Our History

The congregation dates from 1662 - the year of the Act of Uniformity.

This act required all clergymen to abide stricly by the requirements of the Book of Common Prayer. Some 2000 clergymen refused, and were ejected from their livings. One of them was Rev. Henry Newcome, whose followers eventually built a place of worship of their own, the first of its kind in Manchester.

This 'Dissenters’ Meeting House', later to be known as Cross Street Chapel, was opened in 1694 and is the parent church of non-conformity in Manchester. Throughout its history, those who attended and adhered to it have made a remarkable contribution to liberal religion, social reform and the civic, cultural and public life of the city.

The original chapel was destroyed by enemy action in 1940. Its 1959 replacement was succeeded in 1997 by our new suite of premises, designed to meet the needs of the twenty-first century.

Among those who have been associated with the Chapel in the past, we remember particularly the novelist Elizabeth Gaskell whose husband William was minister at Cross Street Chapel for fifty-six years (1828 to 1884). The Gaskell Society continues to meet here regularly. The Gaskell Room in the Chapel has a collection of memorabilia including early editions of her novels.