The Brereton Tomb in the Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin in Eccles Salford Greater Manchester
The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin has stood for over 800 years and is the oldest church in the City of Salford. In fact, there is a local legend that in the fifth century the area was visited by St. Patrick, who set up an altar on the site of the present church. The Black Death arrived in this country in 1348, and it was then that the chantry chapel of St. Catherine was built. The original arch to this chantry chapel can still be seen in the south aisle, where the Brereton Tomb is now situated. In the 1960s, the churchyard, which had been a burial ground for over 800 years, was turned into the attractive gardens there today. Some gravestones were saved, among them that of Robert Stephenson, son of the 19th century railway pioneer George Stephenson. George was Chief Engineer for the Liverpool to Manchester railway line, which opened in 1830, passing through Eccles. But the famous Stephenson’s Rocket locomotive was actually built by Robert Stephenson. His gravestone can be seen outside the church, behind the East window. The one on the north side is the Mayo window and was erected, also in 1929, by the sons of the Eccles-born Dr. William Worrell Mayo (1819-191l) as a memorial to their father. He had emigrated to the USA in 1845, where he qualified and set up in practice, finally settling in ' Rochester, Minnesota. Following the 1883 cyclone, he, with the sisters of the Order of St. Francis, founded St. Mary's Hospital. When it opened in 1889 his two sons joined him and they organised, in 1905, a group clinic of 200 doctors. This became world-famous as the Mayo Clinic. Another reminder of the Second World War can be found in the clear glass pieces inserted in the east window. This window was damaged during the Manchester Blitz of Christmas 1940 when on the night of December 22/23, a land mine dropped on the land behind the chancel and blew in the window.
Size: 4750px × 3563px
Location: Town of Eccles in Salford in the Greater Manchester Area
Photo credit: © Brenda Kean / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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