Roman Catholic Church Of Saint Francis Xavier

The Roman Catholic Church of Saint Francis Xavier is a church built between 1845 and 1849, designed by J. J. Scoles, with a Lady Chapel added in 1888 by E. Kirby. Constructed from stone with a slate roof, the church features a geometrical style. It has a name with aisles under separate roofs and a short chancel flanked by chapels, with the Lady Chapel located to the southeast. A tower with a spire is positioned at the southwest corner. The aisles contain 2-light windows, with the north aisle featuring eight windows to the north and one to the west. The nave has four-light windows on the west side and a wheel window above, but no clerestory. The tower includes set-back buttresses and pointed arched entrances on the south side, along with 3-light bell openings and a recessed spire behind an altered parapet, which has lucarnes and diapered bands, as well as four pinnacles at the tower's angles. The chancel, which consists of one bay, has a canted end with 2-light windows. The Lady Chapel is made up of two bays with canted corner bays, and its buttresses end in pinnacles, featuring 2-light windows and a 3-light window on the west side.

Inside, the nave has 7-bay arcades supported by slender marble columns, which are now painted. The roof is a wagon style with iron ties, and there is a chancel arch. The north aisle includes trefoil heads for confessional entries. The high altar and reredos, made of white marble by S. J. Nicholl, feature arcading and pinnacles, with altar rails made of coloured marble. A rood is located under the chancel arch, and a Caen stone pulpit is situated on the south side of the nave. The chapels contain altars and reredoses similar to the high altar. An elaborate stone font is found at the west end of the nave. The Lady Chapel has apsidal ends to both the west and east, with the eastern end forming an ambulatory that features an arcade on marble columns. The tabernacle doors are said to be crafted by Conrad Dressler. This church is significant as an important example of the alternative tradition to that of A. W. Pugin and is largely unaltered, showcasing Scoles' architectural work.