Former Chapel at Hopwood Hall College

Former Chapel at Hopwood Hall College

A Roman Catholic chapel, now deconsecrated, built between 1964 and 1965 to designs by Frederick Gibberd and executed by Reynolds and Scott.

The building is constructed with an in-situ reinforced concrete frame, pinkish concrete block walls, and a roof covered in copper-faced felt manufactured by Ruberoid Ltd.

The chapel is planned as a regular octagon measuring 100 feet (30.5 metres) in diameter. A central sanctuary is lit by a tapering lantern tower. A low, projecting polygonal entrance lobby projects from one angle, with two side doors accessed by a pair of angled staircases. A secondary doorway on the opposite side of the building is reached by a double-sided staircase.

The chapel stands on raised ground overlooking college buildings to the south, with Hopwood Hall situated to the north. An exposed concrete floorplate with flush concrete block walls overhangs inset concrete corner posts. A narrow horizontal band of metal-framed clerestory windows separates the walls from a deep ring beam at eaves level. The ring beam is of board-marked, unpainted reinforced concrete and incorporates counterweights for the roof at the corners. The polygonal entrance lobby also has a concrete floorplate and concrete block walls with a lean-to roof oversailing the clerestory glazing and ring beam. The angled sides of the entrance lobby feature wide openings with timber and glazed screens incorporating central doors, now boarded over, reached by angled staircases originally cantilevered but now modified or rebuilt with modern tubular handrails. The opposing wall angle has a secondary entrance via a double doorway to the right-hand side with timber doors featuring alternating vertical planks and strip glazing, accessed by a cantilevered staircase with steps to both sides and a metal handrail to one side. The low-pitched angled roof is covered in copper-faced felt with standing seams, extending down the lean-to entrance roof. The lantern tower has exposed concrete ribs and copper-covered ring beams with coloured glass set in a metal framework.

The interior sanctuary features two shallow octagonal steps with a central octagonal platform, formerly supporting a rectangular York stone altar, all laid with a geometric pattern of buff pavours and pavour-faced risers designed by David Atkins. The central lantern tower above displays an abstract pattern of rectangles predominantly of yellow and acid-etched white glass with clusters of red, white and green glass, also designed by David Atkins. The sanctuary is surrounded by a wide band of red bricks set into the concrete floor with radiating bands defining aisles between former seating segments, a brick encompassing band beneath the outer walls, and brick flooring to the entrances. The exposed concrete corner posts rise to the eaves ring beam and angle outward to extend into the conical roof as projecting ribs rising to the ring beam of the lantern tower. Between the ribs is a pattern of double "Y" shaped expressed concrete framing with white triangular and polygonal infill panels, forming a bold geometric composition.

The segment facing the entrance contains a polygonal sacristy with concrete block walls, a projecting polygonal organ gallery and organ with silver pipes. The left-hand side wall has two wide doorways with timber double doors; the left-hand doorway opens off a small polygonal lobby to the secondary entrance and the right-hand doorway opens into the sacristy. The right-hand side wall has two single doorways with timber doors leading into the sacristy, which is fitted with vestment wardrobes, drawers and storage, and contains electrical plant, with timber doors and panelling.

To the right of the sacristy, the polygonal Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament is partially enclosed by low-level concrete block walls with stone coping on three sides. The main wall steps down to the centre with decorative ironwork railings flanking a central timber altar canopy, or baldacchino, which extends over both sides of the wall. Within the chapel the canopy is positioned above an abutting stone altar supported on a concrete block stand standing on a brick platform. On the outside the canopy is above a concrete step and a T-shaped stone block with an incised Latin cross set in the wall.

The main entrance lobby features a wide inner doorway into the church with timber double doors at the centre flanked by single outer doors, all with alternating vertical timber planks and strip glazing.