Church of St Mary the Virgin, Leigh
| Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Leigh | |
|---|---|
Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin
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| Coordinates: 53°17′42″N 2°18′40″W / 53.295°N 2.311°W | |
| OS grid reference | SD 656 003 |
| Location | St Mary's Way, Leigh, Greater Manchester |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | St Peter |
| Dedication | Saint Mary the Virgin |
| Consecrated | 12 February 1873 |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 7 November 1966 |
| Architect(s) |
Paley and Austin, Paley, Austin and Paley, Austin and Paley |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Completed | 1873 |
| Construction cost | £8,738 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 710 |
| Materials | red sandstone |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Leigh |
| Deanery | Leigh |
| Archdeaconry | Salford |
| Diocese | Manchester |
| Province | York |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar(s) | Kevin Crinks O.S.F. |
The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin (grid reference SD656003) is a Church of England parish church in Leigh, Greater Manchester, England. It is a member of the Leigh deanery in the archdeaconry of Salford, diocese of Manchester. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.
Leigh was in the Diocese of Lichfield and Coventry until 1541 when it was transferred to the Diocese of Chester. In 1847 Leigh became the only parish in the Hundred of West Derby to be part of the new Diocese of Manchester. Leigh has had its own deanery since 1933. Before that it was part of the deanery of Eccles and prior to that Warrington.
St. Mary's is in the centre of Leigh by the Civic Square, which was originally the market place, next to the library and opposite the town hall. The church was mentioned in documents in the 13th century but the date of its foundation is uncertain. The first church on the site, dedicated to St Peter, was described as the Church of Westleigh in Leigh. Its dedication was changed to St Mary the Virgin at the end of the 14th century. The church straddled the ancient boundary between the townships of Westleigh and Pennington, the nave and churchyard in Westleigh and the chancel in Pennington.
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