The Tameside Heritage Plaque Scheme is managed by the Art, Events & Tourism Team email: [email protected] For a comprehensive listing of all Heritage plaque in Tameside, please contact: Tameside Tourist Information Centre Council Offices, Wellington Road, Ashton-under-Lyne Telephone: 0161 342 4343 email: [email protected] or visit the website: ww.tameside.gov.uk St. Mary’s Church Dukinfield 1825 A Brown Plaque unveiled on 23rd April 2010 at the former church site, Astley Street, Dukinfield DUKINFIELD’S long history of religious freedom has given it a congregation was forced to worship in a room at the Old General significance out of all proportion to its size. The Duckenfield pub, Crescent Road, until the present church on Zetland Street was family accommodated dissenters in the 17th century and this completed in 1856. policy of tolerance was continued by their successors, the Astleys. The site of the brown plaque being unveiled today is roughly where the main doors to the first St Mary’s would have been. The lawned area Consequently, when the Roman Catholic population of Tameside and in front is the grave yard where burials continued until 1859. It seems Oldham increased dramatically during the Industrial Revolution, caused incredible, but as many as 5,000 people could be interred here. by a wave of immigration from Ireland, it was Dukinfield that was chosen as the site for a church rather than its bigger neighbours. William Kenyon and Sons moved to their Chapel Field site in 1875 and the firm remains in family hands today, 135 years later. During the early 1820s, mass was celebrated in Harrop’s Yard off Crickets Lane, Ashton. However, the building was too small to cope with the increasing numbers wishing to attend. A move was necessary but it could not take place within Ashton because the Earl of Stamford refused to allow anything but an Anglican place of worship to be built on his land. The congregation was forced to cross the River Tame to Dukinfield. It is worth noting that at this time Catholics were still subject to official discrimination and did not gain the right to vote or sit in Parliament until the Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829. A site was obtained from the Astley family and in November, 1825, a chapel, presbytery, school and burial ground were opened on Astley Street, close to the Dunkirk Colliery on land now occupied by William Kenyon and Sons. This first St Mary’s Church was described as a neat chapel of the Grecian style able to accommodate 1,000 worshippers. It later became known as the Mother Church as from it sprang St Peter’s, Stalybridge, (1839), St Paul’s, Hyde, (1848) and St Anne’s, Ashton, (1859). Within ten years, the Catholic population of the district had reached 13,000 and there were 300 children attending the Sunday school. However, when the church was only 22 years old it was found to be in danger of collapse because of its proximity to the coal mine. The .