Elm Wood School visits St. Leonard’s Church

Teachers and children of Elm Wood School had a lovely time on Thursday visiting Middleton’s ancient parish church, looking at the medieval carvings and doing their own brass rubbing. It was such a warm and sunny day and it was great to see children, who attend one of Middleton’s architectural masterpieces, enthusiastically enjoying another. A…

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St. Leonard’s Church

St. Leonard’s or Middleton Parish Church on its hill above the town is by far the oldest building in the area and the oldest in Greater Manchester. It is also the last great unrestored medieval church in the wider Manchester area, having been carefully and sensitively preserved since the 1600s. St. Leonard’s Church is listed…

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Andy Marshall wraps up Golden Cluster Month 2017

Middleton architectural photographer, Andy Marshall, wrapped up Middleton’s month long heritage festival on Saturday with an enjoyable workshop sharing tips and secrets in the art of heritage photography (above). It marked the end of a great Golden Cluster Month this year, spoilt only by the rain restricting the Middleton Archaeological Society’s digs at Clarke Brow and…

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Edgar Wood’s Jubilee Fountain Steps & Exedra now being restored

The Edgar Wood and Middleton THI has another project on the go under the watchful eye of conservation officer Sue Oakley… Edgar Wood’s Jubilee Fountain. The actual drinking fountain disappeared a long time ago and is not proposed for reinstatement (too expensive!). Instead, the structure is being conserved and stabilised, which means removing the steps…

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Jubilee Library & Local Studies Centre – open Weekdays and Saturday

Ye Olde Boar’s Head P.H. (left) and Jubilee Library (right) on Middleton’s Long Street look lovely in spring with the cherry blossom. The library is an unusual early Arts & Crafts building that lies in the pleasant Jubilee Park at the centre of the Middleton conservation area. As well as the timber-framed pub, close by are…

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Arts & Crafts Enthusiasts from Surrey Visit Middleton

The Arts & Crafts Movement in Surrey group (26 members), arrived in Manchester on Monday for their annual trip. They spent this morning visiting Edgar Wood’s master piece in Middleton – Long St. Methodist Church and Schools. This was followed by a walk around the conservation area looking at Wood’s houses and finally calling in…

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The Victorian Society Call

As part of the Victorian Society’s AGM weekend, almost one hundred members from all over the country visited the Arts and Crafts Church this afternoon. The programme consisted of a brief resume of the work of Edgar Wood, a look around the church and school and exhibitions. Four groups of approx twenty went on escorted…

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Since the discovery that Ye Olde Boar’s Head opened as a public house in 1623 and has been going strong since, people are wondering whether it might be the oldest pub in the country. This depends what you mean. It is certainly not the oldest pub on a particular site but it just might be the oldest pub building in continuous use.  Here is a Daily Telegraph article on the competition… note the one in Bolton, which looks a little bit like the Old Boar.

Publicity – St. Leonard’s Church and the Golden Cluster

A new leaflet is being distributed across the borough and further afield for visiting Middleton’s Golden Cluster. Look at the events/calendar for visiting times. The Lord Mayor of Manchester accepted a leaflet while visiting the East Lancs Railway and at Middleton’s May day celebrations, Sally was on hand in the Heritage gazebo to pass on…

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First Group Visit of 2016

Twenty one Rotary Club members from Royton and Shaw were our first group of visitors in 2016. They started the day at St. Leonard’s Parish Church, where they were guided by Leon McLeod. Lunch followed at the Old Boar’s Head, where they learnt about the recent…

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Milton Street ILP Club goes to Planning Committee

Under the title of ‘New Life Planned for Towns Historic Old Labour Club‘, Middleton Guardian reports that a new application to convert the building is being considered by Rochdale Council Planning Committee on Thursday 28th. Milton Street is the only listed Independent Labour Club in the country and was designed by Edgar Wood. The Edgar…

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The Gates Close on another Golden Cluster Month

Volunteers Maureen and Alan close the gates at the end of the final day of Golden Cluster Month at the Arts and Crafts Church (Long Street Methodist Church and School). Over 300 visitors came from throughout the local area and the wider region. One couple travelled from Maghull, having picked up a leaflet at Ellesmere…

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