Todmorden Unitarian Church July 2020
Todmorden Unitarian Church is located at Honey Hole Road, Todmorden, West Yorkshire. The church was built in the memory of John Fielden, a local mill owner, social reformer, and member of parliament for Oldham between 1832 and 1847. Fielden was also a prominent member of the local unitarian movement. Building work began in 1865, paid for by his three sons, Joshua, John, and Samuel, on land the Fielden family donated; the budget was not limited by them, with the final bill over £35,000 (over £3.5 million at 2020 rates). The work was completed in 1869, with the church opening in April with a sermon preached by William Gaskell to a congregation of over 800 people.
The church continued to grow until the early part of the 20th century, when, like most other religions in the UK, congregations started to decline. As numbers decreased, it became increasingly difficult to fund the upkeep of the building, and by 1987, the decision was taken to close the main church building and move services to the nearby lodge at the entrance to the church grounds. These services continued until 1992, when the church and grounds were closed completely.
After the complete closure, the church decayed and was subject to large amounts of vandalism. In 1994, the Historic Chapels Trust took over the church, and over the next few years, they spent over £1 million on repairs.
The church was granted Grade I listed status on the 22nd November 1966, with the lodge at the entrance gaining Grade II listed status on the 22nd February 1984.
The pictures were taken with a Nikon d3300 on the 11th July 2020. They can be seen below or on Clickasnap un-watermarked and higher resolution.
This picture taken from the Rochdale Canal, looking across the Golden Lion Pub, shows the Churches Spire. Notice the guitarist sat on the bench. Copies of this image can be purchased from Photo4Me.
