The shortlist / England / Holy Trinity, Tunstead
Photo: Church of England. Click the large photograph to see it full size.
186 years old
Holy Trinity, Tunstead
Newchurch Road, Stacksteads, Bacup, Rossendale, Lancashire, England
A mill-valley church of 1840 in the Norman style, built for 600 and enlarged to hold 1,000, on a steep bank above the main road through Rossendale. It has a sculpted stone pulpit of 1873 and a large east window. There is no parking.
Our verdict
Ninety-five thousand pounds for 480 square metres of Norman-style church, with a pulpit carved with Faith, Hope and Charity.
It needs a use that walks to it, because nobody can park. A school, a band room, a climbing wall. Buy it if you live in the valley.
What is wrong with it
- No parking and a steep bank between the door and the road.
- The stone is black and plants are growing at the base of the tower.
- Nothing is published about condition, services or when it closed.
- The room is cluttered and partly divided by a modern glazed screen.
- The Church's page gives one agent in the text and another in the link.
The story
- Late 1830sA building fund was opened for a church at Stacksteads, with large gifts from local dignitaries.
- 5 November 1840First service. The church seated about 600.
- 29 September 1841Consecrated on Michaelmas Day. The first vicar was Francis Fitzpatrick.
- 1851 to 1889J G Haworth was vicar for 38 years. A gallery went in as the population grew.
- 1859Tunstead became a parish of its own, cut out of Newchurch, Bacup and Rochdale.
- 1873The chancel and south transept were added in the Decorated style, taking the seating to about 1,000. The pulpit was given in memory of Margaret Munn.
- 1984Listed Grade II.
- 2026For sale at offers around £95,000.
Sources: Historic England, list entry 1072830; Rossendale Family History and Heraldry Society, Holy Trinity; Church of England listing
What it needs, and what it might cost
- Safe and dry
- £7,000 to £18,000
- Everything on the list
- £87,000 to £253,000
- Each year after that
- £4,000 to £8,000
With nothing published on condition, these are the ordinary costs of a blackened sandstone church of this size. A survey could halve them or double them.
What the photographs show
- The church stands on a retaining wall well above the road, with steps up. The tower has a round-arched doorway, a clock and a small stone spire.
- The sandstone is black from a century of mill smoke. Green growth runs up the lower stage of the tower and weeds grow at its foot.
- The slate roof looks even from the road.
- Inside, the walls are white and dry. The chancel has stone columns with carved capitals and a large window of coloured glass.
- The stone pulpit, a brass eagle lectern and the organ case are in place.
- A modern glazed timber screen closes off a side room with tables and toys in it.
- Hymn books and papers are piled on the choir stalls.
The work, line by line
| Now: safe and dry | Rough cost | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Survey and report by a conservation-accredited architect, including the tower | £4,000 to £8,000 | Our assumption |
| Clear the growth from the tower, gutters and downpipes | £3,000 to £10,000 | Seen in the photographs |
| Next: fabric and glass | Rough cost | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Repoint the tower and spire where joints are open | £15,000 to £45,000 | Seen in the photographs |
| Slate repairs across about 480 square metres of roof | £40,000 to £130,000 | Our assumption |
| Heating, wiring and toilets, whose state is not given | £25,000 to £60,000 | Our assumption |
Yearly upkeep, £4,000 to £8,000. Insurance, heating, the clock, gutters and a yearly roof and tower check.
Grants. Grade II buildings rarely get national repair money. Rossendale has had regeneration funds for Bacup. Ask the council.
Condition, as the listing describes it
| General | Nothing is published on condition. | Unknown |
| Roof | Low-pitched slate. | Checked by us |
| Services | Not stated. | Unknown |
These are our rough estimates and not quotes. Nobody from this site has been inside the building. We measured from the listing, looked at its photographs, applied published British rates for 2025 and 2026, and raised them for scaffolding, height and heritage rules. Figures are for works only, before architect's fees of 10 to 15% and VAT. Rot, structural movement and asbestos do not show in a photograph. How we estimate.
The seller
Church Commissioners for England, with the diocese. To the Church of England. The sale runs under the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011. The proceeds are shared between the diocese and the Church Commissioners, and part of the Commissioners' share funds the Churches Conservation Trust.
What you may do with it
Light use. Use class F1 already allows education, a museum or a public hall. It is a big plain room on a main road. The agent mentions redevelopment. I would not.
Sacred status
| Worship | Closed for regular worship. The sale needs a pastoral scheme from the Church Commissioners, which goes to public consultation and lifts the legal effects of consecration. | From the listing |
| Closed | Date not stated. | Unknown |
Heritage status
| Listing | Grade II, listed 30 November 1984, record 1072830. | Checked by us |
| Consent | Listed building consent is needed for any change that affects the character of the building, inside or outside. You apply to the council. Historic England is consulted for Grade I and II* buildings. | Checked by us |
| Use | F1. Education, museum and public hall need no change of use. | From the listing |
What comes with it
| Floor area | 4,507 square feet on the ground floor and 675 on the gallery: about 480 square metres. | From the listing |
| Building | Five-bay nave, west tower with small spire and clock, chancel and south transept of 1873, west gallery. | Checked by us |
| Pulpit | A cylindrical white stone pulpit with polished shafts and panels of Faith, Hope and Charity, given in memory of Margaret Munn, who died in 1873. | Checked by us |
| Land | A banked roadside site with no parking on it. A public car park is close. | From the listing |
The dead
| Burials | Not stated. A Munn family monument stands five metres west of the church and is listed separately. | Checked by us |
Getting there
| Road | On Newchurch Road in Stacksteads, between Bacup and Rawtenstall. | From the listing |
| Train | Not stated. | Unknown |
How the sale works
| Covenants | The Commissioners write covenants into the sale that limit the building to the use they approved. Expect several months between an accepted offer and completion. | From the listing |
People to call
- Selling agent: MBRE
- Seller: Church Commissioners for England, Closed Churches team
- Listed building consent: Rossendale Borough Council
- Heritage adviser: Historic England
"From the listing" means the seller's agent says so. "Checked by us" means we confirmed it against a public record, linked where possible. "Unknown" is a question to put to the agent before you visit.