Church Of The Holy Redeemer

Church of the Holy Redeemer

Church, built 1959–65, designed by G.G. Pace. The building incorporates large parts of the demolished medieval church of St Mary, Bishophill Senior, reusing stone from that earlier church. The fabric comprises reused stone, pink brick, and graduated grey slate roofs with low pitch to eaves. Internally, the materials are stone, concrete, render, and painted brick.

The plan consists of a rectangular aisled space with the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of the nave in the main body of the building. A chapel projects to the liturgical south west, with a west tower. A link block connects to a 1930s church hall at the liturgical west end.

The exterior presents the entrance to the north of the tower. The south wall of the main body incorporates original stones from St Mary's, composed in a new way. This wall displays six lancets with medieval cusped heads and chunky stone transoms to the left, a pointed lancet, two rectangular windows, and a round-headed blocked doorway in the middle section, followed by three layers of small rectangular windows to the right, another pointed lancet, and a buttress at the termination. The chapel and tower in brick project to the left, also featuring similar layers of small rectangular windows. The tower has a saddle-back roof and a clock on the west gable, with fingers and dial set directly on brickwork, and a louvred gable. The east and west walls of the church are of pink brick; the west wall contains a 19th-century four-light geometrical Gothic window of stone. Windows throughout have rectangular leaded lights. A square-headed recessed entrance with double doors is provided.

The interior features a south arcade of seven bays reusing medieval stones from St Mary Bishophill Senior, with some round-headed and some pointed arches, round piers and octagonal piers, and a number of early medieval carved stones inset. The north aisle of four bays has modern square piers of painted brick, rising the full height of the church and tied back into the aisle wall by horizontal members of exposed board-marked concrete. The ceiling comprises large square coffers with rendered panels rising to the centre of each coffer and incised channels between. The altar is positioned in a forward position as originally placed. The east wall is blind behind it, but above and to either side are rows of square-headed windows and horizontal binding beams of exposed reinforced concrete. Five stained glass windows depict five parables of Jesus. On the liturgical east wall is a decorative black painted metal cross in characteristic Pace manner, with inset Saxon carved stone. The altar is of oak by Thompson of Kilburn. A stone pulpit to the south-east is also inset with Saxon stone. A stone reading desk is positioned to the north-east. A broad timber altar rail on black metal supports is present. A cylindrical font of tooled stone stands in its original position at the north-west corner of the sanctuary, raised on a projection from the sanctuary step, with a timber cover featuring black metal trim and dove motif. Light timber pews are in characteristic Pace manner. The south-west chapel contains a stone altar, a Pace cross, and a pair of candlesticks, with original metal and timber altar rail. The chapel has a white painted timber open truss roof.

This represents a fine example of Pace's work, demonstrating the influence of the Liturgical Movement while successfully integrating reused medieval fabric, including Saxon carvings and 12th-century work, into a completely modern setting.