St Mary's church has always been a great church for weddings, christenings and sadly funerals too…read moreof which I have been to many. The size of the church internally is ideal for weddings and seats hundreds of people. It stands proud on the outskirts of the shopping area and is always nice in the summer months with a clock you can see for miles. Bell ringing can always be heard across the valley and functions, services and clubs use the church on a regular basis.

I was very privileged to attend the wedding of my good ski friend and fellow Yelper Lesley B to her…read morefiance Andrew at St Peter's church last Saturday. St Peter's has been her local church since living in the area and I've attended Sunday services here - I've always been made to feel welcome by the local congregation. The church building is postcard perfect for what you imagine a pretty English parish church would look llke. The Lord was smiling on Lesley on Saturday - the rain cleared up and the sun came out just as the service ended and it was time for photos. The inside is lovely too with exposed wooden beams. The wedding service was a joyful occasion shared with friends and family. The cupcake reception immediately after the service was a novel idea and helped to keep the guests entertained, fed and watered as the photos were taking place. The electric keyboard was of good quality. I was lucky to be asked to provide some piano music when the when register was signed. The regular members of the church made us guests feel most welcome. It feels like an active local church. Congratulations to Lesley and Andrew!

Wow. St Peter's Church is actually incredibly awesome. I think it's actually maybe called St Peter…read moreBolton-Le-Moors Church. I don't know. This is a huge, majestic church just on the edge of Bolton's town centre. It's a fantastic contrast to the tackiness of the town centre just a few metres away. The church is surrounded by a pleasant graveyard and grassy area. Inside, the church is fantastic. The roofing is all wooden, with exposed beams. It's bursting with character and actually better than Manchester Cathedral in my opinion. Great church. So big that I kept having to go back and back and back to take a picture of it.

Manchester Cathedral is in a pretty good, yet slightly hidden city centre location, just down…read moreDeansgate and it is pretty much behind Victoria Station. It is a rather impressive Cathedral overall which was built from the 1400s to the 1800s with a tower height of 135 feet. It really does feel that this Cathedral is trying to squeeze as much money as it can out of worshippers which is a real shame, examples include the photography permit" scheme really is ridiculous. To be able to take photos inside they charge a £1 fee, which is alongside a suggested donation to enter the cathedral of £3. I do think it is slightly hidden too and the gardens around the Cathedral obviously doesn't compare to others including Birmingham. For me, the cash-centred nature with staff inside who seem more interested in getting a few pounds here and there from visitors and trying their best at intimidating people rather than being friendly isn't what a Cathedral is about. 2* Review number #3200.

Staying on the subject of worship, I once went to see an all day music event at Manchester…read moreCathedral. A stunning church on the edge of Deansgate, it's an incredible piece of architecture inside and out. There's painstakingly carved elements around the whole building, lots of impressive stained glass windows and original sculptures. Whilst it's mainly used as a church, there are regular art exhibitions here and occasional multi-media events like the festival I went to where a group of electronic musicians matched the vision of the building with extraordinary sounscapes. One used so much bass it felt like the pews shook! For those wanting to worship over the festive season, there's a service and communion at 11.30pm Christmas Eve and a Christmas Day Euchachrist at 10.30am.

Hey, here we are right on my doorstep again! I walk past this church every time I wander into the…read morecentre of Manchester and I've been lucky enough to spy on a couple of services on my travels. I have to say, in the heart of Salford's very here and there Chapel Street I never expected to see a church quite so beautiful. As the daughter of a scientist I'm about as agnostic as you can get (I'm a bit of a fate and everything-happens-for-a-reason person, thus I suppose I cannot call myself entirely atheist), but I've always appreciated churches on an aesthetic level. This one is particularly stunning. Even the grounds are lovely to walk around, they've made such an effort with the plants and all the original features are in place. Inside it's even more impressive, ornate and beautiful with gorgeous lighting and fixtures. We're lucky to have a good few pretty churches in the area, and this is certainly one worth seeing.

Saint Philip was a very warm experience with great worship music and a great message. The people…read morewere friendly and open to new visitors and the Pastor and his wife were wonderful. The church is from 1822 and well worth the visit.

