St Michael's Church, Mytholmroyd

 Mytholmroyd Parish Church, better known as St Michael's Church was consecrated on the 8th September 1848. Built as part of the Million Pound Church act, a scheme officially known as the 1820 Church Building Act, that was intended to start a program of building churches in growing areas. The act was created after research had shown that few new churches had been built since the era of Queen Anne who had died in 1714. The act saw the government contribute over £1.1 million and public subscription raise an additional £1.9 million. Churches built to minimum budgets and became known as Commissioners Churches, Million Pound Churches or Waterloo Churches, a large amount of the money raised being taken from the war indemnity after the Napoleonic Wars.

St Michael's was extended in 1888, with a 2 storey Sunday School following soon after, this was reduced to 1 storeyand converted to the church hall in the 1970's. The church was badly flooded in the 2015 Boxing Day Floods, levels reaching a height of over 4 feet and forcing a closure that lasted for almost 2 years. This was the first significant flooding at St Michaels since the 1940's and has led to more flood prevention work taking place along the banks of the River Calder.

I took theses pictures with a Samsung Galaxy Tablet on the 26th October 2013, I have replaced the sky as the original picture showed a washed out lifeless one.

The River Calder flowing past St Michael's, a little over 2 years later the river burst its banks and rose to approx 4ft above the floor of the church. The buildings to the left were so severely damaged they were demolished shortly after and now it is an open space between Burnley Road and the River.

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All the pictures remain the copyright of Colin Green.