After months of hunting for iron churches, online and in person, it's time to reveal just how many 'tin tabernacles' and their wooden friends remain in England.

My definition is broad, including all portable iron buildings originally used for worship (so some church or parish halls also fit the bill). Their present uses range from churches through mosques and playschools to village halls, and, sadly, disused. So - the total thus far is 190 iron churches and 16 wooden churches, the latter often referred to as tin tabs since they look very similar. The earliest surviving examples date from the 1850s, but of course most will have been updated. Shown is St Antony, not in some rural location but a short walk from a Metrolink stop in Manchester's Trafford Park.
I've been searching for portable secular buildings too (c1850-1930), and have found almost 150 extant in England, from village halls and sports pavilions to bungalows and boathouses. Of course, the search goes on....
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