Our Story
Early Development
The story of Norbury Church can be traced all the way back to the doomsday book, with Christians worshipping in this area for hundreds of years. Before worship began in the current Church, the centre of Christian worship in this area was located at the Norbury Chapel, but this had become dilapidated by the 1830s and so we moved to our current site in 1834.
The foundation stone for Norbury was laid by the Mayor of Stockport, J.K. Winterbottom Esq., on the 2nd of July 1834. The Church was consecrated as Norbury St Thomas Parish Church by the Right Reverend John Bird Summer, Bishop of Chester.
The construction of the new church was a community effort, with materials sourced locally and land being donated by the Legh family of Lyme Park. The Right Honorable Lord Newton, Richard Legh is the current head of the family and is still the patron of the church.
The Church was partially funded by the Church Commissioners in response to the Church Building Acts of 1818 and 1824.
In 1842 the ecclesiastical parish of St Thomas, Norbury was established. Initially this covered the township of Norbury, but the parish was later expanded to include the entire village of Hazel Grove in 1878.
The Churchyard
The Churchyard was opened for burials in 1834 and there are approximately 4000 graves there in the present day. It serves the community for family graves and many people in Hazel Grove and the surrounding areas can draw a connection to Norbury through our Churchyard.
In 2018 our Pathfinder group began a project to create an Eco Garden at the back of the Churchyard, this became a community effort within the Church as many people pitched in to clear an area of overgrown bushes to create a nice space for prayer and peaceful reflection.
In 2024 the Church began a “Gazebo Ministry” in the Churchyard, where members of our congregation meet with and serve tea and coffee to people who are visiting graves. This ministry serves our community on key days such as Mothering Sunday and Father’s Day.
Architectural Developments
The Church has undergone several architectural enhancements throughout the years. These developments have allowed Norbury to adapt to the changing needs of the parish, ensuring its continued relevance and functionality.
Our major developments include:
1916 - In 1916 a Lych-gate was constructed at the entrance to the Churchyard. Both the Church and Lych-gate are now Grade II listed structures, recognised for their architectural and historic significance.
1920s - In the 1920s, a chancel and sanctuary were added to the eastern end of the church, enhancing its liturgical function and presence.
1980s-1990s - During the later end of the 20th century, significant extensions were made to the Church to accommodate the growing needs of the parish community. These additions include a kitchen and a pastoral office, along with:
The Legh Room - Our main Church Hall used for a variety of purposes. It is named in honour of the Legh family.
The Ryan Room - A smaller room used for meetings and activities including our Sunday Morning Children’s Group. It is named in honour of Louie Ryan who was a member of the girl guides at Norbury.
The Booth Room - A room used as the primary Parish Office. It is named in honour of Walter Booth who was a long-standing member of the church community.
2000 - At the dawn of the new millennium the chancel was re-ordered to allow for a more flexible and open worship area.
2024 - In 2024 the Church began a new development project including the introduction of a new heating system.
Community Engagement
Norbury has a long history of interacting with the community of Hazel Grove, and we have several key groups running to welcome people into our doors.
One group that had a major impact on the community was the Church Lads Brigade founded in 1907. This was a successful group which welcomed boys from the age of 5 upwards into the Church and allowed them to make key friendships as they grew up together. In 1984, the group merged with an external girls brigade and became the Church Lads and Girls Brigade. This group fulfilled the same role as its predecessor, but now was open to both male and female members of the community. The group unfortunately disbanded in 2009 as there was a lack of volunteers to run it.
Another group with community involvement at Norbury is the Mother’s Union which has been running here since 1945. Initially operating as two distinct groups, one in the morning and one in the evening, the Mother’s Union hold fundraisers for the local community and charities around the world. After returning from the Covid-19 lock-downs, the two groups merged into one and they continue operating today.
One group which creates significant ties between the Church and the wider community is the Toddler Group. This group has multiple functions for the parents and toddlers, allowing the young people of our community to enjoy time playing together whilst the parents get to meet other people who they can relate to. Many people thank the Church’s Toddler Group for giving them a safe space to talk to someone, knowing their child is also safe thanks to the wonderful team of volunteers. In 2022, when returning from lock-down, the group re-branded as Little Acorns Baby & Toddler Group and runs on Wednesday and Thursday mornings every week, excluding school holidays.
