St Ann's, Stretford
Encyclopedia
Stretford
Stretford is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Lying on flat ground between the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, it is to the southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Salford and northeast of Altrincham...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and is located on East side of Chester Road A56
A56 road
The A56 is a road in England which extends between the city of Chester in Cheshire and the village of Broughton in North Yorkshire. The road contains a mixture of single and dual carriageway sections, and traverses environments as diverse as the dense urban sprawl of inner city Manchester and the...
. The church was constructed between 1862 and 1863. The parish functions under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford
Origins
The St Ann's Mission was founded in 1859 in a small chapel on Herbert Street, Stretford. It initially served as a chapel-of-ease to All Saints, BartonAll Saints' Church, Urmston
All Saints' Church is a Roman Catholic church in Urmston, Greater Manchester, England, and is located on Redclyffe Road . The church was constructed between 1867 and 1868 and was designed by E. W. Pugin in the Gothic Revival style for Sir Humphrey de Trafford...
until 1862 after which it became chapel-of-ease to St Francis, Gorton
Gorton Monastery
The Church and Friary of St Francis, known locally as Gorton Monastery, is a 19th century former Franciscan friary in Gorton, in east Manchester, England. The Franciscans arrived in Gorton in December 1861 and built their friary between 1863 and 1867. The foundation stone for the church was laid in...
and was served by the Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
Fathers.
The Church
The church was designed by E. W. PuginE. W. Pugin
Edward Welby Pugin was the eldest son of Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin and Louisa Barton. His father, A. W. N. Pugin, was a famous architect and designer of Neo-Gothic architecture, and after his death in 1852 Edward took up his successful practice...
in the Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style for Sir Humphrey de Trafford
Sir Humphrey de Trafford, 2nd Baronet
Sir Humphrey de Trafford, 2nd Baronet, was a prominent English Catholic. Born at Croston Hall near Chorley, Lancashire on 1 May 1808, he was the fourth child and the eldest son of Sir Thomas de Trafford.-Early life:...
who commissioned the church as wedding anniversary present for his wife Lady Annette. The contractor was Mr Glaistor of Liverpool, Hardman & Co.
Hardman & Co.
Hardman & Co., otherwise John Hardman Trading Co., Ltd., founded 1838, began manufacturing stained glass in 1844 and became one of the world's leading manufacturers of stained glass and ecclesiastical fittings...
of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
made the windows and brasswork and Mr Richard Lockwood Boulton of Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
was stonemason. The church was opened on the 22nd November 1863 by Bishop William Turner
William Turner (Bishop of Salford)
William Turner was the first Bishop of Salford, a Roman Catholic diocese in the north-west of England.Before 1850 he was the Vicar General for the Hundreds of Salford and Blackburn, and when these areas were formed into the Salford Diocese, he became its first bishop in 1851...
.
William Turner (Bishop of Salford)
William Turner was the first Bishop of Salford, a Roman Catholic diocese in the north-west of England.Before 1850 he was the Vicar General for the Hundreds of Salford and Blackburn, and when these areas were formed into the Salford Diocese, he became its first bishop in 1851...
on the 18th June 1867. The following year the church organ was installed by FW Jardine of Manchester.
Later Alterations
During 1893 and 1894 the church was refurbished and redecorated. JA Pippet of Hardman & Co.Hardman & Co.
Hardman & Co., otherwise John Hardman Trading Co., Ltd., founded 1838, began manufacturing stained glass in 1844 and became one of the world's leading manufacturers of stained glass and ecclesiastical fittings...
of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
painted a series of murals throughout the church depicting the various stages of the life of St Ann.
In the 1930's, the church was modernised with new oak fittings including; a pulpit, altar rails, font and panelling on the sanctuary. World War Two interrupted the works and St Ann's was damaged by incendiary bombs during the blitz
Manchester Blitz
The Manchester Blitz was the heavy bombing of the city of Manchester and its surrounding areas in North West England during the Second World War by the Nazi German Luftwaffe...
.
In the 1960's the church was extensively modernised in preparation for the centenary. Then following the Vatican II Council, work began in the 1970's to modernise the sanctuary for the new liturgy; the high altar, pulpit and later the altar rails were all removed.