The
Parish of St Matthew was formed in 1844. The first
Church building consisting of a small wooden hut, was
erected in 1848 on the banks of the River Irk at Cragg
Road but this was subsequently burn't down. Plans were
prepared by the architect, Mr. E. H. Shellard, for a
permanent church of which the estimated cost was
£1,600. These were the days of the private pew
and of the 400 seats planned for the new church, half
were to be rent free.
The
church was eventually consecrated on 9th November
1857, by Dr. J. Prince-Lee, the first Bishop of
Manchester, but was not completed to the original plan
until 1870.
The
steeple was built in 1881 by Mr Daniel Hague as a
memorial to his wife. Six years later the chancel was
completed and new window, altar, reredos and organ
added to give that final touch to what is a very
pleasant church set in largely rural
surroundings.
Acknowlegement:
Taken from the book 'Chadderton Chapters' by Michael
Lawson.
and
Parks
