Corpus Christi Roman Catholic, Miles Platting

The Basilica, on Varley Street, was built in 1907 by the Norbertine Canons and closed in April 2007. The final celebration, on Friday 27 April 2007, was a special service in thanksgiving for 118 years of Norbertine service in Miles Platting.

The decision followed consultations by the Community with surveyors, architects, professional fund raisers and many others. The renewal of the site and the Corpus Christi Basilica were considered far too heavy a burden for their community to bear in order to sustain their continued residency.

The Norbertine Canons of the Order of Premontre were once famous in England. The Salford diocese was pleased to help their restoration in this country by inviting the Order to open a mission in Manchester. The mission was opened on Christmas Eve, 1889, by the much beloved Abbot Geudens. Schools and a very fine church were built under his rule. He retired to Belgium in 1913 and died the year following.

In the present century the life of the Priory of Corpus Christi has been largely identified with Abbot Seadon and Abbot Toner. The parish suffered heavily during the air-raids.

The present parish priest, Fr. Anselm Cross, is labouring to make good the damage sustained.

The remarkable achievement of the three brethren who began the parish was that beginning with an old warehouse, they were able to build a church which has beea given the title of a Basilica. The church is the centre of the Archconfraternity of the Holy Mass of Reparation for Great Britain and Ireland.

Taken from "Salford Diocese and its Catholic past", a survey by Charles A. Bolton, a Priest of the above Diocese. Published 1950 on the First Centenary for the Diocese of Salford.

This site provides historical information about churches, other places of worship and cemeteries. It has no connection with the churches themselves. For current information you should contact them directly.

Copies of Original Registers

• OpenStreetMap
• Google Maps
• StreetMap (Current Ordnance Survey maps)
• Bing (was Multimap)
• Old Maps Online
• National Library of Scotland (Old Ordnance Survey maps)
• Vision of Britain (Click "Historical units & statistics" for administrative areas.)
• English Jurisdictions in 1851 (Unfortunately the LDS have removed the facility to enable us to specify a starting location, you will need to search yourself on their map.)
• Magic (Geographic information) (Click + on map if it doesn't show)
• GeoHack (Links to on-line maps and location specific services.)