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St. Mary's Church
 Parsonage Gardens is a
small green oasis between a number of tall buildings
close to the River Irwell. It is the site of
the former St. Mary's Church that was erected in
1756.
  A sign on the site says
that, "For many years it enjoyed the patronage of
the gentry who lived in the houses that surrounded
the square."
 When much of the
population left the centre of town many of the
churches were deserted. Several were demolished, and
St Mary's was the first to go. The last regular
services were held on the last Sunday of 1887, and
the church was finally closed after a service on
October 4th 1890, at which the last Rector, the Rev.
Richard Tonge, officiated. The Parish was then
united with St Ann's.
The aerial photograph
below taken by the RAF in 1953, and shown here with
the permission of English Heritage, shows the site
of Parsonage Gardens.
 Below are two images
that compare Parsonage Gardens today and in the
early years of the last century.
 The image above is shown with the generous permission of Jenny Scott from Adelaide, Australia. |