Church of St Benedict, Ardwick
The Church of St Benedict is a redundant church in the Ardwick district of Manchester, England. The church is dedicated to the saint Benedict of Nursia, was designed by J. S. Crowther for a Manchester merchant John Marsland Bennett, and built in 1880. It is generally considered to be Crowther's masterpiece and is a Grade II* listed building. Declared redundant in the early 2000s, the church was home to Parthian Climbing Manchester, formerly the Manchester Climbing Centre. Parthian Climbing Manchester closed permanently in July 2025.
History
John Marsland Bennett was a prosperous stone merchant who served two terms as Mayor of Manchester between 1863 and 1865. He lived at Buile Hall in Salford. Approached to donate land for a church to serve the growing community of Ardwick, he agreed both to provide the site and fund the building of the church. He also selected J. S. Crowther as architect, acted as project manager and took a keen interest in the church liturgy. Construction began in 1877 and the church was complete by 1880. In addition to the church, Crowther built an attached clergy house and Sunday School. The work cost Bennett £20,000.St Benedict's followed the Anglo-Catholic High Church tradition, offering masses rather than services. Falling attendance in the 20th century saw the church declared redundant and it closed in 2002. In 2005, the church building reopened as the Manchester Climbing Centre. Its potential as an indoor climbing centre was identified by a British climber, John Dunne, who had been looking for a suitable building in which to establish a club in North West England. The centre has one of the largest climbing walls in Europe.