The Parish Church of St Philip and St James was built in 1876 and consecrated on 12 December 1877 by the Bishop of Ripon Rt Rev R Bickersteth DD.
The previous Church used by residents of Scholes was the nearby Whitechapel, however, it was realised prior to 1874 that some permanent provision would have to be made for the village of Scholes, since Whitechapel had full congregations on Sundays.
The National School in Scholes was licensed for Sunday Services in 1873 and all 100 seats were fully occupied.
A Fund was set up to build a New Church and substantial donations were received from both local companies and individuals. Most of the construction work was undertaken by local companies.
The original design incorporated a spire which was not initially erected, but with a generous bequest, it was finally added and dedicated in 1970. Modern techniques enabled it to be constructed from metal and fibreglass.
Scholes finally became a separate Parish after numerous Commissions over the years on 5 November 1929.
The above details have been extracted from a book entitled:"From Scales to Scholes", written by a former Incumbent of the Parish, Rev David Wilding, with whose kind permission these are used.
Copies of the book are still available in Church and portray a wonderful outline of the history and construction of the Church, the historical aspects of Scholes, together with our Industrial Heritage and prominent local families, whose life had an impact on worship at St Philip and St James in Scholes.

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