Burnley Road East, Lumb
The Church and parish of St Michael arose out of the rising population of the parish of Newchurch growing to such an extent that at Newchurch there was insufficient room to cater for their needs.
The Ecclesiastical District of Lumb was constituted on the 25th February 1846 out of the parish of Newchurch and the corner stone of St Michael’s was laid on 29th September 1847 by John Hargreaves Esq. of Blackburn, the donor of the site. The Church was consecrated on 9th December 1848 by the Bishop of Manchester the Rt. Rev. James Prince Lee and the first vicar being the Rev. Ralph Kinder. The Church, which cost approximately £2,000, is of an early Norman style with a central tower which is supported on massive square piers which houses. There is seating accommodation of about 600 seats.
In 1885, with the formation of the parish of St Anne's Edgeside the parish area was reduced and the districts of Brockclough, Hollin and Shawclough became part of the new parish.
By the mid 1980's the church was in dire need of repair, mainly due to the roof suffering from dry rot. To allow the church to stay in use the Rev John Wood took the decision to reduce the space used inside the building and sevices were held in the nave. In 1984 with the departure of Rev. Woods the parish was merge with St Nicholas, Newchurch. With a dwindling congregation and further deterioration to the structcher of the building it was decided to close the church, and the last service was contucted by the Rev. Charles Ellis on Sunday the 9th December 2001.
The Vicars of St Michael's
| Rev. Ralph Kinder | 1848 | -1873 | ||
| Rev. James Wilkie Baron | 1873 | -1877 | ||
| Rev. Robert Alexander McKee | 1877 | -1882 | ||
| Rev. Francis Hall Locket | 1882 | -1909 | ||
| Rev. Charles Edward Little | 1909 | -1916 | ||
| Rev. Walter Pearson | 1916 | -1926 | ||
| Rev. Theophilus Caleb | 1926 | -1933 | ||
| Rev. John Woollen | 1933 | -1933 | Interim Curate | |
| Rev. Jacob Mort | 1933 | -1948 | ||
| Rev. Oscar H Hemming | 1948 | -1953 | ||
| Rev. Henry H Tanner | 1954 | -1974 | ||
| Rev. Keith Harrison | 1974 | -1980 | ||
| Rev. John Wood | 1980 | -1984 | ||
| Rev. Alan Trevor Toombs | 1984 | -1999 | Vicar of St Nicholas, Newchurch | |
| Rev. Charles Ellis | 1999 | -2001 | Vicar of St Nicholas, Newchurch |
Parish Registers
The following registers are held at Manchester Diocese Archives, Manchester Central Library, and on microfilm at Rawtenstall Library, Local Studies Department.
Baptisms 1846-1925,
Burials 1849-1950,
Marriages 1849-1935
