Church Of St Joseph

The Church of St Joseph is a Roman Catholic church built in 1900 by Pugin and Pugin. It is constructed of coursed, rock-faced sandstone with slate roofs and represents the Perpendicular Revival style.

The church’s plan includes a nave with a clerestory, north and south aisles, a north-west tower, a south-west baptistry, a chancel, north and south chapels, and a south vestry linked to the presbytery. The tower’s west side features a two-light window with reticulated tracery in a pointed head. A Tudor-arched doorway sits on the north side. The bell openings are Tudor-arched, of three lights with Perpendicular tracery, beneath a parapet with traceried openings and corner gargoyles. The west nave window is of five lights, with the outer order of the jambs extending to ground level to enclose a recessed panel containing a central doorway with a pointed arch flanked by one-light windows. The nave clerestory and north aisle each have five bays with three-light windows featuring segmental heads; the central lights are trefoiled and the outer ones pointed. The north chapel has a pitched roof and a three-light east window. The chancel has three-light windows to the north and south, and a five-light east window. The south chapel has a circular, traceried east window. The octagonal baptistry links to the south aisle, which has four bays.

Inside, a west gallery has a traceried timber front and houses an organ. The five-bay nave arcades have moulded pointed arches springing from octagonal columns with moulded caps. A tall, moulded, pointed chancel arch is also present. The nave roof features arch-braced collar trusses with wall posts carried on corbels and tracery infill above the collar. The chancel, chapels, and baptistry have timber ribbed roofs with painted panels. The chapels and chancel contain carved reredoses, the latter featuring an elaborate design with green marble shafts and canopied niches. East windows in the north and south chapels and chancel are by Hardman of Birmingham. The communion rails, north and south chancel screens, and pulpit are of oak with carved tracery decoration, and were made by Gillow of Lancaster. The baptistry contains a plain octagonal font. This church is noted as one of the earlier Pugin designs to demonstrate Perpendicular Revival detailing, with the west nave window being particularly large.