Chapel at Heywood Cemetery destroyed by fire

The chapel in Heywood Cemetery after the fire

A chapel at Heywood Cemetery has been destroyed after a fire broke out during the early hours of Saturday morning (20 February).

The cemetery dates back to the 1850s with the chapel thought to be of a similar age. All of the building – apart from the stonework – has been destroyed, and the site has been secured.

Three fire engines from Rochdale and Heywood and an aerial appliance from Oldham attended the scene off Bolton Road and were in attendance for just over 13 hours.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, the fire service confirmed on Tuesday (23 February).

A spokesperson for the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said: “At around 3am on Saturday 20 February the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service was called to a commercial building fire at Heywood Cemetery on Bolton Road, Rochdale.

“GMFRS crews were in attendance for just over 13 hours. The cause of the fire is under investigation.”

Councillor Neil Emmott, cabinet member for quality of place at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “We were saddened to see the damage to Heywood Chapel at the weekend. We are working collaboratively with our insurers and on-site structural engineers to determine the full extent of the damage and potential cost of repairs in the hope of retaining heritage assets where possible. This detailed work is likely to take some time. The site is secured, although we would advise people to avoid the immediate area.

“We have seen a great sense of community spirit in Heywood and across the borough, with many offers of help - we’re incredibly thankful for this. For now, we kindly ask that time is allowed for us to conduct our investigations and remind residents that we do not endorse any crowdfunding platforms set up to support efforts to rebuild the chapel.

“We’ll provide further updates in due course.”