Sacred Heart Catholic Church

SACRED HEART CATHOLIC CHURCH

Roman Catholic church built in 1899, designed by Pugin & Pugin. The building is constructed of rock-faced coursed dressed sandstone with red sandstone ashlar dressings, beneath slate roofs.

The church follows a distinctive plan with the chancel positioned at the west end beneath a single roof, flanked by two side chapels each under its own separate roof. A square tower stands at the east end, and the nave extends beneath a single roof.

The exterior displays characteristic Gothic Revival detailing. The rectangular chancel has a pitched roof with angle buttresses, dripmoulding, and a rose window with curvilinear tracery at the west end. Stone-mullioned pointed-arched windows with curvilinear tracery pierce the north and south walls. The side chapels have lean-to roofs, dripmoulding, and single buttresses. The northern chapel contains stone-mullioned pointed-arched windows with quatrefoil tracery in its west and north walls; the southern chapel has a similar window in its west wall only.

The nave's north wall features buttresses, dripmoulding, and stone-mullioned pointed-arched windows with curvilinear tracery. East of the tower, the nave wall has an angle buttress, two small round-headed windows, and a larger stone-mullioned pointed-arched window with dripmould and curvilinear tracery above. The tower is built into the east wall at two corners with buttresses, and has angle buttresses at the other two corners. The north and south faces are identical, each displaying a pointed-arched doorway beneath dripmoulding with two-leaf doors pivoting on internal hinges. Above is a narrow round-arched window beneath a dripmould and a stringcourse marking the belfry base. The east face contains a central recess with decorated dripmould, beneath which stands a white stone statue of Christ on a hexagonal plinth, flanked by two narrow rectangular windows. Above these is a stone-mullioned pointed-arched window with geometrical tracery. The belfry has two pointed-arched belfry windows in each face beneath continuous hoodmoulds, with a corbel table supporting a stringcourse beneath a crenellated top. The nave's south wall mirrors the north, though a single-storey sacristy and modern extension are attached.

The interior preserves substantial original features. The chancel at the west end is separated from the nave by a tall pointed-arched opening. The rose window contains stained glass, with clear leaded glass in the side windows. A plain semi-octagonal timber roof spans the chancel, beneath which stands a reredos with a circular millstone altar table and marble pulpit. The side chapels open into the nave through narrow pointed-arched openings, each with stained glass windows at the west end behind reredos. The north chapel also contains a stained glass side window and marble font. A marble communion rail with gates runs across the full width of the nave, providing access to the chancel and side chapels. A matching marble pulpit stands in the nave. The nave contains two stained glass windows in the north wall and one in the south wall; the south wall also has doors to the sacristy. At the east end stands a fine balustraded timber balcony on arched supports spanning the full width of the nave, with the organ centrally placed against the east wall. Open back benches provide seating throughout. The nave roof comprises arched-braced collar beamed trusses supporting strutted king posts. The chancel has a barrel-vaulted roof.

The church is a fine and relatively unaltered example of late 19th-century Roman Catholic architecture by Pugin & Pugin, displaying distinctive and well-executed Gothic Revival features.