Presbytery of Roman Catholic Church of St Werburgh

Presbytery of Roman Catholic Church of St Werburgh

This is a three-storey building with basement, built as part of the Roman Catholic Church of St Werburgh. A single-storey link range connects the presbytery to the church. The ground floor contains reception rooms, kitchen and house-keeper's sitting room. The first and second floors provide sitting rooms with small bedrooms attached, arranged to accommodate priests.

The picturesque south-facing gable wall is constructed of red brick in Flemish bond with bands of blue brick diaperwork. A corbelled brick eaves band runs at first-floor level. On the ground floor, the left-hand side features a four-light stone mullioned window. The first floor has two segmental-arched windows, each containing three one-over-one pane sashes in timber frames. The second floor is set entirely within the steeply-pitched roof. The gable apex projects slightly on timber brackets and is hung with red tiles, while the remainder of the gable is rendered and painted white. A central canted timber oriel window with sash lights pierces the gable. Set to either side of the roof ridge are two rows of very tall decorative brick chimneys: five stacks on the west side and four on the east side.

The three-bay east elevation faces a garden area on the south side of the church and is connected to the church by a two-bay single-storey range. The presbytery is of two storeys with a wide central dormer featuring a hipped roof within the main roof plane. The ground and first floors display a picturesque variety of window types, all retaining original frames. Segmental arched-head basement windows also retain original frames. The dormer has blue-brick diaperwork beneath a horizontal timber window of four one-over-one pane sashes. At the right-hand end, an entrance porch features brick lower walls, timber and glazed upper level, and a steeply-pitched slate roof supported on timber brackets. The wide pointed-arch timber door has decorative strap hinges. The link range is built in the same brick manner with slate roof, and contains a two-light and three-light stone mullion window. The three-bay west elevation is similarly detailed with a narrower central dormer. Single-storey outbuildings are attached at the south-west corner. The north gable wall, facing the south elevation of the church, has a first-floor oriel window and a wide gable stack.

Inside, a centrally placed open-well staircase with moulded timber balustrade and newel posts is lit by a large rectangular roof light. Many rooms have moulded cornices. The first and second floors provide individual sitting rooms with small bedrooms for priests. The second floor contains a large room with fireplace flanked by a narrow arched cupboard door and an echoing arched doorway leading to a small bedroom. A small doorway provides access to eaves storage. Original fixtures and fittings are extensively retained. All floors retain vertically panelled doors with timber architraves featuring extended jambs with polygonal heads. The majority of fireplaces retain moulded timber mantelpieces, though hearth insets have largely been replaced. The windows retain their original wooden shutters.