Brief History
In 1875 the Earl of Wilton gave the Parish of All Saints, Rhodes, land enough to build a school and a teacher's house. (The teacher's house has never been built.) We believe that its building was funded by the Schwabbe family, who owned a calico printing factory in Rhodes, whose large chimney was the tallest in Europe until demolished in 1980’s.
The Earl’s Site Engineer drew up plans in a small pocket book and the sketch may be seen here
Click here to see a larger picture
(Reproduced by kind permission of the Greater Manchester County Records Office)
In 1875, Architect John Ladds of London, was commissioned and drew up plans for the new school building. He later architected St Michael’s Tonge in 1882.
The building is not quite as it looks today nor in the same attitude as drawn; the body of the building is shown north/south rather than west/east as today.
In July 1876, planning permission was sought to build the ‘School church’ on the site to “promote the education of the poor in the principles of the Establish Church though…”
The planning document may be seen below on July 4th 1876. The original document appears to have been A2 but unfortunately only an A3 scan of part of it is in our possession. What we have may be seen below.
In August 1876, the Foundation Stone was 'masonically laid'.
The following March the first services were held in St. Thomas' Mission Church, or ‘The Mission’ as it was fondly known.
Why it changed from being a school to a church is unclear. Bowlee had had a Methodist Church a number of years and St. Thomas' was built within 20 yards of the boundary of St. Margaret's Parish of Prestwich and 400 yards from St. Mary's, Birch. (This remains the case.) Most of Bowlee village was in the Birch Parish, and nearly all the newer houses facing the Church are still in St. Margaret's. Bowlee was predominantly Methodist and the 'Church' people all went to Birch. Most of the earlier congregation came from Rhodes Green or the poorer part of Rhodes. One lady was told by a Rhodes Churchwarden late last century 'she must go to the Mission' if she could not dress better. Possibly it was for this reason it was built, as were so many Mission Churches in Victorian times. This would account for its (until recently) austere interior.
In 1970, when the Church of England adopted Synodical Government, St Thomas’ became a District Church, responsible to the Parish of All Saints, Rhodes, along with St Mary, Birch in Hopwood, which became a Chapel of Ease.
In 2010, new Pastoral Measures, transferred St Thomas’ and St Mary’s to the new Parish of Langley, where, still remaining a District Church, St Thomas’ is now responsible to All Saints and Martyrs, Langley. All Saints Rhodes has joined with Holy Trinity, Parkfield, in the Parish of Rhodes and Parkfield.
Other Documents relating to the Parish History
In the Lambeth Palace Library, Folio NS/7/1/1657 Bowlee nr Rhodes exists a number of documents of which a summary follows which traces the events around this time when the church, or rather the school, was built.
Proposed School at Bowlee, Rhodes
Letter to 'all persons' from the vicar and churchwardens about the project and welcoming enquiries and subscriptions
9th October 1875
Terms of Union (of the school and the National Society)
12 October 1875
Management Clause 1
22nd October 1875
Application for Aid towards building 1 school room to accommodate 113 children for the hamlet of Bowlee including population, existing provision of education, whether boys/girls/infants/mixed, dimensions, fees, provision of church service, legal tenure, management, estimated cost and means, building materials, local difficulties and needs -
23rd October 1875
Application showing a summary of the above
27 October 1875
National Society Grant voted for: Form of Certificate with annotations dated 21 August 1877
1st September 1875 to 29th August 1877
Correspondence between the Vicar and the National Society concerning management, conveyance form, finance committee meeting, request for 'extension of time' for claiming the grant and 'anxiety in raising funds', trust deed, opening, guarantee that a deficit will be made up,
Date as yet unknown
St. Thomas', Bowlee, Rhodes School Case Balance Sheet giving breakdown of receipts and expenditure
6th June 1878
Letter enclosing the above (identifies W.F.I. Schwabe as 'a partner in the large Works here')
Date as yet unknown
Guarantee promising to be responsible for a deficit, signed: Theodore M.N. Owen Vicar of Rhodes; W. Hill, Rhodes; Frederick I. Schwabe, Rhodes.
4th October 1864 to 22d December 1947
ECE/7/1/31765 Rhodes Vicarage This file is in 2 parts due to its size and comprises mainly correspondence and forms about the financing of the vicarage and benefice including augmentation of the living and parsonage house.