History
St Anne's Rectory was constructed in 1882 as the residence for clergy serving St Anne's Church. Both the church and the rectory were funded entirely by Edward Joseph Sidebotham, a prominent local landowner, employer, and benefactor. Sidebotham was an industrial chemist, a student of the arts and sciences, and a successful businessman. He commissioned architects J. Medland Taylor and Henry Taylor to design both buildings, with the church's dedication to St Anne inspired by the names of Sidebotham's wife and mother. [1]
The rectory was originally listed at Grade II on 20 July 1977 for its architectural and historic significance. The designation was later upgraded to Grade II* in May 2003. [2]
In August 2021, Tameside Council granted listed building consent for internal works, including installing new doors, altering room layouts, replacing built-in bookcases, dado rails, and window reveals on a like-for-like basis, repairing walls and ceilings, adding a new window seat, and updating electrical fittings and lighting. External works included the installation of a new boundary gate and removal of a non-original timber floor. [3]
In December 2021, a man was charged with carrying out unauthorised alterations to the rectory. The works involved removing original features such as a cast iron fire grate, built-in bookcases, dado rails, mouldings, and window reveals, as well as a window seat from an upstairs bedroom. Additional changes included installing a timber partition, creating a doorway between bedrooms, and damaging historic plasterwork to accommodate electrical fittings. [4]
These alterations were alleged to have compromised the building's special architectural and historic character, in breach of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. The case was scheduled for a hearing at Tameside Magistrates' Court on 16 December 2021. [4] As of 2025, no outcome has been made public.
Architecture
St Anne's Rectory is constructed of brick with a clay tile roof and exhibits an irregular two and three-storey plan in a free Gothic style. [5] Its composition includes gabled cross-wings flanking a central section, which features a half-octagonal stair tower in the left angle. Horizontal bands at ground and first floor level articulate the elevations. Between the cross-wings, an open porch with a hipped roof occupies the right angle. [6]
Notable external features include a six-light mullioned and transomed stair window on the first floor, and a gabled oriel window on the left cross-wing rising from a weathered buttress, flanked by two segmental-headed recesses. [6] The right cross-wing contains a sash window with a carved tympanum panel beneath a relieving arch. Windows are generally four-pane sashes, and the roof is finished with banded fish-scale tiles. The skyline is enriched by elaborate brick chimney stacks and the conical roof of the stair tower, which echoes the design of the adjacent church. [5]
Interior
Internally, the building retains much of its original high-quality detailing. Principal rooms feature pitch pine panelling, doors, dado rails, and fitted furniture. The octagonal dining room includes a cast-iron corner fireplace with Delft tiles and a panelled overmantel incorporating a stained glass window. [5] A similar fireplace and overmantel survive in the study, which also contains fitted furniture and a small stone window with stained and patterned glass. An inglenook fireplace, formerly in the main reception room, has been removed. The pitch pine staircase leads to a landing with an arcade supported on a circular pier, from which a spiral stair provides access to the top storey. The large staircase window contains stained and painted glass dated 1882, and other windows incorporate stained and patterned glass panels. [6]
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