SJ9689 : St Martin's Church
taken 7 years ago, near to Marple, Stockport, England
St Martin's Church came about through the benefice of the Hudson family. The Hudsons were Anglo-Catholics or 'Tractarians', followers of the Oxford Movement begun in 1833, which had the aim of restoring catholic principles to the Church of England. Unsympathetic to the style of worship at All Saints', which was by comparison plain and unelaborate, the family decided to build a new church where they could worship in their accustomed manner. A galvanized iron shed was constructed as a temporary church in 1867. Building of the permanent church began in August 1869.
When completed in 1870 the original church building was considerably smaller than it is today, consisting of just the Nave, Chancel and Vestry. The first extension added between 1895-96 included the North Aisle and the Lady Chapel. The other major extension was carried out in 1909 and added the St. Christopher Chapel opposite the main door. This includes a huge relief tablet depicting St. Christopher carrying the boy Jesus, modelled in gypsum by the architect and designer Henry Wilson. This memorial to Maria Hudson is so large that the outside wall of the church had to be built out by around three feet to accommodate it.
A fuller account can be found on the Marple website: Link and the St Martins's Heritage Trust site: Link
The church is Grade II listed: Link
Church website: Link