End of an era as plans revealed to demolish Wigan borough church and presbytery

The Archdiocese of Liverpool has applied to Wigan Council for prior approval to knock down the empty Twelve Apostles Roman Catholic Church, on Nel Pan Lane, Westleigh.

It wants to demolish the church and presbytery, before levelling the site with topsoil and grass seeding.

The application states the demolition work is needed because the buildings could be “at risk from vandalism and fire” if they remain unoccupied.

If the proposal gets the green light from the council’s planning department, work could start as soon as December 11 and would be completed by early February.

The church closed in 2019, along with Our Lady of the Rosary Church on Plank Lane, in a shake-up of the St Edmund Arrowsmith and St Margaret Clitherow parishes.

Twelve Apostles Church was established in the late 19th Century and was initially based at Twelve Apostles School, before getting its own building.

The current building was erected in 1929. Red brick with a slate roof, it has a rose window and a wood-framed and covered corridor linking the church and parish house, thought to date back to the early 1900s.

The two churches had shared a priest since 1995, but were struggling to keep their doors open in recent years, with dwindling congregations and a shortage of clergy.

Bulldozers demolished Our Lady of the Rosary Church and its presbytery last year.

The council is currently holding a consultation on the plans for Twelve Apostles and hopes to make a decision by mid-November.