Roman Catholic Church Of The Good Shepherd

SK 54 SE GEDLING THACKERAY LANE, ARNOLD

1569/6/10015 No.3 R C Church of the Good Sheperd

II*

Roman Catholic church. 1962-64. Gerard Goalen. Stained glass by Patrick Reyntiens. Concrete and brick with roof not visible. The main space is an elongated hexagon in plan, with the altar placed in one of the points in the centre of the broadside, opposite the main entrance. A rectangular enclosure around the hexagon accommodates a lady chapel, baptistry, choir, vestries and entrance foyer, and provides a link with the earlier presbytery (not included in the listing). Single storey entrance front of brick with a concrete fascia, having a central segmental-headed entrance flanked to each side by a half-octagonal-headed entrance. Above this rises tall, narrow, vertical concrete panels with inset dalle-de-verre stained glass. These panels rise to meet segmental-headed arches described by the concrete fascia panels. Rising to the left out of the entrance front is a slender pointed concrete tower, which widens a little less than half way up into a square bell chamber with horizontal grilles. Internally, four slender piers rise to support a delicate groin vault of smooth concrete which descends to meet the heds of the piers in curved facets; the vault has subsidiary points containing ventilators and 4 circular lamp housings are also inset in a cluster by the north (liturgical) of these. The upper walls are filled with Reyntiens' dalle-de-verre stained glass in purples, mauves, greens and blues, and the panels become broader and richer in the three arched lights behind the altar. Low aisle around five sides of the hexagon. Altar of concrete and timber altar rails also carry the segmental arch motif. This is a fine exmple of a church designed on Liturgical Movement principles, with the altar placed to one side of a centralised plan form, in an arrangement which was advanced for its time in England. The church is also particularly notable for its spatial qualities, for its delicate vaulting descending onto slender piers and for its fine display of stained glass.

Listing NGR: SK5805844326