Parish Church Of Saint Mary

The Parish Church of St Mary is a church of medieval origin that was completely rebuilt in the 19th century. The tower and spire were constructed between 1844 and 1845 by E H Shellard, while the rest of the church was completed by J S Crowther from 1871 to 1876. The building is made of dressed stone and features slate roofs. It includes an apsidal chapel with a vestry and organ chamber on the north side and a Lady Chapel on the south. The church has a four-bay nave with aisles, a narthex with a pitched roof that is perpendicular to the nave, and a main entrance porch at the south end. The tower, which is almost freestanding, is located to the west of the narthex. This heavily buttressed three-stage tower is topped by a broach spire that has lucarnes. The heads of the two-light windows in the apse, clerestory, and aisles feature Geometrical tracery, and there are small rose windows with similar tracery in the gables at the west end of the nave and both ends of the narthex.

Inside, the church has very lofty proportions with exposed brick and stone dressings. It features a fine hammer and tie-beam roof supported by an arcade with clustered columns. The chancel floor and aisles in the nave are decorated with brightly colored mosaics. The sanctuary contains a late 19th-century painted and gilded reredos, and the apse is enhanced with painted panels from 1888. There is also a significant amount of fine woodwork, including intricately carved choir stalls, a complete set of benches, and a tall architectural cover for the stone font. The stained glass in the apse and the Lady Chapel was created by Hardman, while the cycle of windows in the nave was made by Clayton and Bell. The tower houses a collection of 19th-century wall plaques, including a humorous one featuring a walrus and an elephant commemorating Lieutenants Robert and George Hood, who died in 1821 and 1823. This church is the principal church of Bury and is a remarkable example of Crowther's work, showcasing his exceptional skill in timber design and his enthusiasm for mosaic floors, along with a wealth of other high-quality fittings.