Located in the New Bury area of Farnworth on the junction of St James Street and George Street, the Parish Church of St James dates from 1862, although the actual Consecration date due to "Unavoidable Circumstances" was 30th Dec 1865 (the delay was thought to be due to the famine amongst Lancashire cotton workers caused by the cessation of supplies during the American Civil War) and was carried out by the first Bishop of Manchester James Prince Lee. At the time St James was still in the Diocese of Chester and in the parish of St Johns, in Farnworth-with- Kearsley (we had only moved from Deane parish just 10 years earlier).
Although most of the congregation are elderly we do have a JUNIOR CHURCH (following the Roots for Church for the younger end), this service takes place at the same time as the main service on a Sunday.
The Anglican church of
St. James opened in 1865 to serve the people of New Bury. It rivaled the New
Bury Mission and provided a place of worship alongside a Sunday School, it
stands amidst the graveyard which contains over 1000 graves.
One of the first
tombs to be constructed was that of the first ever vicars at St. James, this
tomb stands to the left of the main entrance as you enter the church as seen in
the picture below.
In among the gravestones there are several stones relating to men who died during the two world wars. These stones are easily recognizable because they are made from the white granite of Commonwealth War Graves (there is also a Remembrance Plaque on the back wall of the church between the stained glass windows)
Unfortunately over the
last few years many graves have fallen victim to vandals and their inscriptions
are barely readable. It is our intention to record for posterity all the
remaining inscriptions.
St James offers a Coffee Morning every Thursday at 9-15 am after the morning Eucharist Service, this is run by members of our congregation and all profits go back into St James.
One of the main features of St James is the Hand Carved Last Supper behind the alter.
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