Presbytery to the Roman Catholic Church of St Francis Xavier

Presbytery to the Roman Catholic Church of St Francis Xavier

This presbytery was constructed around 1839 to the designs of Charles Day and extended and altered in the late 20th century. It is built of brick in Flemish bond with stone dressings under a slate roof.

The building is roughly L-shaped in plan, with a single-storey lean-to extension to the north and the principal elevation facing west. The presbytery is linked directly to the Grade II* church of St Francis Xavier to the south via a single-storey sacristy.

The principal (west) elevation is classically arranged over three bays and two storeys with a rendered moulded parapet above. Two tall brick chimneys, one at the north end and one to the south, punctuate the roofline. The central bay projects slightly forward and contains the principal entrance, accessed via three stone steps. The entrance door has a moulded pediment above, supported by console brackets, with four panels and a plain over light with glazing bars. Above on the first floor is a six-over-six sash window. The flanking bays contain large window openings on both floors beneath rubbed brick flat arches. These openings contain tripartite windows with central six-over-six sashes and two-over-two marginal sashes to either side. To the north is a single-storey 20th-century extension which is partially glazed. To the south stands the single-storey sacristy building linking the presbytery to the church.

The north elevation is dominated by the 20th-century lean-to extension. The original 1839 building contains two six-over-six sashes at first floor and a larger tripartite sash at ground level to the east of the extension.

The rear (east) elevation of the 1839 building is blank, without openings. Two iron building ties with pattress plates are visible at first floor level. The north-south range of the L-shaped building contains two further six-over-six sashes under flat brick arches, with the single-storey sacristy projecting to the east at the southern end.

Internally, the principal entrance leads to a small vestibule with partially glazed timber doors opening to the entrance hall, which contains the original open-tread stair. The stair features a slender timber rail with scrolling volute end and stick balusters. To the north is one of the principal reception rooms with a marble fireplace on the north wall and shallow arched wall niches to either side. The room immediately south of the entrance is smaller and has had its fireplace removed. To the rear of the stair, at the back of the building, is a further reception room with a decorative coved plaster ceiling. The ceiling curves to a central rectangular design with acanthus plaster motifs at the corners. The room has original deep moulded skirting boards and slim stepped-arch niches within the east wall. This room connects to kitchen facilities within the 20th-century extension to the north. To the south is a small office room with adjacent cloakroom facilities.

The stair rises to the first floor via a half-landing. At the south-west end of the first floor are a bedroom and bathroom, with a small office room at the centre above the principal entrance. To the north are two further rooms that have been knocked together to form a large living space with modern fireplaces on the north wall. To the east is a further bedroom containing an original fireplace with simple surround and decorative cast iron grate, along with a 19th-century fitted cupboard.

Decorative cast-iron radiators are installed throughout the building, and some of the original four-panelled doors remain in situ.