History
The site of this church has been the centre of Catholic worship in Bolton since the late eighteenth century, when the town’s first Catholic church was built here in 1798–1800. Originally surrounded by fields, the area became densely developed during the nineteenth century with mills, factories, and terraced housing. A school followed in 1855, and in the 1870s plans were made for a new church and hall. The hall opened in 1896, and the present church, designed by Sinnott, Sinnott & Powell, was completed with its presbytery in 1897 at a cost of £20,200.
The new church was of ambitious scale, seating 800 with a later gallery added in 1905. A fire destroyed the roof in 1925, after which the Lady Chapel was remodelled as a war memorial by Fr William Leighton, with further embellishments in 1933. Additional schools were built in 1916 and 1936.
The twentieth century brought decline. Post-war clearances reduced the parish population, and in 1966 a major reordering simplified the interior, while the west gallery was removed. The tower lost its pyramid roof in 1980, and a fire in 1983 caused further damage, leading to the demolition of the hall. The church was reordered again in the 1990s, but the presbytery was vacated in 1994. In 2010 the church closed and has remained unused since.
Architecturally, the church is notable for its austere red-brick exterior, dominated by a tall tower and contrasting half-timbered porch with statues of Saints Peter and Paul. The spacious interior features granite arcades, a barrel-vaulted roof, and a vast Gothic reredos with marble high altar. The Lady Chapel, richly decorated with mosaics by Ludwig Oppenheimer Ltd, remains its most distinctive feature, serving as a moving memorial to the fallen of both World Wars.