A huge push for community engagement with children began during the 1990s thanks to our clergy at the time, Rev. Martin Collins and Rev. Rob Green. The introduction of an annual Summer Holiday Club was much loved by the community and the group is still going strong today, the children of Hazel Grove love coming to this event each year and the dedicated team love the opportunity of running this group. Along with this, the aforementioned clergymen began visiting local primary schools to interact with the children, a practice continued when our Children’s Worker, Cath, joined us in 2006.
The interaction with children in our community became so successful that, in 2009, a Messy Church group was set up to run on Wednesday evenings. This group is aimed at families getting the chance to come and learn about the message of the Church through crafts and activities. Returning from the Covid-19 lock-downs, it was decided to move Messy Church to a Monday evening, and its continued success led to a Brick Church group spinning off from the group in 2023. Thanks to this, we now consistently welcome large groups of children and their families from the community at least twice a month.
Hazel Grove used to run a yearly carnival with a fair on Torkington Park, which is just opposite the Church. Although this event no longer takes place, the Church has been involved with it in the past. Members of our congregation have been involved with bringing Messy Church to the carnival when we had a tent on the field, unfortunately this no longer happens but the Church’s presence was very well received on carnival days.
The Church has also been involved with other community events in Torkington Park, including organising a duck race which took place on the river that runs through the park. Through this event the Church was able to raise a substantial amount of money for our Church Roof Fund, and the outreach was very successful. Throughout the day we served hot and cold drinks to those racing a duck and spectators alike. Local businesses got involved by funding a large duck, whilst members of the community contributed by buying a small duck. We had a huge amount of support and ended up running 10 races in total.
In 2022 our Church decided to go one step further with community outreach by opening our doors every Monday morning for a Community Cafe. This weekly event is organised by a team of dedicated volunteers and they have enjoyed getting to provide drinks, toast and cakes to members of our community. Likewise, those in the community have loved getting the chance to come each week to catch up with people whilst being provided food and drink.
Finally, a staple in the Church’s calendar is the annual SS Stockport Service which takes place on the third Sunday in February. This service is much loved by the Navy who attend this service which commemorates this sinking of the SS Stockport on the 23rd of February 1943.
Community outreach is a key part of the legacy of Norbury Church, and it is something we hope continues for years to come.
Present Day
With nearly 200 years of history behind us, Norbury Church remains an active and inclusive Anglican parish within the Diocese of Chester, continuing through worship, outreach and community events. Whoever you are, whatever your story, you are more than welcome to come and join us on a Sunday or at one of our other community events.
Previous Incumbents of Norbury Parish Church
The Reverend William Worsley 1834-1875
The Reverend James Gordon 1875-1885
The Reverend George N. Wilmer 1885-1918
The Reverend Frederick A. Screeton 1918-1919
The Reverend Arthur J. Humphreys 1919-1945
The Reverend Ernest Taylor 1945-1968
The Reverend Cyril A. Barton 1968-1990
The Reverend Martin Collins 1991-2008
The Reverend Richard Lawry 2009-2019
The Reverend Joshua Askwith 2019-2025
We are currently in vacancy
Please note, the names above reflect the titles that were used by the individual when in post - they may now hold other titles.
Our Vision and Mission
Norbury Church is a local parish church situated on the A6 in Hazel Grove and our vision is to be a thriving church family that is drawn together by love. In John 3: 16, the Bible explains that: God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. We want every person in Hazel Grove to know and experience that love.
To find out more about our vision and mission do read through our new
Our Values
These values will guide the fulfillment of our vision and mission. Together they form an ‘ecology’ of the fulness of life, each interplay with all the others. They are:
Peace
We believe that Jesus is the prince of Peace and we are called to be peacemakers in a broken world.
It is our aim to be reconciled to God, reconciled to each other, and reconciled to the world. To do this we believe we need to become peacemakers in our community. Thus in all, we say and do we will look to break down any division and create harmony between people.
We want our worship to promote peace, encourage inclusion, and demonstrate God’s love for all people.
Wholeness
We believe that God cares for all in our community. We want to be a community that cares for all people no matter if they have faith or none. We want to demonstrate a community of diversity and inclusion and to do this all people need to feel welcomed and loved.
We also believe that God gave us the world and in line with the 5th Mark of Mission, we strive to care for creation. We do this through engaging with the Eco Church scheme and by educating our congregation about more sustainable means of living.
We want to be a community of whole-life disciples and therefore are dedicated to excellence in worship which does not intimidate but encourages all people to participate in a life of discipleship and faith.
Hope
We believe that the message of the Gospel is hope for all people.
We are therefore called to live out that hope in our community.
We are called together to demonstrate the hope we have for the love of God for everyone.
