the following notice was issued:—" Whereas a new church is intended to be erected with all convenient expedition in the Parsonage in Manchester according to the plan and dimensions of the parish church of Knotsford, in the county of Chester, except that it will be cased with stone, this is to give notice to all persons desirous of being employed in the same to send their proposals in writing for furnishing and working the several articles of stone, brick, timber, slate, to the Warden or any of the Fellows of the College in Manchester on or before the 24th day of June next.

 The foundation stone of the church was laid on Monday 16 July, 1753, by the Revs. Richard Assheton, senior, Thomas Moss, and Thomas Foxley, in the presence of a great many worthy gentlemen and amidst the acclamations of some thousands of spectators and, as usual upon such occasions at that time in Manchester, " the workmen had a considerable sum of money given them." On the Feast of St. Michael, 1756.  the Bishop of St. Asaph (the Hon. H. Drummond) consecrated the church The first rector, the Rev. Thomas Foxley,, preached the sermon but his rector-ship was but a short one. He died five years afterwards, and was buried in the Derby Chapel of the Collegiate Church on the 17th of October, 1761.

Joseph Aston pronounce St. Mary's an "elegant church," with "a spire steeple 186 feet high universally and deservedly admired for its elegance and fine proportions. The lantern is particularly striking. It is composed of eight Ionic pillars, which support the spire, the highest in town, surmounted by a large globe, upon which, instead of a wind vane, is placed a massy cross, which, as well as the globe, is gilt." The interior of the church was said by the same authority to be "solemnly handsome." This spire, received considerable damage from a storm in 1822. During high gales afterwards it was often seen to shake, and eventually it assumed a leaning position similar to the spire of Chesterfield. Being deemed unsafe, it was taken down, under the superintendence of J. P. Holden, about 1855.

Although St. Mary's Church was erected to meet the spiritual wants of a middle-class population, whose residences were in and around the parsonage, it is evident, from the names of the possessors of the pews including the Byroms, Liveseys, Whites, Hardmans, Bancrofts, Sergeants, Starkies, etc that its congregation was a very fashionable one, and that if the elite of the Whig party worshipped at St Ann’s Church, some of the no less important adherents of the Stuarts mustered in equal force at St. Mary's. However, when details of the brass nameplates on the pews were recorded in 1879 most such dated from the 1750s and 1760s, and all dated from before 1820 by which time it must be assumed the majority of such families had already departed the parish. For most of the nineteenth century the fabric of the building was neglected and by 1879 the once handsome building was described as dreary and depressing, dusty and decaying.