Heritage Open Day: St Edmund's Church

St Edmund’s Church, Rochdale

St Edmund's Church, Falinge is one of only two Grade One listed buildings in Rochdale and as part of heritage open weekend the church allowed visitors to have a look at their beautiful building.

Completed in 1877, St Edmund's was built as an experimentation of industrial banker and freemason Albert Royds identity and status.

Steward Carl Faulker said: “This is our first heritage open weekend. The church closed in 2008 but now its hoped it can be opened for things like mason meetings and concerts.”

People who visited the church were able to see a high standard of workmanship undertaken by the men who worked on the building at the time it was built.

“It was estimated that a building like this would have cost around £4,000 but it actually cost £28,000 to build and that is all down to the work that was put in,” added Carl.

Most of the architecture in the building has strong masonic symbolism and the symbolism can been seen throughout the church.

Edward Devall, who spent time admiring the church, said: “It is a fantastic building. I’ve admired it from the outside before but never really from the inside. It is a beautiful building that you can see a lot of work has gone in to.”

Ann Wilson, who lives in Bolton, came to visit the church as it was her childhood church. She said: “It has not changed much at all. I was here the day that it closed and I got married here so it is nice that it is still here.”

St Edmund's church is now under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.