William Temple Memorial Church

The William Temple Memorial Church, located in Ringway, Wythenshawe, was built between 1964 and 1965 by G.G. Pace. Constructed primarily of a mixture of blue, red, and brown brick, the church features a steel frame and incorporates reinforced concrete, including an unpainted concrete beam along the top of the walls. The sweeping pitched roof was originally copper but is now coated in a pale green finish. The rectangular plan is organised diagonally, with the main sanctuary located in one corner and a weekday chapel in the other. The weekday chapel is distinguished by a funnel-shaped exterior skin of painted blockwork and shuttered concrete.

The church exhibits low perimeter walls and a low-pitched, sweeping roof that rises to tall gables, punctuated by vertical strip windows arranged in irregular patterns. Dormers are present in the roof, and all windows initially featured small leaded panes, now protected externally by plastic sheeting. A slim tower with a monopitch roof is notable for the prominent gutter spout projecting above the weekday chapel.

Inside, the church exposes pink brick, the reinforced concrete skin, and a black steel frame perforated with hexagonal openings, which supports a timber boarded roof. The sanctuary is polygonal and features an altar raised on three steps. Original fittings include a light timber altar, cross, and a semi-circular row of matching timber seats terminating in blue brick piers. A matching priest’s chair and pair of lecterns, constructed from timber and black metal are also present, as is an altar rail made of chunky light timber supported by black metal pairs. Six tall black metal candlesticks and distinctive cylindrical lights, characteristic of Pace’s design, remain original. A font, housed within a triangular black metal frame extending to the roof, is a concrete cylinder with semi-circular concavities at the base, and has a black metal cover featuring a symbolic dove motif. The organ, painted black, is positioned against the exterior wall of the weekday chapel. Reused timber benches have been stripped. The weekday chapel replicates the features of the main church, including a timber altar, altar rail, candlesticks, and a suspended cross. This is an impressive and original church, notable for its liturgically progressive design, and it retains a full set of original fittings by Pace.