Treasures Revealed

Contact for All Four Churches:

Reverend Maureen Read, Vicar of Meltham,
Tel:  01484 850 050  email: maureen.read09@btinternet.com
The Vicarage, 150 Huddersfield Road, Meltham, Holmfirth, HD9 4AL

St. Bartholomew’s Church
Greens End Road, Meltham, Holmfirth, HD9 5NW

The Church is situated in the centre of the Township of Meltham and was consecrated on St. Bartholomew’s day 1651 by Bishop Henry Tilson a former Bishop of Elphin in Ireland. The church is believed to be one of a very few in England to be consecrated during the Commonwealth period. The only relics remaining from that time include:  The desk of the original pulpit bearing the inscription ‘1651 Cathedra  Veritas’, a lintel stone on which is carved the date1651 and an architrave surrounding the door into the choir vestry. The nave of the present Church was built in 1786 and in 1835 the Tower, North transept and Gallery were added with the bells being installed a year later. The building was completed when the Chancel was added in 1876 and at the same time the original ‘box’ pews were removed.

Christ Church
Helme, Holmfirth HD9 5RW

The church is situated in a lovely rural hamlet, set in the foothills of the Pennines. It is a beautiful Victorian building with a fascinating story about the end of a rainbow. The surrounding area is basically a farming region with cattle and sheep rearing as well as livery stables. Our claim to fame is that the locality and our church have been used on more than one occasion as the setting for “The Last of the Summer Wine” comedy programme with some of our parishioners as extras! The church is a sought after venue for weddings.

St James
Huddersfield Road, Meltham Mills, Meltham, Holmfirth HD9 4AL

The church has an evangelical tradition and the Church’s patrons are the Simeon’s Trustees.
The Church building was erected in 1845 by Charles Brook, a local mill owner to serve the community who were mainly his employees.  In 1984, the building was substantially altered internally to meet modern day requirements giving a worship area with chairs, crèche, hall, store room, kitchen and toilets.

St Mary the Virgin
Wilshaw Road,Meltham, Holmfirth, HD9 4DZ

The church of St Mary the Virgin is located within the peaceful and pretty hamlet of Wilshaw, which has about 150 inhabitants. Wilshaw has no shops, public house or school but it has a private Residential Care Home and a recently refurbished and well maintained Village Hall. Much of the village was built in the mid nineteenth century and many of the houses are listed buildings, and fall within a conservation area. The Church was built as a memorial to Mary, daughter of Joseph and Eleanor Hirst. Mary had died in childbirth in 1859 and the foundation stone was laid in 1862 by her mother. Their bodies were all laid to rest in the mausoleum within the grounds of the church.