The Oldham Mural: Have Your Say!

The Holy Rosary Church in Oldham, which is currently not in use, features a distinctive mural by renowned Hungarian born artist George Mayer-Marton (1897-1960), depicting the Crucifixion through a rare combination of fresco and mosaic.

The stunning artwork, which is almost 7 m tall, and the former church in which it  resides were Grade II listed in 2022, following a six-year campaign by the late artist’s great-nephew Nick Braithwaite, SAVE Britain’s Heritage, the Hungarian Government and the Hungarian community in Greater Manchester, with broad support from the European art scene. While the listing aims to protect this outstanding example of shared British-Hungarian cultural heritage, the mural was twice vandalized in 2022. 

Now, various community organizations based in Oldham and Manchester, along with the Diocese of Salford, advocate repurposing the church into a community and cultural facility in order to secure the building’s and the artwork’s future in Oldham.  

The Hungarian community has secured funding for a feasibility study and has commissioned Beat Bazaar to undertake a community consultation and to develop options for a business model that would enable the building to be repurposed to this end, and the mural restored to its former glory.

Beat Bazaar working  in partnership with the Zsigmond Kiraly Hungarian Cultural Club, The Salvation Army, St Vincent de Paul Society, Salford Diocese, and the Consulate General of Hungary in Manchester have launched this community and cultural sector consultation on this website to gather your views, opinions and support for this important project.

Do you think Fitton Hill in Oldham needs more community and cultural provision? Whether you are a community organisation that would like to use the building or a local resident who wants to be involved in it’s development, we want to hear your views.