Church Of St Mary And Presbytery

1. 5111 EAST PARADE BD1 (east side)

Church of St Mary and Presbytery SE 1733 35/467 SE 1633 SE 37/467

II

1. Roman Catholic. 1874-76. Edward Simpson architect. A large, towerless, Gothic church of sandstone "brick" with ashlar dressings. Simplified and Early English details. Low shallow buttressed aisles, tall clerestory where the dominant feature of the design occurs in the massive solid butresses rising on a slight curve from the aisle roofs and dividing the clerestory lights in pairs. Lofty slate roof running through over apsidal chancel. Gabled Lady Chapel projects towards street line and the 3-storey gabled presbytery is built on to the east end. A tower was intended but never executed. The height of the clerestory and the chancel arch give a strong vertical emphasis to the interior, enhanced by the lightness of the scissor braced roof trusses. The nave piers have shafts of Irish marble and the whole is roughly pointed, particularly in the sanctuary with its gilded reredos. Corbelled on angel brackets at the spring of the nave arcades are statues of the saints with crocketed canopies above. Plain glass, apart from chancel. St Mary's was built as the Roman Catholic Mother Church of Bradford, principally due to the efforts of Canon John Motler, parish priest 1865-81. Much of the construction was carried out by the parishioners themselves.

Listing NGR: SE1700433366