This church is a peculiar building in the university campus, it stands triumphantly in between the…read moreknackered medics building and the languages centre. I'm not a believer or anything but walking inside is a very numinous; it grabs you and makes you consider our insignificance in the awe of the hugeee infrastructure. The church bells can be heard for most of south Manchester when they toll to every hour. Come Christmas if you step inside after being disenchanted with the Christmas markets up in the city centre, you can instantly be reminded of when you were a kid in the carol service. The church is also the hubbub of the local Christian community and they work hard to create awareness of issues within the student groups, as church people are, they are very nice folk. So even if God isn't your cup of tea this is a very very good escape from the madness of the world outside.

OK, before I write this review, a disclaimer. I am a huge atheist with pretty much a 0% chance of…read moreconversion. As in, there's more chance of me turning gay for Anne Widdecome and becoming spontaneously Spanish, than there is of me ever, ever believing in God. So why do I like this church? Well, three reasons: 1) I can hear it chiming from my office. And on the hour, every hour, it chimes a lovely little tune. Sometimes it's a different tune, and the one it plays at 5pm (hometime!) is particularly lovely. And at Yuletide, it chimes carols such as God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and O!Little Town of Bethlehem. 2) The Smiths' song Vicar in a Tutu namechecks this church. (I was minding my business/Lifting some lead off/The roof of the Holy Name church), which has been one of my fave facts since a girl in my poetry class told me in 2nd year. 3) In Summer, there's an ice cream van nearby, and it's nice to sit on the steps with a Fab and watch the world go by. So, there you go. A church that's even good for a big old atheist like me. Must be good! (NB: If you actually prescribe to a monotheistic faith which encourages the worship of an anthropomorphic deity, namely Catholicism, and want to, like, pray here, have a look at their website for Mass and confession and a whole other bunch of Goddy stuff. Enjoy!)

If you are a stranger and drive past this church, you most probably will think; 'What the Hell is…read morethat?' It does look a bit strange as it is a very out-dated building with a huge green dome. But I think that is what gives it its character. Apart from the outside, the church is beautiful inside and large...very large. They have stained glass windows depicting stories from the Bible which are elegantly finished. It is old fashioned inside but it does not feel unmodern. It is different but beautiful. Alongside the church they hold different clubs for children such as Rainbows and Brownies. So if you are new to the area and want your child to join a club where they can learn about God and play games with friends, then contact the church.

This is a beautiful Church right at the heart of the local community. I have gone through all of my…read morereligious sacraments here and everyone has been a lovely experience. My friend recently got married and it was magical. Father Dooley is the parish priest and he always has time to speak to you. It's a nice church to look at as well, although as with all churches it does get cold. The car park is right next door and there are no steps so it's easy to get wheelchairs and prams in and out.

This is a lovely small church with a great atmosphere and a lovely priest. My cousin is Deaf and…read morethe priest has learnt some British Sign Language and does it during the main parts of mass so that my cousin can take part. The only drawback to this church would be if you wanted to get married it doesn't have a centre aisle so can look at bit strange with the bride walking down one side of the church. However, my nan solved this problem by having a double wedding!!

I live by this Church and I am afraid I have found the attitudes of the father and the parishioners…read moretowards the residents of Heath Street and the community in general, is one of rudeness and contempt, unless you are a member of this church. Residents would quite often find notes on their cars reprimanding them if we dared to park on the churches land, even if there wasn't a service on or another car in sight! No give and take or community spirit. People living in the area of St Austins Parish and it's adjoining school have had to put up with much disruption from all the construction work being carried out for St Austins school next door. We've had double yellow lines imposed on us that only the residents of Heath Street seemed to have adhered to as the vast majority of the Parishoners, construction workers and HGV wagons etc. ignore the DOUBLE YELLOW LINES and park on them Also the parishioners and construction vehicles also seem to think they have the right to drive down Heath Street which was conveniently made into a one way street, the wrong way! to access the Church and the construction site. And now with what seems a very mean spirited and uncaring attitude, after many, many years of people and children in the community around Thatto Heath using the grassed land off Govett Road to play on, walk their dogs on, use as a short cut through to other areas of Thatto Heath and also people using it to gain as access to get to their allotments have now had this taken away from them -A very large chunk of this field has been completely blocked off and taken for a school field that will probably get used 2 - 3 times a year. Where was the community spirit? As small walk way for people to still cut through the exisiting land to still play on, access allotments and walk their dogs on what is left, would have been much appreciated by many people. I am sorry but after living 6 years by this church, I will be glad to move when I can.