“Angels at the Battle of Mons?” That’s what sparked the creation of Holy Angels Church. The story of Holy Angels begins with three sisters: Ethelred, Isabel and Monica Heywood. These were the spinster sisters of Sir Arthur Percival Heywood, 3rd Baronet. They lived in Claremont. Claremont was the family home. It’s now demolished.
The sisters disagreed with St John’s Church’s incumbent in Pendlebury. So, Sir Arthur stepped in. He wanted to give his sisters comfort. Sir Arthur donated £1,000 and land. This land was on the Claremont estate for a new church. The dedication on November 10, 1915, thanked the angels’ intervention. This intervention happened at the Battle of Mons.
In 1925, Bradshaw Gass and Hope designed Holy Angels. It was to be a permanent church. The location was Moorfield Road in Pendleton. Consecration happened on January 7, 1928. Some think junior staff designed the church. They belonged to the Bolton practice.
Let’s jump ahead a few years. By the mid-1990s, Holy Angels faced a problem. The mortar was failing. It had degraded into sand. This made the building unsafe. As a result, Holy Angels was demolished in 1997.
Imagine the Bishop of Hulme laying the foundation stone. It happened on a Saturday. This was for the new Holy Angels Church in Claremont, Pendleton. The estimated cost was between £14,000 and £15,000. About £10,500 had been raised. The church would seat five to six hundred people. The Claremont estate was developing residentially. A new parish was created.
The consecration of Holy Angels in Claremont, Pendleton took place. Dr Hill, Bishop of Hulme, officiated. A building fund started twelve years prior. The fabric cost about £15,000. The organ added another £1,900. Over 75% of the funds were raised.
The parish came from three others. These were St Anne, Brindleheath. Also, St James’s, Hope and St John’s Pendlebury. Holy Angels sat between Acresfield and Moorfield Roads. The plot allowed for a vicarage and parish hall. These would follow soon.
Architecturally, Holy Angels had a Norman style. It was a modern interpretation. Brick was used throughout the building. Runcorn stone formed the pulpit, lectern, and chancel wall. The Freemasons of the district gifted these. The pulpit matched the Anglo-Norman simplicity. The upper part featured sunk panels. These enclosed carved Norman arches. Small attached columns supported them. Cubic capitals topped the columns. The center panel showed a cross motif. It was within a circle. A Masonic emblem was carved below. Some chancel windows held stained glass. These figures came from Doveleys Hall, Derbyshire. Sir Percival Heywood, Bart, presented them.
Holy Angels stood as a testament. It showed faith, family, and community. Though the original building is gone, its story lives on. It reminds us of those spinster sisters and the angel’s story.