Unitarian Church Todmorden

Closed for worship in 1987, the Unitarian church at Todmorden in West Yorkshire, ranks as a masterpiece of Nonconformist architecture. Many people mistake its great spire for that of the parish church. It stands imposingly on a knoll above the high street, approached by its own steep carriage drive. A porte-cochere is ingeniously contrived beneath the great tower. Beyond, a shaded path leads up to the wooded graveyard with monuments set along winding paths. The church was built in commemoration of "Honest" John Fielden (1784-1849) at the expense of his three sons: Samuel (1816-89),  John Jnr (1822-93) and Joshua (1827-87). John Fielden Senior was a radical mill owner, philanthopist and MP for Oldham. First a Quaker, then a Methodist, he finally became Unitarian.  In the 1850s the Fieldens were at the height of their prosperity. The cotton industry was booming, helped by a huge surge in demand from India in the last years of the decade. By 1865 the firm of Fielden Brothers ranked among the most successful manufacturers in the country. The partners had become some of the wealthiest men in Britain and it was their wealth that was to transform the town of Todmorden

A NEW UNITARIAN CHURCH AT TODMORDEN – On Saturday the foundation stone of a new Unitarian Church was laid at Todmorden, on the hill side opposite the railway station, by Mr Samuel Fielden, the senior member of the firm of Messrs Fielden Brothers of that place. The estimated cost is £12,000, the whole of which will be paid by Messrs Fielden Brothers. … The new church will be an elegant stone Gothic structure, worked out in the style of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. At the west end an octagonal spire will rise to a height of 150 feet, and will stand out conspicuously on the hill side. The masonry will be executed under the immediate supervision of the firm, aided by the architect, Mr Gibson of London. It will be seven windows in length, over each of which will run neat carved mouldings, and the internal dimensions will be 84 feet by 45 feet. There will be side aisles, a nave and a chancel; the breadth of the latter will be 19 feet 9 inches. On the south side of the chancel there will be a monumental chapel in honour of the late John Fielden, and on the north side there will be a vestry and organ chamber. Seats will be provided for the choir on the south side of the chancel, and immediately in front of them will stand the pulpit, nearly opposite the south aisle. The chancel will be lighted by a large five-light window, and between it and the sittings there will be a short transept. The east end will be lighted with a beautiful oriel window. What may be described as the clerestory will be supported on either side by seven arches, resting on seven red polished granite columns, with moulded capitals. The seats, made of oak, will be open, and there will be accommodation for 500 people. The roof will be open to the timbers. Mr Tomas Clay, of Gorton, is the contractor for the woodwork. [Manchester Guardian 26 December 1865 Page 7]

Reference           Manchester Guardian 26 December 1865 Page 7 Column 1 (Foundation stone)