Bury Parish Church mosaic tiled floor project finished

The church on The Rock commissioned specialist firm Mosaic Restoration Company to restore the almost 150-year-old floor.

The floor was installed when the Grade 1 building was completed and consecrated in 1876 after five years of construction.

Owner of The Mosaic Restoration Company, Gary Bricknell, said: “This was a lovely job for us to work on.

"The church is a beautiful building with Victorian architecture.

“They contacted us because the original tesserae were beginning to lift and there was a risk of losing large sections of the floor.

“This was a meticulous effort by the team. They carefully lifted, cleaned and reinstated each tile.

“The floor consisted of hundreds of thousands of original Minton Hollins and Co pieces and they’ve done a brilliant job in returning it to its former glory.”

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A Bury Parish Church volunteer working on the project (Image: Alan Best)

The company has carried out similar projects nationwide, including in Bury and Rochdale.

They were also awarded the contract to carry out marble mosaic conservation and restoration works at Manchester Town Hall which is ongoing.

Bury Parish Church (Image: Google Maps)

Secretary of the Fabric Advisory Committee at the church, John Uden, said: “This work is part of several large projects being undertaken at the moment, including reordering the grounds, roof repairs and renovating the church hall.

“We’ve had small patchwork repairs carried out on the mosaic flooring in the past but we knew it required a specialist for this job.

"Gary loves what he does and has worked on some impressive projects.

“He advised us on what needed to be done to preserve the tiles and to make sure they stay intact.

"The team painstakingly matched the original colours and patterns.

“We’re so pleased with the end result. The floor is stunning and as clean as the day it was put in.”

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The mosaic tiles in the church (Image: Alan Best)

Tracey Cartledge, a former Bury Grammar School pupil, was part of the team.

She is a renowned mosaic artist from South Manchester and grew up in the town.

She shared an update on Facebook while working on the project, commending the wider team for their work.

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The project took seven weeks to complete with a team of six people.

The church welcomes visitors to view the newly restored flooring, light a candle and attend prayer and events.

A free weekly concert takes place performed by students from the Royal College of Northern Music every Friday afternoon and the church has reopened its cafe after it closed in March 2020.

The cafe is open every Wednesday from 10.30am to 2.30pm.