Church of St Cross, Clayton
# Church of St Cross, Clayton

The Church of St Cross, Clayton, Manchester, is a Victorian church by William Butterfield, built in 1863–66. It was designated a grade II* listed building in 1963.

The church is very tall, in Butterfield's trademark red brick, with blue brick and pale stone banding. The style is Middle Pointed. To the south-west, the church has a high tower, "narrow and tall, with slender angle buttresses and a steep pyramidal roof of banded slate, and a gabled south porch with 2-centred arched doorway".

The interior has lost most of its furnishings but remains "unmistakably Butterfield". It has a timber-framed roof with five-bay arcades, with patterns of coloured stone and tiles that have been echoed in late 20th century stencilling. There is some notable stained glass of the patron saints of the British Isles.

The churchyard contains the war graves of seven soldiers of World War I and two of World War II.

## History

The area where St Cross is now used to be part of the parish of St Mary Droylsden. In the early 1860s, land was gifted to Revd. Charles Henry Lomax by Peter Hoare on which the parish church of St Cross was to be built. The renowned Gothic Revival architect William Butterfield was invited to draw up plans for this new church and construction began in 1862.

At the time of construction, Bishop Prince Lee was in charge of Manchester Diocese. Lee, a lowchurchman, did not take to the ornate decorative style of St Cross and initially refused to consecrate the parish church, despite the opening services happening in 1866.

Bishop James Fraser eventually consecrated the church in 1874.

Originally, St Cross was built without many stained glass windows. However, when the Church of St Peter, Oldham closed in 1970, the sixteen stained glass windows were gifted to St Cross, and now reside in the nave of the church.

