A WATERLOO church is holding an open weekend to mark the 200th anniversary of the battle.

St John's Church in Farnworth was selected as a Waterloo Church following the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

It is one of a trinity of churches, including Holy Trinity, Bolton, and All Saint’s Stand at Whitefield, that were built out of funds given by the Waterloo Charity Commissioners, out of a grant of a million pounds made by the Government.

All three churches were consecrated within three days of each other, with St John’s being on September 9 1826.

In celebration the church is holding an open weekend October 10 and 11 to coincide with their Harvest Festival.

The church will be open to visitors from from 10am to 4pm on Saturday and noon to 4pm on Sunday.

A spokesman for the church said: "To celebrate the Waterloo event parishioners are gathering this weekend to hold an open weekend and invite the public to share with them their displays and activities."

In recognition of the Waterloo Remembrance, Susan Stevens, a Brownie Guider and former bell ringer, presented nine music stands to Shaun Croston, deputy church warden and hand bell ringer.

Mrs Stevens inherited her love of bells from her grandfather, John Lever, who along with his five brothers rang the church bells at the turn of the century.

BOLTON'S WATERLOO CHURCHES

In 1826 St John’s Farnworth, which was built from monies given by the Waterloo Charity Commissioners in recognition of the Battle of Waterloo, was consecrated.

The money came from the same fund as that built Holy Trinity, Bolton, and All Saints Stand in Whitefield.

It is said that the building of St John’s Church and the Stand Church were in contemplation at the same time by the Church Building Commissioners.

It was originally intended that the church erected at Stand should be built at Farnworth, and that the smaller of the two should be erected at Stand.

Both plans came into the hands of Canon Slade, the then vicar of Bolton, who said the church meant for Farnworth would be too large for the town’s requirements./

And so the Whitefield people got the church originally meant for Farnworth.