Cross Street Chapel facts for kids
Cross Street Chapel is a special Unitarian church located in the heart of Manchester, England. It belongs to the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, which is the main group for Unitarian churches in Britain.
History of the Chapel
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In 1662, a law called the Act of Uniformity 1662 tried to control how people worshipped in the Church of England. Many religious leaders didn't agree with these rules. About 2,000 ministers were forced to leave the established church. One of them, Henry Newcome, started his own church that same year.
This new church, first known as the "Dissenters' Meeting House," opened in 1694. It was very important for the growth of nonconformism in Manchester. Nonconformists were Protestants who chose not to follow the rules of the Church of England.
In 2012, Cross Street Chapel made history. It became the first place of worship to be allowed to host civil partnership ceremonies after the law changed in England. Later, between 2014 and 2017, something unusual happened. During the building of a new tram line in Manchester, 270 bodies had to be carefully moved. These bodies were from the chapel's old graveyard and were reburied respectfully.
About the Chapel Building
The building was later renamed the Cross Street Chapel and became a Unitarian meeting place around 1761. It has faced many challenges over the years. In 1715, a group of people called Jacobites attacked and damaged it. It was rebuilt, but then completely destroyed during a World War II air raid in December 1940.
A new chapel was built in 1959. The current building, which you can see today, was finished in 1997. Inside the new building, there's a special area called the Gaskell Room. This room holds items and memories related to the famous novelist Elizabeth Gaskell, who was connected to the chapel.
Important People Connected to the Chapel
A historian named Harold L. Platt once said that being a member of this Unitarian church was incredibly important during the Victorian era. He noted it was like a starting point for "Manchester Liberalism." This means the chapel and its members had a huge impact on the city and the country for many years. They were often leaders in new ideas and social improvements.
Here are some of the notable people who were part of the Cross Street Chapel community:
- Sir Thomas Baker
- William Fairbairn
- Elizabeth Gaskell
- William Gaskell
- James Heywood
- Eaton Hodgkinson
- James Kay-Shuttleworth, 1st Baronet
- Henry Newcome
- Thomas Potter
- John Henry Reynolds
- Thomas Worthington
