Bircle
| Bircle | |
|---|---|
 Bircle Church in Winter |
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 Bircle
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| Bircle shown within Greater Manchester | |
| OS grid reference | SD829122 |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BURY |
| Postcode district | BL9 |
| Dialling code | 0161 |
| Police | Greater Manchester |
| Fire | Greater Manchester |
| Ambulance | North West |
| EU Parliament | North West England |
The official parish of Bircle near Bury, UK was created on 1 July 1846 although the village pre-dates this by many centuries. It is often assumed that 'Bircle' is a shortening of the phrase 'Birch Hill' as it is suggested that birch trees are found in abundance. This is very plausible idea until one searches for birch trees and finds the majority of trees in the area are sycamore and ash even where the thickly wooded areas reach the borders of the Parish. Such names such as "Cleggs Wood" "Simpson Clough" and "Dobb Wood" appear on early Ordnance Survey maps. What adds confusion to the whole picture is that 'hill' does appear in the fourteenth century in the name of 'Birkhill' but it never found a permanent place. Over a period of time its name has also appeared as Brithull, 1243; Birlcil, 1246; Birkhill, 1334, 1573; but Bircle appears in the Manchester Diocesan Directory.
Bircle is a village in Greater Manchester. A name which is as ancient as the Domesday Book and certainly dating to many centuries before it became a Parish. Bircle church itself is on Castle Hill Road, Bircle, Bury, Greater Manchester.
The church of St John the Baptist, also known as Bircle Church, is a listed building for its special architectural or historic interest. The church was designed by architect George Shaw and was first dedicated in 1846. It is a small church and is a relatively early example of ecclesiologically correct gothic rock-faced ashlar with ashlar dressings and slate roofs with stone-coped gables. The nave and chancel both have hammer beam roofs rising from stone corbels. Carved angels holding shields are on the ends of the hammer beams. There are four stained glass windows in the nave. These were given in memory of loved ones. They depict Ruth, St Peter, St Paul and Mary, the mother of Jesus. On the wooded ceiling are carved angel figures.
The Mural in Bircle Parish Hall. The old church hall had a mural across the whole of one side of the wall by local artist and potter, Harry Johnson, in the 1960's, this is perhaps his largest piece of work! It depicts the resurrection scene by the Sea of Galilee. Sadly the church hall is no more. The church hall used to be halfway down Castle Hill Road where the Sunday school and other community events took place. It was sold off by the church to make way for housing.
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Wikipedia