Photo-a-Day  (Saturday, 31st August, 2024)

Lovely photo of a lovely church. My granddaughter Edie was christened there 17 years ago and was presented with a teddy bear which she promptly dropped in the font! So the teddy bear was christened too, ( and named after the vicar!).

Beautiful expensive churches, but the congregations lived in slums

It would be nice to think it was well used but these days with falling congregations it’s not the case. It’s a lovely stone building. It looks like the end part was added on at the last minute.

Colin, how strange and what a coincidence that you should post this picture today! Only yesterday I was reading a link that my son sent to me. The Victorian Society Newsletter August 2024 which has an article "Who built Wigan Churches" and there was a virtually identical photo of St Michaels except it was taken in winter. I don,t know how to put on a link but this will find it.
https://mailchi.mp/victoriansociety/the-victorian-society-newsletter- august-9517328?s=03
I much prefer your picture with the sunlight showing the lovely colour of the stone and the tree in full leaf. Thank you.

I don’t know about slums Freddie, at one time Swinley was an affluent area. Large Victorian and Edwardian houses for professional people and business owners in Wigan.
I remember at one time St Michael’s had a thriving Amateur Dramatic Society in the church hall that was very popular, I don’t know if that is still going or not.

What a lovely church.

Sadly, I have to agree with Freddie. The history of the church is far from impeccable, whether the transatlantic slave trade, selling indulgences, sending children up sooty chimneys and lots of other historical stuff. I have had a limited interaction with this particular church and found it to be a “Christian” and caring institution and my comment is historic and general not in any way related to St Michael’s church at Swinley.

freddie, Owd Reekie You can't alter History What was deemed acceptable then, isn't now. In the middle ages people lived in lavish castles whilst the population lived in mud and straw huts. Get over it. Stop condoning people from the past when life then was accepted.

The slave trade ended many years before this or most churches were built, I don't think kids up a chimney would have contributed much to the building.
One thing that I would agree on though is that much of Britain's wealth and certainly all the grand houses and palaces up and down the country do have a lot of blood and misery on there hands. But that was then and this is now so we might has well enjoy it.
Every picture however innocuous always seems to pull up a dark side.

Scaramouche, Scaramouche some people do get into a right old Fandango.

The Churches were built in the past with blood, sweat and tears and offerings from the poor.
Even though scripture says “ The labourer is worthy of his pay …”
“ For you shall not muzzle the ox whilst it is threshing the grain”. Builders were treated as cheap labour further back in time. No wonder elaborate churches aren’t built today.

'The past is a foreign country. They do things differently there '.
L.P. Hartley

I recall Boy George going over his life as a celebrity singer etc. He was asked did he regret his past..( drugs/prison etc) . He answered
“ The past doesn’t exist’’. It made me think if the past
doesn’t exist neither would we…..I found him quite articulate though.

So true Colin, it's like those who riot and pull down and wreck the statues of certain folks saying they were involved in the slave trade and possibly thinking they can erase the history of it by doing so, they should accept that it happened and learn from those horrible historical acts.

I can't get into your link Meg, however Will & Pat Sharp brother and sister who once lived in Wigan do have a website about the churches of Wigan.

https://whobuiltwiganschurches.co.uk/

It is contrary in saying Wigan churches when they are all anglican and not Roman catholic churches, though it is said that later they hope to include the catholic churches and also methodist chapels.

Veronica, I must think about that bit about not muzzling an Ox next time the other half tells me to shut up.

Meg, thanks for your comment, like Cyril I could not access the link you kindly gave.
Cyril, I will try the one you gave tomorrow.
It turned into another interesting day.

St.Michael's is a very well attended church with a wide age range of congregation and has many activities going on.It seems to definitely bucking the trend as far as failing churches are concerned.Also,the vicar is an extremely genuine and generous man,with both his time and concern for people.

Sir Stormahead
could do with taking notes regarding ‘muzzling’ folk TD.

Colin,Cyril. Sorry about that. I just clicked on the link my son sent me so I may have copied it out incorrectly although I can't spot the mistake. Perhaps I need to visit Specsavers. Luckily Cyril's link is for the same very informative and interesting article so thank you Cyril

Elizabeth, that is good to know. If churches are to stay open these days, they have to be used for more than worship, and if craft groups, children's activities, coffee mornings etc. keep the church buildings up and running, then so be it. Well done St. Michael and All Angels,

Beautiful building and a beautiful photograph. Thanks for posting it Colin.
Such a crying shame that the school was demolished.
Some of my friends went to St. Michael's School.
My sister's confirmation was at this church and I remember attending.
Also, I remember (very well) when Horsechestnut (conker) trees lined the boundary.

Ian, remember the large trees around the church as my wife and I lived in the area when we got married, we got a celebratory centenary wall plate of St Michael's which also showed the trees, though that went missing or got broken when we moved house.
We did attend a few times and both lads were Christened there when Charles Walker was vicar, but I didn't like going there with it being a high church.

It must have been a good quality wartime paint.