St Michael's Church, Ditton

St Michael's Church is in St Michael's Road, Ditton, Widnes, Halton, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. It is an active Roman Catholic church.HistoryThe church was founded when German Jesuits expelled from their own country (1872) settled in Ditton. They were victims of Bismarks Kulturekampf which tried to reduce the influence of Catholicism in Germany. The Jesuit students of Theology formed a community at Ditton Hall and between 1876 and 1879 built the church. It was designed by Henry Clutton. The cost of the church, £16,000, was met by Lady Mary Stapleton-Bretherton of Ditton Hall. In 1979 the interior of the church was reordered by Bartlett and Purnell.