I hate to see a Church Micro get archived, so when I noticed that the parish church in Eastwood no longer had a cache, I just had to rectify it (this is the third incarnation of a Church Micro here).
Although Eastwood is a large town, it didn't used to be - it was the industrial revolution and the area's coal which changed things. For centuries, Eastwood was part of the parish of Greasley, though it is known that there was a church here, on this site, from around 1270. By the eighteenth century, the church was virtually derelict, and a new one was built in 1764. As the town boomed in the nineteenth century, a new, larger buidling was required, and a replacement church was dedicated in July 1858. That should have been the end of the story, except that in March 1963 the church was burned down, an act of vandalism - only the church tower survived. The new brick, concrete and glass building (still with the old tower) was consecrated in September 1967.
The photo shows the church as it can be seen today, with an insert showing the fire damage in 1963.
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For full information on how you can expand the Church Micro series by sadexploration please read the Place your own Church Micro page before you contact him at churchmicro.co.uk
See also the Church Micro Statistics and Home pages for further information about the series.
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