TIMELINE

1863 First Sunday School opens in the Hooley Hill district of Audenshaw - this later became a 'day school'

1879 School moves to Denton Road (near Guide Lane/Shepley Road)

1914 Day school closes but building continues as a Sunday School and mission church of St Stephen's, Audenshaw

1924 New district of 'St Hilda, Audenshaw' is created -  a 'temporary' church is built on the present site, on the border of Audenshaw and Denton.  [* see images 1-2-3 below] The priest in charge is the Rev E.B. Clarke (Bradshaw Clarke) 

1929 Fr Fenton Tidmarsh introduces Anglo-Catholic worship   

1930 Fr William Rowland Jones is appointed as the new vicar

1936 'Temporary' church destroyed by fire ... big fundraising appeal to build a new permanent church 

1937 Foundation stone laid by the Bishop of Manchester

1938 New church is consecrated [* see image 4 below] St Hilda, Audenshaw is now a parish in its own right 

1944 'Temporary' parish hall known as 'The Shack' built next to the church by German prisoners of war

1952 Fr Rowland Jones is succeeded by Fr Eric Parker

1956  Fr Brian Bason is the new vicar-  hailed as 'a local lad made good' by a local Audenshaw councillor

1978 'The Shack' which had recently been renovated is set on fire by vandals. The damage is too extensive to be repaired and the building is demolished. As a result, the church becomes a dual purpose church and hall

1983 Dividing screen is added to create a separate worship area for weekday services

1984 New vicarage built in the church grounds, replacing the previous residence at 209 Ashton Road, Denton, facing the White House

1989 Fr Bason retires from full time parish ministry after 33 years at St Hilda's. He is succeeded by Fr John Kershaw, a former electrical engineer who immediately becomes a driving force for further improvements to the church interior

2013 Fr Bason dies, aged 86

2019 Fr John celebrates 30 years as vicar

2020 Fr John dies aged 69,  almost three years after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, only close family and friends are permitted to attend the funeral - but several hundred well-wishers use the online social media platform Facebook to pay their own heart-warming tributes to a  much-loved friend and priest 

2022 The Rev Amy-Elizabeth Sheridan is seconded to St Hilda's as curate-in-charge  (jointly with St Stephen's, Audenshaw)

2023 Mthr Amy-Elizabeth is appointed as the new vicar

2024 Centenary of 'St Hilda, Audenshaw'  as a separate district with its own church

* Click on the archive images below - or scroll through the gallery on the home page