Welcome to the Chuch Micro cache for St Thomas More in Alkrington, Middleton
On 1st May 1959 Fr Joseph Benedict Knight left the Cathedral at the behest of Bishop George Beck with a commission to start a new parish in Alkrington. He was provided with accommodation initially at St Margaret Mary’s presbytery by the parish priest, Fr George Richardson, who also provided him with a bicycle to help him canvass his new mission area.
The District was handed over by Fr Fairclough, parish priest of St Peter’s (our ‘mother church’) and extended from Mount Road southwards. This area consisted of about 80 houses with a total population of 288. Two months later, Fr Fairclough also handed over the Brookside Estate and the parish then had about 130 families.
The diocese then purchased the site at the top of Mainway/corner of Kirkway from Whelmar, which Middleton Council had scheduled as ‘church land’, and the new parish had its first debt.
In 1966 application was made to build a church. This was refused but permission was granted for a presbytery. Building began in August 1966 and was completed in August 1967.
The parish was amalgamated with St Peter’s on 28th May 2019 to form the new parish of St Peter & St Thomas More.
As this is a mystery you will need to solve this to locate the final coordinates.
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If you would like to add to the Church Micro series yourself then please visit
http://churchmicro.co.uk/
There is also a Church Micro Stats & Information page that can be found at
http://www.15ddv.me.uk/geo/cm/index.html
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