All Saints' Church is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

situated between Dumplington and Barton upon Irwell, near

Urmston Urmston is a town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, which had a population of 41,731 at the 2021 Census. Historically in Lancashire, it is 5 miles (8.04672 km) southwest of Manchester city centre. The southern boundary is the River M ...

, in

Trafford Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England, with an estimated population of in . It covers and includes the area of Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford and the towns of Altrincham, Stretford, Urmston, Partington and Sa ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...

, England. The church was constructed between 1867 and 1868 and was designed by E. W. Pugin in the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

style for Sir Humphrey de Trafford. It is situated on Redclyffe Road, close to the

Manchester Ship Canal The Manchester Ship Canal is a inland waterway in the North West England, North West of England linking Manchester to the Irish Sea. Starting at the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary at Eastham, Merseyside, Eastham, near Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, it ...

. The church is a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

and considered to be an example of Pugin's best work, according to

Nikolaus Pevsner Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (195 ...

, "the masterpiece of ugin'slife, without any doubt." It has been served by priests from the

Conventual Franciscans The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (O.F.M. Conv.) is a male religious fraternity in the Catholic Church and a branch of the Franciscan Order. Conventual Franciscan Friars are identified by the affix O.F.M. Conv. after their names. They are ...

since 1928.

History

Construction

Construction work on the church started in 1867. It was designed by E. W. Pugin. It was paid for by Sir Humphrey de Trafford, who also paid Pugin to design to St Ann's Church, Stretford. In June 1868, the church was opened by

Cardinal Henry Manning Henry Edward Manning (15 July 1808 – 14 January 1892) was an English prelate of the Catholic Church, and the second Archbishop of Westminster from 1865 until his death in 1892. He was ordained in the Church of England as a young man, but co ...

.All Saints - Barton, Manchester
from TheGreyFriars.org, retrieved 20 May 2021 From All Saints Church, priests started missions in the area to serve the local Catholic communities. These missions eventually became churches, such as St Teresa of Avila Church in

Irlam Irlam is a suburb in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, it had a population of 19,933. It lies on flat ground on the south side of the M62 motorway and the north bank of the Manchester Ship Canal, southwest of Salf ...

, English Martyrs Church in Urmston, and Holy Cross Church in Eccles, The church has timber pews, stained glass and gargoyles. There is a carved stone altar and

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a Church (building), church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular a ...

. The church also contains a painting depicting E. W. Pugin with a plan of the church.

Conventual Franciscans

In 1928, the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

Order of Friars Minor Conventual The Order of Friars Minor Conventual (O.F.M. Conv.) is a male religious fraternity in the Catholic Church and a branch of the Franciscan Order. Conventual Franciscan Friars are identified by the affix O.F.M. Conv. after their names. They are ...

came to Manchester. They began a mission in the

Blackley Blackley is a suburban area of Manchester, in the county of Greater Manchester, England. Historically in Lancashire, it is approximately north of Manchester city centre, on the River Irk. History The hamlet of Blackley was mentioned in the Do ...

area of Manchester, in the ward of

Higher Blackley Higher Blackley is an electoral district or ward in the north of the City of Manchester, England. The population of this ward at the 2011 census was 11,688. Heaton Park, one of Europe's largest parks, is in this ward. A new "education villag ...

. In 1929, they built a temporary church there, St Clare's Church. In 1951, they built a friary there. On 11 August 1957, the foundation stone for the permanent St Clare's Church was laid by the

Archbishop of Liverpool The Metropolitan Archbishop of Liverpool is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool and Metropolitan bishop, metropolitan of the Province of Liverpool (also known as the Northern Province) in England. Th ...

George Beck. In 1958, the church was opened.

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked with prot ...

Manchester (Higher Blackley) – St Clare
''Taking Stock'', retrieved 20 May 2021 In 1962, the

came to Barton and started working in All Saints Church. They continue to serve both All Saints Church and St Clare's Church today.

Photos

All Saints' Church, Urmston (2).JPG, Side All Saints Church - geograph.org.uk - 1386504.jpg, Rear All Saints Urmston 1.jpg, Interior of the Church toward entrance All Saints Urmston 2.jpg, Interior of the Church toward altar All Saints Urmston 3.jpg, Stained glass in the doors of the DeTrafford Chapel All Saints Urmston 4.jpg, Tiles in the interior of the DeTrafford Chapel All Saints Urmston 5.jpg, Plaque documenting the opening of the Church All Saints Urmston 6.jpg, Interior of the Church All Saints Urmston 7.jpg, Walkway between the presbytery and the Church All Saints Urmston 8.jpg, Altar of the Church All Saints Urmston 10.jpg, Altar of the Church All Saints Urmston 9.jpg, Artwork in which the DeTraffords are depicted in the bottom-right

References

External links