Can iron church stay in service?

There are fears one of England's few remaining 'tin tabernacles' will be demolished

- Neal Keeling

IT’S one of Britain’s few remaining ‘iron chapels’ and has resounded with joyous services for more than 100 years.

The tin tabernacle in Newton Heath opened in 1909, but locals feared for its future when it went up for sale.

It has been sold for £160,000, subject to contract. But – either by divine intervention, or the needs of a growing congregation – it will remain a place of worship. It has been acquired by the New Covenant Church, which hopes to keep in with its new neighbours by sound-proofing the walls.

Locals are pressing ahead with a campaign to get the building on Culcheth Lane listed to give it future protection from developers.

Michael Barlow, 75, who lives nearby, said: “I remember going in there with my grandad who was a sign writer. He wrote the Ten Commandments on the back wall.

“The church was built in 1909, and everything has been decimated in Newton Heath – all the shops have gone – but there are 14 takeaways. I just thought the church is one of the few of its kind left in the country, it is well used. I and others will be applying for it to get listed status so it can never be demolished.

“It should be kept and listed. I do attend the church, but I am not a Christian, just a neighbour. The church is used by many youngsters playing musical instruments and singing plus many social events. This is one of the oldest buildings in Newton Heath and is an asset to us when we are described as one of the most deprived areas of Manchester.”

The church is currently rented to an evangelical congregation. Its roots lie in a turn of the century dispute amongst members of the Church of England All Saints Church nearby. As a result, a breakaway group set up their own separate congregation in the tabernacle.