A creepy abandoned church that overlooks the picturesque Hollingworth Lake is set to be auctioned off later this month.
With the spooky season right around the corner, and Halloween soon to be here before we know it, a scary slice of history is set to go under the hammer in just a few weeks time, and it comes in the form of a dilapidated church building set beside one of Greater Manchester‘s most popular reservoirs that’s been left to ruins for over 24 years.
St Hilda’s CE Mission on Hollingworth Fold – which overlooks Hollingworth Lake in the semi-rural Rochdale town of Littleborough – was founded in 1931 and was the hub of a community, before it closed its doors for good in 1998 due to structural problems.
This is not where the story of building itself begins though, as it lived a life before then elsewhere and is believed to date back to the late 1870s.
A spooky abandoned church overlooking Hollingworth Lake is set to be auctioned off / Credit: Pugh Auctions
Records at the Touchstones Local Studies Library in Rochdale show that in the 1870s, there were around 250 Roman Catholics in Littleborough, and they were the ones who all banded together to build the church on its initial site Featherstall Road in 1878.
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It became known as the ‘Iron Church’ as it was made of metal sheets.
The church building was later bought by the Mission of St Hilda, before it was dismantled and rebuilt at Hollingworth Fold in 1931.
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The derelict abandoned building has been at the centre of locals’ intrigue ever since, and now it’s set to go to auction with a guide price of just £25,000.
St Hilda’s CE Mission is sat on a plot of land that extends to 899 sq yds / Credit: Pugh Auctions
With the church sat on a plot of land that extends to 899 sq yds, auctioneers say the site could be suitable for a variety of different uses in the future – including possible development potential, which is subject to any necessary planning permissions.
It’s also walking distance of amenities in Smithy Bridge too.
Speaking ahead of the building going to auction, Edward Feather – associate director at Pugh Auctions – said: “St Hilda’s mission church is an intriguing and unusual property that presents a unique opportunity for the right buyer.
“Founded in 1931, the church closed in 1998 and has stood derelict ever since. The dilapidated remains have caught the attention of many history enthusiasts and passers-by because of its eerie appearance on the Lancashire landscape.
“Interestingly, it can only be accessed by foot which adds to the property’s mystery, but for the right buyer I have no doubt that this historic property is a true gem.”
Jude Bellingham given suspended one-match ban and fine for ‘inappropriate’ gesture
Danny Jones
England and Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham has been handed a suspended one-match ban after making a gesture towards the Slovakia fans following the Three Lions’ last-gasp win in the round of 16 of Euro 2024.
Bellingham scored what has already gone down as one of the greatest England goals of all time to equalise against their first knockout opponents of the tournament to put them through to the quarter-final stage.
However, it was his celebrations in the immediate aftermath following the goal that got him into a little bit of trouble, as a small gesture towards his genitals has seen the Madrid midfielder pick up a fine and a one-match ban that he will thankfully he doesn’t have to serve any suspension immediately.
ln case you missed it, this is the moment in question, as reshared by the player himself:
🥱❌- An inside joke gesture towards some close friends who were at the game. Nothing but respect for how that Slovakia team played tonight.🤝🏽 https://t.co/H8sETMkPoi
As you can see, Bellingham shrugged off the gesture as nothing more than an “inside joke towards some friends” who were in attendance inside Gelsenkirchen’s Veltins-Arena and clearly wasn’t willing to indulge any suggestion that he meant any offence despite the crude gesture.
Regardless, UEFA’s ethics and disciplinary body, unfortunately, hasn’t seen it that way; they stated that he violated “the basic rules of decent conduct” with the celebration, being slapped with a €30,000 fine (approximately £25k) and the match ban.
They did go on to explain that the ban is “subject to a probationary period of one year, starting from the date of the present decision”, meaning that it will only have to be served if the 21-year-old re-offends in the next 12 months.
A big relief for England supporters after he helped keep them in the game with his second goal in a competition where Gareth Southgate‘s side has still struggled to really get going.
BREAKING: Jude Bellingham has been given a suspended one-match ban and fined £25,000 for a gesture during England's 2-1 win over Slovakia 🚨 pic.twitter.com/M0fUx8Z0zE
While Bellingham will be available for Saturday’s match against Switzerland, another player received a harsher punishment for his reaction following a goal at this year’s Euros.
Turkey defender Merih Demiral has been handed a straight two-match ban for a politically associated gesture he made during his side’s previous win, doing the wolf salute celebration after the second goal of his brace against Austria.
The gesture is linked to the far-right Grey Wolves extremist group, who are also closely linked with Turkey’s ruling coalition National Movement Party. Bellingham’s behaviour pales in comparison when sized up against potentially inflammatory instances like this.
Meanwhile, back in the England camp, there is another member of the squad who Three Lions fans will be hoping can make an impact in upcoming games – we can only hope.
Watch the moment Mayor Andy Burnham learns of Labour landslide as Tories lose all Greater Manchester seats
Danny Jones
It’s official: the Labour Party have won the 2024 UK General Election as the Conservative reign is brought to an end after 14 years and the Mayor for Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, learning of the landslide has become somewhat of a viral moment.
Not only were the Tories displaced from Parliament following the result but the Labour majority was massive, winning a total of 412 seats compared to just 120 for the incumbents but most notably in local terms, not a single blue seat was left intact.
With 25 of the region’s 27 constituencies going red and backing Sir Keir Starmer to become Prime Minister, Manchester’s Mayor Burnham made no secret of his relief and satisfaction as the exit polls came through on Thursday night whilst sat on the panel for Sky News’ coverage.
Here’s the moment Burnham was visibly buzzing mid-broadcast:
The 54-year-old was already vocally positive in the lead-up to the vote as well, responding to the now outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s claims that a Labour supermajority and “blank cheque” approach would only lead to more tax.
Quoting him on X, the former MP for Leigh simply wrote, “So it looks like the Tories are giving up on getting back into government in my lifetime. I’ll settle for that!”, along with a laughing emoji.
The only two Greater Manchester seats to stray from the red wall were Stockport constituencies Hazel Grove and Cheadle, which still have some historic Cheshire roots where the vote was more varied and some Conservative voters still held out.
Much like the crowd in the hall over in North East Somerset and Hanham (a newly created seat), where Jacob Rees-Mogg has remained since 2010, Burnham also thoroughly enjoyed the moment he learned the Labour landside including the controversial Tory losing to Dan Norris by more than 5k votes.
Dubbing it the “[Michael] Portillo moment” he has been waiting for (referencing the Conservative frontbencher once tipped to become the party’s leader who was displaced Stephen Twigg in the 1997 election), Burnham said: “He’s been battered and he deserves to be”.
The Mayor went on to insist that “he has no clue what’s inflicted on people” – a sentiment we imagine he feels applies to the last decade and a half of Tory rule in general.