About our parish
The parish of Our Lady and St Joseph is currently serving the community of Heywood and the surrounding areas.. Our parish is an inclusive and vibrant community place of worship, and we strive to promote the Gospel message in everything we do.
A brick basilican Romanesque design of the early twentieth century by Oswald Hill, with an austerely handsome arched interior enhanced by rich decoration in the sanctuary and transepts.
The mission at Heywood was founded from Rochdale in 1855. In 1856 a church, school and presbytery were built in Dawson Street. The mission continued to grow and after the appointment of Fr Poole in 1898 discussions began about a new and larger church. The foundation stone of the present building was laid on 13 October 1913 and it was completed in 1916.
A perspective view of the church in the Diocesan Archive is dated 1914 and inscribed ‘H. O. Hill 9 Albert Square M/c’ (so the architects were not W. T. Gunson & Sons, as surmised by The Buildings of England, on the basis of their having designed the school). The impressive interior contains mosaics spanning the period from its opening in 1914 to the 1960s, probably by Eric Newton and other members of the Ludwig Oppenheimer Ltd workshop, who also worked at St John Rochdale and elsewhere in the diocese.
St. Joseph’s Presbytery,
Mary St, Heywood,
OL10 1EG
Tel: 01706 369 777
Parish Office:
01706 369 777
Email the office - click here
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