One of the highlights of strolling through Eccles is to take in the verdant greenery of the gardens at St Mary’s Parish Church.
This area is a lovely place to walk, with cherry blossom trees and weeping willows creating a tranquil setting as befits a parish churchyard with a church dating back to the 12th century.
But did you know that this pleasant grassed area was once the church graveyard and the remains of some 4,000 people are still buried there beneath the earth?
Early sketches – courtesy of Chetham’s Library in Manchester – show the graveyard in its original state.
These images from 1965, also from Chetham’s, show the churchyard in its pre-makeover condition and to be honest it does look rather bedraggled and unkempt.
Not all of the gravestones would disappear.
20 stones, one chosen from each century to show the different gravestone designs used throughout the years, were placed for posterity alongside the eastern wall of the graveyard.
A stone sundial in memory of Liverpool MP William Huskisson – the first person in the world to be killed by a moving steam train at Eccles Vicarage in September 1830 – remains in place to this day.
Amongst the gravestones placed at the rear of the church are those of Canon Pitcairn, the Vicar of Eccles 150 years ago, and that of Robert Stephenson, the brother of steam train pioneer George Stephenson, who died in 1837.
And so in May 1965 the churchyard was transformed into a green and pleasant land, with £10,000 spent to lay out new gardens, trees and grassed areas.
Pathways cut through the grassed areas – By Antony Mills
Crocuses bloom at Eccles Parish Church – By Antony Mills
In May 1966 the Bishop of Manchester, The Right Reverend W.D. Greer officially opened the gardens with the unveiling of a special commemorative tablet.
He described the gardens as being ‘an oasis of greenery’ adding that in the future “children would be able to see trees some 30-40 feet high.
In a rather moving speech he also said, “Many of us have lost touch with natural things, the flowers, the birds, the trees, we feel that we are self sufficent.
“Gardens such as this serve to remind us that nature is behind everything and that they would help people to appreciate the simple things in life.”
Daffodils erupt at Eccles Parish Church in spring – By Antony Mills
The Vicar of Eccles, Canon Frank Williamson was the driving force in getting the gardens laid out, he came to Eccles in 1956 and for the past ten years had been petitioning Eccle’s councillors to have the graveyard grassed over and made into a church garden for the public to enjoy.
He stated: “When I came to Eccles the graveyard was a derelict and the graveyard a disgrace to the Borough.
“Now it is so pleasing on the eye and will be of benefit to the people of Eccles for all time, a perfect blend of ancient and modern.
“The church can now be seen in a setting worthy of its architectural beauty.”
