Halle St Peter's

Image: © Gerald England Taken: 23 Feb 2018

St Peter's Church was built in 1859 to designs by Isaac Holden and was consecrated in 1860. In the late 1950s, the congregation was joined by that of the nearby St James' Church and briefly became known colloquially as St Peter's and Little Jimmies'. Desperately needing repairs but, with a declining congregation, struggling to ever raise enough money for them the church closed shortly after its centenary in 1960. Twenty-five years of mixed use followed, from University theatre prop storage to a knitting factory. The building was Grade II listed https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1197806 in 1989 as part of the designation of the Ancoats Conservation Area but in the early 1990s it was abandoned and purchased by a developer with long-term plans to convert it to residential use. The building suffered vandalism and St Peter's was left to rot, a symbol of the wider neglect and dereliction of Ancoats. In 1998 initial work began to restore St. Peter's. By 2003 a major grant had been confirmed from the Heritage Lottery Fund as well as others from English Heritage, the Architectural Heritage Fund and the Northwest Regional Development Agency. St Peter's Church is now a permanent rehearsal centre for the Hallé ensembles and a resource for the whole community http://www.halle.co.uk/halle-st-peters.aspx The area behind the church between Blossom Street and Hood Street has been preserved as a public open space where events can take place outside.

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