Church Of St Mary, Lowe House

SJ 49 NE ST. HELENS NORTH ROAD (west side)

4/86 Church of Saint Mary, 11.9.51 Lowe House

• II

Catholic church. 1924-30. C.B. Powell. Rock-faced stone with ashlar dressings, slate roof. Nave with aisles; west tower with flanking porches; crossing dome with round transept and chancel apses; south war memorial chapel and north rounded chapel apse. The style is a combination of Gothic and Byzantine elements. Tower has setback buttresses, gabled west entrance has round arch of 3 orders with mosaic tympanum; doors have decorative iron strapwork. Window of stepped triple round-headed lancets under relieving arch. 3 lancet bell openings between buttresses which rise above parapet; corner turrets are embattled. Aisles have paired lancets and flying buttresses supporting clerestory with embattled pinnacles. Apses have paired lancets and copper roofs. Copper dome on embattled octagonal drum has lancets under Lombard frieze. South chapel has gabled porch and round apse. Vestry to south. Interior: 4-bay nave has round-arched arcades on polished granite round columns with Byzantine capitals, brick vault with stone ribs on corbelled wall shafts. Round timber gallery in front of round tower arch. Crossing has round drum on pendentives with paired openings under diapered tympana. Chancel has iron screen and openings to ambulatory. Transepts have small east chapels. C20 crossing altar on dais and font. The church is an important local landmark and is a richly decorated exercise in the Byzantine style combined with Gothic exterior details.

Listing NGR: SJ5093595844

This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Register. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 30 October 2017.