Bury, Greater Manchester - Timeline of churches

979?     First Church on the site of the present Parish Church (the picture below is an artist's impression of Bury parish church in 1485) 

1585     Parish church (re)built in the gothic style .

1662+    Chapel on Bass Lane for Henry Pendlebury of Holcombe, supported by Richard Kay, and others ejected from the C of E (replaced in 1712 by Dundee Chapel, Holcombe)

1669     The vicar of the parish reported to the Bishop of Chester that he heard that several conventicles were 'constantly kept at private houses of Independents, Presbyterians, Dippers and other such like jointly, of the bset rank of the yeomanry and other inferiors.'

1689     The passing of the Toleration Act and services held openly by a congregation at Bast House, Walmersley, the home of Richard Kay,

1712    Edward Rothwell, became minister of what would become Bank Street Presbyterian Church, Bury. He ministered at Bury, Holcombe and surrounding district. (d. 1731)

1719     Presbyterian Chapel ("little yellow chapel"): Silver Street, then Bank Street. The formerly Presbyterian congregation became Unitarian by 1803 under Reverend William Allard.

1760    First Methodist church near Bury, described as being "barnlike and not very comfortable". 

1769      St John's Church of England on the Rock (closed 1964)

1774     John Wesley preached in the open air at Pits o'th' Moor (an elevated rock overlooking what is now an artificial lake near Birtle - photo). A meeting house was constructed in the vicinity, and later a school house on Pine Street.  

1780      The main body of Bury parish church was demolished and rebuilt leaving only the spire from the original church.

1785     Methodist meeting house moved to Clerke Street Chapel (later moved to Cross street) 

Methodist meeting house moved to Cross Street (moved to Union Street in 1817)   

1792    New Road Congregational, Rochdale New Road. The original building was rebuilt in 1885 (photo right; relocated to Parsons Lane in 2007). Some of the members of the new church, which began meeting in 1790, may have come from Silver Street Presbyterian Church which had moved to Unitarian belief by 1803, or from the Parish Church.  

1804    Wesleyan Methodist Circuit established 

 

1804    Bethel Independent Congregational church formed as a breakaway from New Road Congregational Church. Initially met in a schoolroom, shared with local Baptists. Later moved to Henry Street in 1807 (photo). Amalgamated with other Congregational churches in the town 1964/5, relocating to the existing New Road Congregational church.

1804    St Marie's RC congregation started. Later moved to current location on Manchester Road (see below).  

~1805    William Gadsby (Strict Baptist) baptised at Burybridge in Bury

1810/1813    Bolton Street (Methodist New Connexion) (later moved to Heywood Street)

1817    Methodist Church on Union Street (previously on Cross Street)  

1828    Primitive Methodist Chapel, William Street (preaching room) (later moved to Walmersley Road) 

1832      Four Lane Ends Congregational

1835/6    Providence Strict and Particular Baptist Chapel on Bridge Street (moved to Radcliffe Road in 1983). Since 1986 this church has been known as Radcliffe Road Baptist Church.  

1837    Brunswick Free Methodist (photo, closed 1967 to form Seedfield Methodist Church) 

1838    Castlecroft Congregational Church (closed 1980s to join Bury Congregational Church, later Bury URC)  

1841    St Paul's Church of England (building closed 1993; currently meets in St Paul's C of E Primary School) 

1842    St Marie's RC church completed (now a listed building)

1845    Ebenezer Chapel (Baptist) on Knowsley Street (building 1853). On the former site of Ebenezer Baptist Chapel, the Art Picture House was built (opposite the Bury Interchange) which is now a bar/restaurant. Approx. 1898, the church relocated to a dedicated church building on Tenterden Street (just next to the railway line, near the carpark for the Leisure centre).  

1854    Baptist Church ("Christian Meeting House") at Commercial Buildings on Spring Street, then, from 1860, on Rochdale Road; eventually joining Bury Baptist Church. Franklin Howarth, minister 1854-1882, was a former Unitarian who moved to Trinitarian beliefs. A later minister was Rev Joseph Harvey.

