Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Hindsford facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, Hindsford
Sacred Heart Church
Religion
Affiliation	Roman Catholic
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	redundant
Year consecrated	1869
Location
Location	Hindsford, Atherton, Greater Manchester, England
Architecture
Architect(s)	Edmund Kirby
Architectural type	Church
Architectural style	Gothic Revival
Materials	sandstone

Sacred Heart Church is an old Roman Catholic church located in Hindsford, Atherton, England. It stands on Tyldesley Road. This building is very special because it has a "Grade II listed" status. This means it is an important historical building that needs to be protected. The church is no longer used for regular worship services.

A Look Back: History of the Church

The church was built in the 1800s. It was made for Roman Catholic families from Ireland. These families moved to the area to work in cotton factories and coal mines.

A kind person named Lord Lilford gave the land for the church. John Holland from the Tyldesley Coal Company helped by giving building materials. The church was officially opened in 1869 by Alexander Goss, who was the Bishop of Liverpool.

A separate house for the priest, called a presbytery, was built around the same time. By 1894, it was connected to the church. Sacred Heart School opened in 1888. However, the school was taken down by the year 2000. The church itself closed for worship in 2004.

Today, Sacred Heart's old parish is part of a bigger group of churches. This group includes St Richard's in Atherton, Holy Family in Boothstown, St Ambrose Barlow in Astley, and St Gabriel's in Higher Folds, Leigh. Their special patron saint is St Margaret Clitherow.

Building Style: Architecture

The church was designed by an architect named Edmund Kirby from Birkenhead. It was made bigger soon after it was finished. Some changes were also made in the 1900s.

The church is built in an "Early English style." This is a type of Gothic Revival architecture. It uses squared sandstone rocks with red sandstone decorations. The roof has blue and grey slates that look like fish scales. A famous expert, Nikolaus Pevsner, called it a "pretty church."

Outside the Church: Exterior

The front of the church has a tall, wide triangular wall called a gable. It has a large round window with smaller circular windows inside. In the corner, there is a tall, square tower. This tower has an eight-sided top part called a spire with small windows.

In the middle of the front, there is a porch with a pointed arch. Above the arch is a five-leaf window. To the left of the porch is the baptistery, where baptisms take place. The side of the church has five sections. Each section has two tall, narrow windows called lancet windows. These are separated by supports called buttresses. There is also a small room for confessions in the middle. The back part of the church, called the sanctuary, has three tall windows with five-leaf tops.

Inside the Church: Interior

The main part of the church, called the nave, and the side walkways, called aisles, have one large arched roof. You can see the wooden beams that support the roof. The main entrance is in a small area at the front called the narthex. This area also leads to a balcony where the organ is located.

The altar, which is a special table for services, is still there. There is also a beautifully carved wooden pulpit, where sermons are given. The main walkway has rows of wooden seats, called pews, on both sides. The windows in the sanctuary were made in 1881 by Mayer.

See also

• Listed buildings in Atherton, Greater Manchester
• List of churches in Greater Manchester