St George's Church Lychgate Hearse House

St George's Church.

This Anglican Church is on the south side of Church St, Hyde, and it was consecrated on the 20 Oct 1832 by the Bishop of Chester, John Bird Sumner. In 1848 he became the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The church was founded as a chapel of ease to St Mary’s in the Market Place (St Mary the Virgin), Stockport. It was built in 1831-32 to a Gothic Revival style by Thomas Witlam Atkinson (1799-1861) and Charles Atkinson (no known relation). A grant of £4,788 was given towards its construction by the Church Commissioners. It became the parish church for the township of Hyde in 1843.

The church is of stone construction with a slate roof and the small chancel was added in 1882-83. It consists of a wide nave, a small chancel, and a tower which is surmounted by four pinnacles. The tower contains a clock and a peal of eight bells, the latter inscribed with the names of those who contributed to the cost.

St George’s Church is listed Grade II, List Entry No. 1068080.

Lychgate at St George’s Church, Church St, Hyde
This has a hipped slate roof supported by a timber frame standing on octagonal stone piers at each end of hammer-dressed stone side walls. The roof ridge is protected by pierced ridge tiles with small terminating finials and a central wrought-iron cross. The eaves beam is inscribed, ‘Erected by Thomas Ferns Handford, Fern Lee, Hyde, 1885.’, who was a retired cotton spinner.

The lychgate is listed Grade II, List Entry No. 1068081.

Hearse House at St George’s Church, Church St, Hyde
Built of hammer-dressed stone with ashlar dressings and a slate roof. The gable facing the road has large double doors within a Tudor-arched surround with chamfered rustication and a keystone with skull and cross bones, dated 1841.

The hearse house is listed Grade II, List Entry No. 1356446.