Church Of St Elisabeth

The Church of St Elisabeth is a Grade I listed building constructed between 1882 and 1883 by architect Alfred Waterhouse. It is built from red brick with stone bands and dressings, featuring a clay tile roof and a lead spire. The church has an apsidal chancel with a Lady Chapel to the south and a vestry to the north. It includes a four-bay nave and aisles, with a tower that incorporates a porch at the east and a main porch at the west end of the south aisle. The Houldsworth Chapel projects from the center of the north aisle, and the tower is topped with an octagonal roof and pyramidal pinnacles at the corners.

Inside, the church showcases polychromatic brick and stone, with the arcade supported by polished Aberdeen granite piers. The chancel has a brick vault, while the nave features a timber panelled barrel vault with tiebeams. The apse walls are lined with mosaic made by Burke & Co, and the floor tiles were created by Godwin of Hereford. Decorative elements such as the rood screen, reredos, font, and other carvings were crafted by Thomas Earp, and the ironwork, including a fine pulpit, was designed by Robert Jones of Cheetham. Stained glass in the clerestory and triplet at the east end of the north aisle was made by Heaton, Butler & Bayne, based on designs by Frederick Shields. The organ is by Hill, and the church retains its original choir stalls and benches in the nave. The fittings are of the highest quality and were all executed under the architect's direction. A late 20th-century addition includes a set of painted Stations of the Cross by Graeme Willson.

This church is considered Waterhouse's finest work and is remarkably well preserved. It was built by Sir William Houldsworth as part of the development of his industrial community.