All Saints Church

From Site

• Established: 1863
• Type: Church of England
• Minister: Reverend Howard Eales
• Address: Church Road, Cheadle Hulme, Cheadle, Cheshire, SK8 7JL
• Telephone: 0161 485 3455

All Saints Church is the oldest church in Cheadle Hulme, though there have been older buildings since demolished. It is located on Church Road, which itself is named after the church.

History

The church opened in 1863, but there is a history before that. Prior to the 1860s, Anglicans had to travel to Cheadle to worship, and as the village grew, it became clear that their own church was needed more close to home. So on 10 November 1861, the newly enlarged Jonathan Robinson School was opened for worship by Dr John Graham, Bishop of Chester. However, it soon became clear a purpose-built church was needed, so plans were drawn up by architect J.M. Taylor and a building committee appointed. The foundation stone was laid on 21 June 1862, and the finished church was consecrated by the Bishop on 12 August 1863. It was built at a cost of around £1,700 (about £120,000); an article published at the time described it as being built of "cream coloured Hollington stone", with a "roof of red and blue Broseley tiles arranged in ornamental patterns". It was a lot smaller than the current building, only accommodating 300. The original building also had a spire which blew down in a storm in December 1894, and was replaced by the bell tower. The parsonage was built in 1865, costing £1,200 (£84,000). The church was extended in 1874 on the north side at a cost of around £750 (around £50,000), especially for scholars from the Warehousemen and Clerks' Orphan School to use. Further extensions were made in 1878, enlarging it to hold 580, and in July 1898 additions were made to the south and west, and in 1908 the vestry was enlarged and partitioned. The whole building was electrified in 1923.

Parish

Cheadle Hulme became a parish on 30 July 1868, and All Saints became the parish church. The north border was along Turves Lane and Albert Road, the east border was up to Bramall Hall, the south was up to Bramhall and Handforth, and the west was up to and including Bradshaw Hall. The parish only lasted until 1879, however, when it was merged with neighbouring Cheadle Bulkeley.

Further buildings

The National School was associated with the church for a long time, as it was used for meetings before the church acquired its own buildings. The school became a Church of England school in 1948, but ceased to function in 1956.

The church eventually purchased land opposite in April 1905, and a church hall was erected in 1910, with the first function being held on 2 December. It contained a large hall and two retiring rooms, and was extended in 1915. Another church hall was built on the site of the National School in 1974, but this was demolished around 2007 and replaced by flats.

Churches

Church of England

All Saints Church • Emmanuel Church • St Andrew's Church

Others

Cheadle Hulme Methodist Church • Cheadle Hulme United Reformed Church • Christian Science First Church • Grove Lane Baptist Church • New Hope Community Church • Quakers Religious Society of Friends • St Ann's Church