All Saints' Community Primary School. Rochdale, All Saints' Church

All Saints' Church of England Primary School

Maud Street Rochdale OL12 0EL

email: office@allsaintsce.rochdale.sch.uk

tel: 01706 640728

fax: 01706 860620

All Saints’ Church of England

Primary School

A SHORT HISTORY OF ALL SAINTS’ CHURCH, HAMER.

The proposal to build a church here on this site was first mentioned in public on Saturday, 12th July 1862, almost 147 years ago. It was when John Smith Entwistle, of Foxholes and of Castleton Hall laid the corner stone of St John’s National School, later known as Cook Street Mission.

Earlier in the afternoon, Revd. R K Cook, Vicar of Smallbridge, spoke of the need for the building of St John’s National School and the need for a Church here at Hamer. He pointed out that the church of St John’s, Smallbridge and that of St James’, Wardle were overcrowded and that people who applied for pews had to be turned away.

Mr Entwistle said he believed a church in his park would look very well, and he would be proud to give the land for it. He suggested to Mr Cook, that after the ceremony, he should pick out a site in Foxholes. So it was known publicly that there was to be a church here.

Fifteen months later, on 31st October 1863, Rev Cook met with Mr Schofield, of Buckley Hall, in his ware house at Heybrook. He said that he would undertake the erection of the church if Mr Entwistle, Mr Schofield and he himself would each give £1000, in addition to the site already promised by Mr Entwistle. The church would cost at least £4000.

There was now some delay as arguments raged about the urgent need to appoint a clergyman for the district and who would finance that. Rev Cook undertook the raising of the balance for the building, which would likely be £2000.

After much effort, agreement was reached and work commenced on building the foundations of the new church on 11th January, 1865.
The Chief Corner Stone was laid on 29th April 1865 by John Smith Entwistle before an assemblage of about 20,000 people.

The Consecration of All Saints’ Church took place on Thursday, 22nd November 18 66, at 12.30 p.m. The total cost of building the church was £5,220 19s. 5d.

Two items worthy of mention. The organ was built by Henry Willis and is a fine example of its type. There was a peel of six bells and a team of bellringers who faithfully rang them for many years, but more about them in a moment.

The War Memorials in church commemorate those from the parish who gave their live in the Great War - 72 men, and in the Second World War – 17 men. It is a sad and moving experience to investigate the losses endured by many of the families in the parish.

In 1973, Rochdale Council rejected a request for £650 towards the cost of cleaning the exterior of the church. We had missed the boat. In 1977, there was a second chance and the church was eventually restored to its former glory. In September 1987, four cast iron weights, weighing a quarter of a ton, and holding the top of the 122 foot high steeple in place, fell 70 feet, crashing through the lead-lined floor and became entangled in the bells. The church was closed for 5 months until the steeple was made safe again at a cost of £8,000. Substantial help was given by Rochdale Council and Manchester Diocese. During this time services were held in All Saints’ School.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain the building in good repair. No longer was it allowable for a couple of workmen to use a ladder to climb upon the high roof to replace a lost slate. It was reluctantly agreed by the parish that the building would have to endure “managed decline”, because funds were just not forthcoming.

One Saturday evening in January 1989, a telephone message informed us that the church was ablaze. Fire had started in the room at the base of the spire and the church was badly damaged by smoke and water. Eventually, using the payment by the insurers and money from the sale of the bells, which could no longer be used in the damaged spire, the church roof was extensively repaired, giving the building a new lease of life. The people of the parish cleaned the building and the furnishings and totally redecorated the interior, at minimal cost.

In 2003/4, the meeting room was constructed along with a kitchen and improved toilet facilities. These have greatly enhanced the building have enabled meetings to take place here in much more comfort.

In the past year, extensive work has been done to the West Window and the building is once again in good repair.

Henry Hope. 26th March 2009

All Saints’ Church, Hamer

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Run the Race

Run the Race is Bishop Nigel's pilgrimage to all parishes in the diocese. It began in May 2006 with his first visit to St Clements, Chorlton and St Mary, Davyhulme.

Under the banner 'Run the Race, Look to Jesus', the bishop hopes to encourage every parish to pass on the baton of faith to the next generation. By the end of 2008, the Bishop of Manchester had completed over 100 mission visits..

Click here to read more information about the mission or you can visit the Run the Race website at http://www.runtherace.info/