More About St James
A short history….
In 1863 a curate from Christ Church, Ashton-under-Lyne, was given the task of starting a church in the district now served by St James church. He started his church in an old disused iron warehouse on Cowhill Lane about 200 metres north of the present church. This building was also used as a Sunday School for the girls and infants. The Old Garrett, a room on Mount Pleasant, was rented as a Working Men’s Class and as a Sunday School for the boys.
The first service was held on 2nd August 1863.
In 1866, the boundaries of the new parish of St James were defined (created from the parishes of St Michael, Ashton, St John’s, Hurst and Christ Church, Ashton). Due the generosity of the mill owner, Mr Oldham Whittaker, the church was erected at a cost of £3,500. The land was the gift of the Earl of Stamford. The architects were Messrs. Thomas George and Son, Old Square, Ashton and the builder was John Shaw of St Chad’s, Saddleworth. Work began on the church on 3rd April 1865 and was completed by 27th December 1865.
The church was consecrated on Thursday 28th December, 1865, by Bishop Prince Lee of Manchester. The first baptism was that of John Wilkinson on 30th December 1865 and the first marriage was between Abraham Walker and Sarah Mottershead on 21st July, 1866.
The church was built to accommodate 500 people but later, due to an enlargement of the North Transept and an organ chamber the seating was 550.
The building is of stone, cruciform with nave, transepts, chancel, organ chamber, vestry and porch, two campanile towers surmounted by spires and an open timbered roof. The original Communion Table, Communion Rail, Commandment niches, pulpit and Prayer Desk are of richly carved oak. The font is of stone from the Duke of Newcastle’s quarries in Nottinghamshire and was on view at the first London Exhibition in 1862. The first organ was a disused one from Christ Church, Ashton. A second organ was built in 1878 at a cost of £278.
In October 1876, the Vicar appealed for the generosity of people to build the Oldham Whittaker Memorial Buildings, a House for the Keeper and Apparitor, a Library and Reading Room for the parish to contain classrooms for Working Men’s and Mother’s Classes with an upper room for teachers and other meetings. In 1899, Providence House was built, followed by the Vicarage in 1906. In 1907, permission was granted for a Tablet to John Bradford of Manchester who was burnt at the stake in 1555 as a Christian martyr. To serve an increasing population, the Queen Victoria Memorial Church was opened on Curzon Road in 1902; Emmanuel Sunday School was built on Henrietta St in 1913. St James’ Central School was built in 1869 at a cost of £3,284 and Hurstbrook St James school was opened around 1874. Of these buildings, only St James’ school remains serving its original purpose. Hurstbrook School was closed and replaced with Hurst Knoll school. The original vicarage was replaced with a new vicarage on the same site in 1988.