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Historic evangelical churches (places of worship) in the city of Manchester and beyond

When I moved to Greater Manchester in 2021, I was surprised to discover that the major evangelical churches, in particular City Church Manchester and Grace Church Manchester, were only recently planted. I wanted to find out about the historic Manchester evangelical churches. (This timeline focuses on non-Anglican churches.) 

(1649) A Baptist congregation met on the grounds of what is now Chetham's school of Music during the English civil war and early Commonwealth years under the leadership of John Wigan.

(1657) During the time of the Commonwealth, Henry Newcome, a Presbyterian, served as minister at the Collegiate church (now Manchester Cathedral). Around the time of the Great Ejection in 1662, Henry Newcome's ministry at the Collegiate church came to an end.  

(1670) Having been banished in 1665 under the Five Mile Act, Henry Newcome returned to Manchester and obtained a licence to hold services of worship in his home. 

(1687) A barn on what is now Thorniley Brow was converted for Christian worship, and Henry Newcome served as minister ("Coldhouse barn"). The location is M4 2AJ.  

(1694) Cross Street Chapel (Presbyterian) was built under Rev. Henry Newcome, and the Coldhouse congregation moved there. See picture.

Meanwhile, a Baptist congregation met at Cold House, and later called James Winterbottom as minister in 1724.

(1740s) When the Dissenters Meeting House on Cross Street drifted into Unitarian teaching, the Trinitarians returned to Coldhouse. At Coldhouse there were both Baptists and Congregationalists. In 1740, a chapel was built on the site the earlier barn ("Coldhouse chapel"). In 1756 Caleb Warhurst was called as minister. 

(1747) First mention of a Methodist society in Manchester, meeting on Deansgate. 

(1751) First Methodist Chapel in Manchester in Birchin Lane off Church Street

(1762) Caleb Warhurst left Coldhouse chapel to serve as minister of the new Congregational church at Hunter's Croft (Cannon Street Congregational Church), joined by other members of congregational persuasion. Here is a picture of the building on Cannon Street. The church later relocated to Chorlton Road, Old Trafford. (The Baptist contingent remained at Coldhouse chapel, calling John Sharp as minister in 1786.) 

(1775-1969) Mosley Street Independent Chapel formed as an offshoot from Cannon Street (above). From 1848, Cavendish Street Congregational Chapel. Closed 1969.  

(1781) Oldham Street Chapel (Methodist). Now Methodist Central Chapel.

(1790) John Sharp, Baptist minister of Coldhouse chapel, built Back Lane Chapel, later known as St George's Road Chapel built in 1824, and then as Rochdale Road Particular Baptist Chapel built in 1907. This is where William Gadsby served as pastor 1805-1844. 

At the Rochdale Road Church, a certain William Leather began to teach Sandemanian views around the year. John Warburton's biography records the following: 
"Mr. Leather gave Mr. Gadsby and the church at Manchester a great deal of trouble, and they had to separate him for his errors. He afterwards joined a people who held the same views as himself, meeting in Coldhouse Chapel, Manchester. He has been dead many years. I heard him preach often; but never received a crumb of the bread of life under him. He was a learned man, a Greek and Hebrew scholar; but he was a dry breast to me. " 
On the 1849 Ordnance Survey map of Manchester, the Coldhouse chapel is identified as "Scotch Baptist Chapel". The "church roll and account book" records for "Old Scotch Baptist church" end in 1874. On the 1890 Ordnance Survey map it is marked as "disused". An article dating to 1899 confirms that "some of the older people connected with the Cold House Chapel continued to worship in it until about 12 years ago [viz. 1877]." 

(1791) Gravel Lane, Salford (Methodist)

(1801) Great Bridgewater Street (Methodist)

(1805) Ebenezer Particular Baptist Church on New York Street, resulting from people leaving Rochdale Road Particular Baptist Chapel. The location of this church, which is no longer standing, was M1 4PH (the other side of City Tower from Piccadilly Gardens). The first minister was Rev. W. Stephens, succeeded by John Birt (who was pastor until 1842). The church building was eventually sold in 1869, and a new building erected on Moss Lane East in 1872 (location M16 7BZ) - see picture.

(1808) On the arrival of William Gadsby, a group left his church, and eventually erected a chapel on New York Street between Pine Street and Faulkner Street on a plot currently occupied by a business called "Namii kitchen and cocktails".  

(1807) Grosvenor Street Congregational Church, later from 1910 on Dickenson Road  

(1820) Grosvenor Street Methodist Chapel, Chorlton-upon-Medlock

(1823) Primitive Methodist Chapel on Jersey Street, Ancoats. Relocated to New Islington in 1874.

(1824) George Street Baptist chapel formed as an offshoot from Gadsby's chapel (above)

(1826) Irwell Street Methodist Chapel, Salford

(1826) Oxford Road Methodist Chapel, Chorlton-upon-Medlock

(1842) Union Baptist Chapel started. Later, this is where Alexander MacLaren had a long ministry 1859-1903. A large dedicated building seating 1500 was completed on Oxford Road in 1869 (picture) and stood until destroyed in the Blitz in 1940. Union Baptist Chapel met with and later amalgamated with Fallowfield Baptist church in 1941/1949. 

(1846) Holy Trinity, Platt (Church of England). 

(1856) Congregational Chapel built at end of Deansgate (photo). 

St Paul's, Kersal Moor. Where future bishop of Liverpool, J C Ryle, was married in 1861. 

(1872) People's Institute Rushulme. Moved to McLaren Hall, Nelson Street. Now a mosque.  

(1880) St Clement's, Openshaw (Church of England), served, since its beginnings, by a succession of evangelical ministers, most recently Paul Jump. 

(1893) A Bible class was started which led to the construction, in 1899, of Ivy Cottage Mission Hall, now known as Ivy Church with two locations: Cheadle Hulme and Didsbury.  

(1894) Union Hall Evangelical Church, Hulme - a church plant from Union Chapel. New building 1967. Still in operation. 

(1900) Didsbury Baptist Church was built using funds from the sale of the old Coldhouse chapel on Thorniley Brow, which went back to 1740, and prior to that to a barn which had been used for Christian worship since 1687. 

(1910) Albert Mission Hall, Peter Street (Methodist) 

(1928) Bethshan Tabernacle, Longsight. New building 1957. Now "Authentic Church". 

(1928) A former Unitarian church on Upper Brook Street, completed in 1839, was, for a time, used as a Welsh Baptist Chapel. 

(1937) St Andrew's, Cheadle Hulme (Church of England). 

(1969) Beginnings of what would become Heaton Moor Evangelical Church, now Emmanuel Community Church.

Presbyterian Chapel, Grosvenor Square @ All Saints. 

Manchester Temple, Grosvenor Street (Salvation Army). New building, but still in operation.  

German Protestant Church, Wright Street. 

Crescent Road Hall, Stockport (Brethren). Where FF Bruce served as elder. Now in secular use. 

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