St. Edmund’s Church

The Church is situated in a small suburban housing estate in the corner of Rochdale, near Manchester the remarkable church of St Edmunds site. On first look, it appears to be like more Victorian Parish Churches in the Parish. But on closer investigation, it is revealed to be an extraordinary blend of gothic revival architecture and Masonic symbolism.

Described by Pevsner as “Rochdale’s Temple to Freemasonry”, this awe-inspiring church was created for the Local banker and Freemason Albert Hudson Royds. By Architects James Medland and Henry Taylor in 1870-3. The symbolism goes beyond architecture to the very position of the church in the Rochdale landscape. Sitting in a diamond-shaped churchyard at the highest point in the town it is making an overt reference to the Temple which dominated Jerusalem –casting Rochdale as the New Jerusalem. It has often been described as the Rosslyn of the south and the image below shows why this comparison has been made.

Newspaper reporting Br. John Love PM 242 joining the Royal Order in St. Mark’s Hall. Bro. Love officiated at the opening of the Town Hall in Johnstone