St John the Baptist's Church, Bollington

This Gothic Revival church features hammer-dressed sandstone construction with ashlar dressings, Welsh slate roofs, a five-bay nave, and a distinctive west tower with embattled parapets and octagonal buttresses topped with pointed finials.

Built between 1832 and 1834 by architects William Hayley and Thomas Brown with funding from the Church Building Commission at a cost of approximately £4,002, the church served as Bollington's main parish church until its closure in 2003.

The churchyard contains war graves of fifteen Commonwealth service personnel, mostly from World War I and two from World War II, serving as a place of remembrance for local history and global conflicts.

Although declared redundant in February 2006, the building remains protected under heritage laws as a Grade II listed structure, with community discussions ongoing about potential conversion to residential apartments or cultural use.

The church's original eight bells were relocated to St Thomas's Church in Warrington after renovation, with the final peal performed in 2011 to honor Saint Agatha before their removal to the J Taylor & Co Foundry in Loughborough.

Location: Bollington

Inception: 1834

Architectural style: Gothic Revival

GPS coordinates: 53.29700,-2.09300

Latest update: July 24, 2025 12:42