Colclough was born in Staffordshire and educated at Stanfield Technical High School, Burslem, where he was head boy in 1963. He was ordained in 1971 following training for the priesthood at Leeds University and Ripon College, Oxford. His first curacy was adjacent to his old school at St Werburgh's in Burslem, a parish in the Diocese of Lichfield. He moved to the Diocese of London in 1975, serving a second curacy at St Mary in South Ruislip before becoming Priest-in-Charge of St Anselm in Hayes. He was later appointed Area Dean of Hillingdon and Team Rector of Uxbridge. Colclough was made Archdeacon of Northolt in 1992. In 1994, Colclough became Archdeacon at London House and PA to the Bishop of London. From 1994 to 96 he was Priest-in-Charge of St Vedast Foster Lane in the City of London. In 1995, he became a Deputy Priest in Ordinary to Queen Elizabeth. He was consecrated area Bishop of Kensington on 24 September 1996 at St Paul's Cathedral. He is Vice-President of the Christian Children's Fund of Great Britain - a post he has held since 1998 - and he became Patron of the Micro Loan Foundation in 1999. He has been Chairman of the London Diocesan Communications Group, Dean of University Chaplains and Chairman of the Industrial Mission Team. As area Bishop of Kensington, he was given "special responsibility for Prison Chaplains within the Diocese" and was Chairman of the London and Southwark Dioceses Prisons and Penal Concerns Group. He chairs the Mission, Evangelism and Renewal in England Committee of the Board of Mission and is on the Council of the North Thames Ministerial Training Course. Colclough was appointed a canon residentiary of St Paul's Cathedral in 2008. After more than 11 years of service, he and his wife Cynthia moved from the Kensington area at the end of January 2009 to the cathedral. Describing his time in West London, Colclough said: “Over the past eleven years in the Kensington Area we have seen new churches planted, amazing growth in congregations and more and more women and men offering themselves for the ordained ministry of the Church. “I am now very much looking forward to taking up my new position at St Paul's and working as a member of the Cathedral's Dean and Chapter. The Cathedral holds an important place as the Mother Church of the Diocese and it is a great privilege to be joining the rich daily round of worship and prayer, ministry and mission that goes on at St Paul’s.” The Bishop of London said: “Michael's ministry in Kensington has left both the Area and the Diocese spiritually enriched and strengthened. I am delighted that he will be remaining in London as a trusted senior colleague, bringing his wide experience to the ministry of St Paul's.” The Dean of St Paul's, Graeme Knowles said: “We are delighted that Michael Colclough is joining 'the team' here at St Paul's. He brings many gifts and great experience in ministry.”. Following the sudden resignation of the Dean in 2011, Colclough served as acting Dean until 2012, during the later parts of the controversy over the camp by members of the Occupy movement on land partly owned by the Cathedral. Colclough retired on 30 September 2013.
