Church is the second oldest in borough
HEATONS Heritage Society have produced three selfguided heritage trail leaflets, and one on Heaton Chapel starts with St Thomas Church, the second oldest in Stockport Borough, on the A6 opposite what was the Chapel House pub.
Apart from the early medieval church at Mellor, which was outside the borough in Derbyshire, and Cheadle Church in Cheshire, St Thomas, Heaton Chapel predates even St Peters, St Peter’s Square, as the second oldest church after Stockport Parish Church.
Commissioners first recommended a church be set up here in 1655: “We think it fit a chapel should be built here for convenience and the glory of God.” It was to accommodate the people of Heatons and Reddish.
A plain brick chapel with round topped windows was standing by 1758 and consecrated by the Bishop of Chester in 1765. It had a belfry, was warmed by an iron stove, and had a reading desk and a wooden box for vestments. They liked music, having men and women singers, violins, a flute, and bassoon. It seated 300 people in a new parish containing 800 inhabitants.
An early gift was of a silver sacramental cup given by Thomas Hudson of Heaton Norris on Christmas Day 1786. Curate of the church James Gatliff reported to the Bishop the reasons for people not attending services on the Lord’s Day. “Some have not a respectable dress to appear in, and others make the day of rest a day of labour,” he said.
As a result of the need for ‘Sunday best’ many working class and poor families were excluded from church, but found a readier welcome with the newly established Methodists. Writing in 1804 he explained: “The Methodist building is more commodious, with them the poor and strange are certain of accommodation without expense or favour. But it is not so with us, where every pew is private property and some are tenaciously secured by a lock when the owners are absent!”
He was referring to the Church of England practice of renting pews. “The Parish has upwards of 4,000 souls, but this house of worship will hardly contain 300. This is certainly injury to our good cause.” Pew rents were eventually abolished.
St Thomas has since been rebuilt and enlarged as an active church noted for its warm welcoming atmosphere. »»More heritage stories in Stockport Heritage Magazine available from newsagents and Co-ops, Waterstones, WH Smiths. stock port heritage magazine.co.uk.