St Joseph's Church, Wigan

St Joseph's RC Church has been closed to worshippers for over 30 years. After halting services in 1995, the Archdiocese of Liverpool sold the building at auction, and its current ownership is uncertain. There are claims that listing it on Historic England’s register may have hindered its redevelopment by limiting options. The church first opened in 1878, following a smaller Roman Catholic church and a Methodist chapel that were on the same site. In 2002, planning permission was granted to turn it into a rock climbing centre, but this plan never materialised.

Please excuse the poor quality of these photographs, this location was visited very early in my Urbex journey.