1861    St Joseph's Roman Catholic Church (formerly Mission)  

1862    St Peter's Church of England, Redvales starts (from 1872 in the present building on St Peter's Road) 

1864    Holy Trinity Church of England, Spring Street (closed) 

1865?    Heywood Street United Methodist (previously on Bolton Street; closed 1966)

1866    St Thomas' Church of England, Rochdale New Road. 

1870    Zion United Methodist Free Church, Warth (1888 building; closed ~1969) 

1873    St Mark's Church of England, Chesham (Brookshaw Street).  

1876    New building for Parish Church consecrated (tower built 1842) 

1878    Wesleyan Methodist Mission on Russell Street (1885) 

1878     Brookshaw Street Mission ("Holiness and healing mission"). From 1931 known as "Beulah Mission" (Pentecostal). Amalgamated to form Bethesda Pentecostal Church, Parkhills Road in 1967.  

1881    Chesham Baptist, Chesham Road (closed 1971 to form Bury Baptist Church)

1882    Methodist Church, Fairy Street (later Bolton Road Methodist Church)  

1884    Exclusive Brethren (first mention)

????     Walmersley Road Primitive Methodist church (photo). 

????    Limefield United Free Methodist Church on Walmersley Road (corner with Wolstenholme Avenue). 

????     Salvation Army Bury Citadel (later rebuilt on site of St Mark's Church of England) 

1895    Welsh Presbyterian Chapel (handed over to Benson Street Gospel Chapel in 1949) 

1897    Open Brethren meeting at Pump Street (first mention) 

1898    Baptist church on Knowsley Street moves to a new building on Tenterden Street (next to the railway). 

1906    Freetown Congregational Mission. Building erected on corner of Kay Street and Lucas Street in 1909. Closed ~1994. 

~1910    Ebenezer Baptist Chapel moved from Knowsley Street to Tenterden Street
 (closed 1970 to form Bury Baptist Church) 

1927    At the invitation of Brookshaw Mission church, an mission to Bury was held in Drill Hall by Assemblies of God pastor, John Nelson Parr, and Stephen Jeffreys  

As a result of this mission, "Emmanuel" Pentecostal Church was formed on Bell Lane under the leadership of Howell Harris (see photo; amalgamated to form Bethesda in 1967) 

1937    Brethren meeting at "Gospel Rooms", Market Place, following Tent Mission with Gavin Hamilton. Later at the "Bible Hall", Clerke Street. 

1949    Brethren Assembly begins meeting at former Welsh Presbyterian Chapel, now Benson Street Gospel Chapel 

1960    Seedfield Methodist (amalgamation of Brunswick Free Methodist and Limefield United Free Methodist). This is where Leslie Dawson served as minister. 

1964    St John on the Rock closes, and relocates to Parkinson Street (off Walmersley Road).   

1965     Bury Congregational Church combines existing New Road, Bethel, and Castlecroft Congregational Churches at the existing Rochdale Road church.   

1967    Bethesda Pentecostal Church (now known as Metro Christian Centre) formed in the previous building of Parkhills United Methodist Church on Parkhills Road, amalgamating Emmanuel Pentecostal Church on Bell Lane (above) and Beulah Mission on Brook Street.  

1971    Bury Baptist Church formed, amalgamating Chesham Road, Tenterden Street and Rochdale Road churches.  

1970s    Bible Baptist Church (later in former Mount Pleasant Methodist Church on Wood Street) 

1980    Bury Christian Fellowship (originated from Bridge Methodist Church and another Methodist church in Radcliffe). Later moved into Manna House.   

1983    Providence Baptist Church relocates to Radcliffe Road (now known as Radcliffe Road Baptist Church). 

1985    St Mark's Church, Brookshaw Street closes, and joins with St John's church on Parkinson Street, and is renamed St John's with St Mark's.

2007    United Reformed Church relocated from Rochdale Road to the present location on Parson's Lane. 

2007    "Freedom Church" formed (35 Walmersley Road). Closed in 2015 (?)

2019    !Audacious North Manchester started. 

2022    Logos Church (Cantonese) starts. 

Photos used with kind permission of Bury Archive.