manchester mancunians expats
Monday, 29th September 2003
Wanted: a miracle at St Benedict's
Susan Press WHEN St Benedict's Church finally closed in December last year, it was an exceptionally sad day for the many parishioners who had fought long and hard to save it from extinction as a place of worship. In its heyday, the famously High Church parish church ( it advertised "Mass" rather than the more usual "services") attracted people from all over Greater Manchester fond of candles and incense. But that was in the days when Ardwick was a bustling neighbourhood with terraced streets - and nearby Hyde Road a busy shopping thoroughfare. In the end, only about 800 people lived within its immediate vicinity. So it was doomed. Ironically, the local population is now set to grow again, as east Manchester embarks on a housing renaissance. The church, which this year is a new entrant on the English Heritage Buildings At Risk register, could even become a prime site for executive apartments, under confidential options currently being considered by the Diocese of Manchester. Whatever the upshot, as developers vye for the property, the hope is that the major features of the Grade 2* listed building can at least be retained. St Benedict's red-brick tower is one of the few architectural gems to grace the skyline as you approach Piccadilly Station from the south. It is on Bennett Street, in the south of Ardwick, to the east of Hyde Road. The surrounding area still has to benefit from the urban regeneration which has transformed much of the inner city.
Grandiose The church was built in the last quarter of the 19th century. Despite its grandiose style, most of the churchgoers lived in dire poverty - a phenomenon to be found all over Manchester. Some of the grandest ecclesiastical buildings, like the similarly threatened Franciscan monastery in Gorton, and the (happily thriving) Holy Name RC Church on Oxford Road, were in the poorest of parishes. Until recently, the hope was that St Benedict's would somehow survive as a focal point for High Anglicans in the north west. But it wasn't to be. It was finally declared "redundant" in December, 2002. Manchester's wealthy Bennett family (the street is named after them) were completely responsible for the building of this fine church. The founder was John Marsland Bennett, who was married to Mary and had five children. The couple were staunch churchgoers and, from the beginning, played an active role in the life of St Benedict's. The need for a church in the area was first realized by one Canon Tongue, who was the secretary to the Manchester Diocesan Church Building Society. In September, 1876, he called on Alderman John Bennett and asked for a plot of land to be given on which they might build a church. Mr Bennett's answer exceeded the expectation of the Canon: he not only granted the required land, but undertook the responsibility of erecting and equipping the project. The architect was a Mr J S Growther. The intention of the founder, as reported by his son, was "that the building should be plain, but massive" and that the catholic faith (ie High Anglican, not Roman Catholic) should be preached there. The deed for the foundations was signed on January 25, 1877, and excavation commenced four days later. The foundations were completed on Ascension Day (May 10) the same year. Actual building commenced on the January 21, 1878; the highest point of the tower was reached on the October 3, 1878.
Anxious Its unusual style recalls Italianate churches of the kind found in centres like Bologna - which is why bodies such as English Heritage are so anxious that it should be preserved. Sadly, the structural damage it has sutained in recent years means that the interior of the church is not accessible to the general public. But it has altered very little over the years, although the original hangings and drapes were replaced in the early 1960s. The original high altar still stands, under the east window. Parishioners now attend another parish, St Luke's in Longsight. Times have changed and there simply were not enough people to keep St Benedict's going. Rather poignantly, a now obsolete website campaigning for the church's future was calling for a "miracle to take us into the 21st century". The miracle didn't happen - but, with the support of the general public, there is every chance that St Benedict's distinctive tower will be looking down on Mancunians for generations to come. More information on buildings at risk in Greater Manchester can be found at the English Heritage website below.
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