Church at Middlewood Hospital

The Church at Middlewood Hospital, built between 1873 and 1875, was likely designed by Bernard Hartley, the City Surveyor responsible for the hospital’s initial construction between 1869 and 1871. The building is constructed of coursed squared rubble with ashlar dressings, slate roofs, tile ridges, coped gables, cross finials, and features a plinth, sill band, and string courses.

This church is an example of transitional style architecture. It features pointed arched windows with hood moulds, mainly single lights. The design includes a chancel with an apse and three windows, two windows to the south, a single-bay vestry enlarged in the mid-20th century in a return angle, a round window to the east, a nave with aisles and a clerestory, transepts, porches, and a north-west tower. The clerestory has ten windows on each side, connected by linked hood moulds. The west end has two taller two-light windows and a round window above.

The aisles have three three-light windows separated by small buttresses. The north aisle's west end has a four-light flat-headed window with a round light above, while the south aisle has a smaller version with three pointed arches. A pointed arched door is located on the south side. The transepts include two gable windows with a round window above, and the south transept has two windows to the east. The gabled porches have moulded pointed arched doorways and single lancets on each side.

The square tower has a gabled roof with cross finials. The lower stage has a doorway to the north and slit lights above. The recessed bell stage features corner shafts, a low parapet, and double chamfered bell openings on each side linked by hood moulds.

The interior is rendered. The chancel contains a moulded arch with double shaft imposts, a continuous sill band, and an arch-braced king post roof. There is an organ in a pointed recess to the north of the chancel, with five stained glass War Memorial windows to the east and south. A flat-headed door leads south, and a panelled ashlar altar is accompanied by a wrought iron rail. Transept arches have double shaft responds, and the roofs are similar to the nave. The north transept has a pointed arched opening to the east with organ pipes and a doorway to the left. The nave has pointed arched arcades with five bays, wider arches towards the transepts, and hood moulds on all arches. Alternating round and quatrefoil piers support the arcades, all with stiff-leaf capitals. The clerestory windows are positioned on a sill band, and the roof is arch-braced with turned king posts. The west end has plain windows. The aisles have lean-to roofs on brackets, single doorways to the west, and chamfered pointed arches to the east.

Original benches and nine wrought iron standard lamps are among the fittings, alongside later 20th-century additions. A large Decorated style memorial board commemorates servicemen who died in the hospital between 1915 and 1920, situated at the west end of the nave, and includes plaques in wooden surrounds. Several brass memorials are dedicated to members of staff.