St Thomas Church

This place is a magnum opus whether you want to book an overnight stay to do champing after watching inside no. 9 s8 e1 or whether you want to stroll the cemetary like Kate Bush or ozzy Osbourne respecting the grounds, views and gravestones. Also I'm pretty sure it was the church in a monster calls so even if you were a minor celebrity the church is cooler and more famous than you. Dogs dont like it which those caught lacking will blame on ghosts but I can assure you, it's the powerful ley line energy and the fact panther cap mushrooms grow all around the area in autumn.

Lovely walk, a bit hilly, but lovely views across the hills

Very beautiful and impressive old church surrounded by a hauntingly gorgeous graveyard. Found names dating back 400 years buried there.

Lovely church but in a terrible state of decay and as we were champing it wasn't very nice, the blankets were unusable they smelt so musty (as we and all our things did the following day), there was rubble falling from the ceiling at the back the entire time we were there as well. A nice church but not for champing, quite unhealthy in my opinion.

It's an extremely interesting and historic church and cemetery that's very important to the Saddleworth community !It's quite unique due to its location also !

The church was built in 1765 to serve a growing local population who otherwise had to go to church in Rochdale or Saddleworth. A bellcote was added to the exterior in the 19th century, and fittings were added to the interior during the same century. Many of these fittings were removed to the new parish church in Delph when the old church was closed. The old church was declared redundant on 16 April 1970, and was vested in the Trust on 24 May 1972.St Thomas' is constructed in stone with a stone slate roof. Its plan consists of a simple rectangular nave in two storeys, a small chancel with canted sides, and a vestry wing. The nave is four bays long by two bays wide, and has quoins at the corners. The west front has two doors over which are lintels inscribed with the date 1765. Between these is a round-headed two-light window and in the upper storey are two similar windows. Above these is a coped gable on which is a single bellcote surmounted by a cross. Along the north and south sides are two tiers of four windows similar to those on the west front. There is a Venetian window on the east wall of the chancel and a similar window on the east wall of the vestry. Inside the church are galleries on three sides, which are carried on Tuscan columns. On the walls are plaque memorials to the Buckley family.The churchyard contains the war graves of a Royal Scots Fusiliers soldier of World War I and a Royal Navy officer of World War II.

My husband's family are buried in this beautiful graveyard going back hundreds of years. His family owned property in the area and ran the pub facing the church. What a beautifully looked after piece of our heritage

Lovely quiet place with tended graveyard and a nice bench to sit on to reflect lives gone by

Such a spectacular building. You can see it from many an angle and from many a hillside nearby. But it’s definitely worth a walk up to have a close up look. Spectacular views from up there too.

Beautiful church with a lovely graveyard. The church isn't operating anymore but the walk up is so nice and it's worth the trip for the view.