The Church of St Benedict, Ardwick in the County of -- Lancashire --

	St Benedict's Ardwick - view from St Benedict's Square Photograph supplied by and © of Barbara Holt

	St Benedict's Ardwick - view of tower with gargoyles Photograph supplied by and © of Barbara Holt

In 1876, Alderman John Marsland Bennett (1817 - 1890), timber merchant and local landowner, agreed to donate a plot of land for a new church to serve the rapidly expanding district of Ardwick. Alderman Bennett (Bennett St, where the church stands, is named after him) also funded the building of the church and was much involved in its design. He appointed J. S. Crowther as his architect; Crowther was a local architect who had also built St Mary’s in Hulme among others.

Building commenced in early 1877, and the finished church was consecrated on 28 March 1880. The church was built in red brick at Alderman Bennett’s request; this complemented the brick terraced houses nearby and helped to integrate the church into the neighbourhood. Crowther designed a clergy house and schoolrooms to be part of the church building, and attached them to the north side of the church, an unusual feature which meant that all the church’s activities could take place on the same purpose-built site.

St Benedict’s became well-known for its musical services which were regularly reported in local papers. It survived the clearance and rebuilding of Ardwick in the 1960’s and continued to operate as a church until 2002. The building has now reopened as the Manchester Climbing Centre.

Source: Manchester Courier, 26 November 1906

	St Benedict's Ardwick - the schoolrooms Photograph supplied by and © of Barbara Holt