Church of St Mary the Immaculate Conception, Failsworth

Church of St Mary the Immaculate Conception, Failsworth

Roman Catholic church built between 1963 and 1967 to designs by Tadeusz Lesisz of the Bolton architects' practice Greenhalgh & Williams. The building is constructed of light brown brick, with Westmorland green slate roofs, reinforced concrete dressings, and cast stone detailing.

The church follows a basilican plan with the sanctuary facing west. It comprises a nave with narrow side aisles, transepts containing a Lady Chapel in the north transept and a Sacred Heart Chapel in the south transept, a west narthex, a west spire, and a north-west circular baptistery.

The building is set back from Clive Road, which curves around the south side of the plot. The exterior is built of light brown brick in stretcher bond with concrete dressings and decorative friezes of cast stone.

The principal entrance is in the gabled west end, defined by a port-cochere that rises almost the full height of the nave. It features a large round-headed arch with a concrete frame enclosing a suspended aluminium statue of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception, created by E F & L J Blackwell, architectural sculptors and designers of Ardwick, Manchester. The double-pitched roof is surmounted by a cylindrical concrete spire with projecting fins that narrow to a point like a furled umbrella. It is topped by a gilded orb and crown with a circle-headed cross by Faulkner & Sons of Manchester. The recessed main entrance has a cast stone relief lintel reading 'HIC EST DOMUS DEI' (This is the House of God), interspersed with the symbols of the Four Evangelists. The timber double doors are panelled and studded, flanked by timber-framed windows. The recessed aisle returns both have panelled and studded double doors with cast stone tympanums depicting the Papal Arms.

The north elevation features a sanctuary window at its left-hand end comprising four full-height round-headed lancets set in a concrete frame with relief quatrefoils over the window heads. The windows have metal frames with leaded small-pane glazing of subtly-coloured glass interspaced by horizontal bands of coloured glass fragments. The nave clerestorey has circular windows with concrete frames. Beneath is a flat-roofed aisle with a cast stone relief frieze depicting the Mysteries of the Rosary. The five central bays contain tall round-headed lancet windows with metal frames and leaded small-pane glazing of subtly-coloured glass. At the left-hand end is the slightly lower flat-roofed Lady Chapel, which has a cast stone relief frieze of vine scrolls. The outer north elevation is blind, with a row of seven tall round-headed lancets to each side elevation. At the right-hand end is a circular baptistery with a short link to the narthex at the west end of the aisle. It is constructed of reinforced concrete with an arcade of full-height round-headed windows and a low conical copper roof surmounted by a gilded crown.

The south elevation has a similar sanctuary window at its right-hand end, circular clerestorey windows, and a flat-roofed aisle with a cast stone relief frieze of the Mysteries of the Rosary. The five central bays contain similar tall round-headed lancet windows. At the left-hand end is a lower row of five lancets lighting the narthex. At the right-hand end is the slightly lower flat-roofed Sacred Heart Chapel, which has a plain cast stone frieze. The outer south elevation has a two-light window in a concrete frame to the left of a row of six full-height round-headed lancets. The west side elevation has a three-light window with a concrete frame. To the right is a single-storey flat-roofed corridor linking the church to the presbytery.

The gabled east end is blind.

The interior is plastered and floored with rectangular beige tiles. The decorative stained glass throughout is by Charles Lightfoot, much of it to designs by Tadeusz Lesisz, some incorporating glass from the previous church. Original light fittings remain, consisting of circular brass chandeliers with suspended circular shades of opaque glass, and brass wall fittings with similar circular shades.

The nave has a coffered ceiling with decorative plasterwork panels by the Art Plaster Co Ltd of Salford. There is a plain round-headed sanctuary arch. In front of the sanctuary arch are marble communion rails encompassing a raised marble pulpit with a metal coronet tester. The stepped sanctuary has marble flooring and a forward-standing marble high altar. A full-height mosaic on the east wall depicts Our Lady Mediatrix of Graces, surmounted by two angels supporting a crown as at the Assumption, created by Alberti, Lupton & Co of Moston, who also supplied the marble work in the church. The mosaic is flanked by vertically-grooved cast stone. The sanctuary has a curved suspended baldacchino decorated with an image of the Holy Spirit. The nave arcades have plain round-headed arches. At the east end of the north aisle is a round-headed marble-lined niche containing a statue of St Joseph. At the head of the aisle are two panelled confessional doors, now used as stores. At the east end of the south aisle is a mosaic-lined round-headed niche containing a statue of St Anthony, flanked by two panelled confessional doors. At the west end of the nave is a choir gallery and organ loft lit by a stained glass roundel. The organ was built by Jardine and Co Ltd of Old Trafford. Beneath the gallery is a narthex separated from the nave by a timber and glazed screen, with panelled timber doors aligned with the external entrance doors. The five-light south window depicts the Assumption. On the west side of the narthex is a decorative iron gate to the gallery steps. On the north side of the narthex is the entrance to the baptistery with decorative ironwork gates. The baptistery has a marble floor and a scalloped plaster ceiling. The stained glass windows show the Baptism of Christ. There is a circular red marble font with an openwork aluminium font cover probably designed by Lesisz.

The north Lady Chapel has ribbed ceiling panels with bosses. It contains a statue of Our Lady of the Globe over the marble altar. The two seven-light side windows contain decorative stained glass. The south Sacred Heart Chapel is separated by an arcade of three round-headed arches carried on two slender marble columns and corbels. Against the east wall is a Gothic marble reredos with carved figures and an altar incorporating a bas-relief altar from the previous church. The five-light side window contains decorative stained glass.

The three main vehicular entrances from Clive Road are bounded by circular concrete piers with narrow inscribed bands, topped by metalwork finials in the form of a tall abstract crown. Each entrance has double metalwork gates incorporating Latin crosses. An early historic photograph suggests these gates may be later in date than the piers.