Former Church Of Saint Catherine

Former Church of Saint Catherine

This chapel of ease, now a builder's store, dates to 1836. It is constructed in red brick with the front faced in brown and grey sandstone ashlar, and has a graded slate roof. The building is arranged as a five-bay nave with a short chancel, transepts at the west end, and an integral liturgical west tower, all executed in neo-classical style.

The west front features a plinth and Tuscan pilasters supporting a full entablature. The five bays are treated as a central three-bay temple front with pediment, flanked by slightly recessed single-bay wings whose sides are treated as end temple fronts. A central projecting portico in antis contains two unfluted Ionic columns and Tuscan antae. Above this is a broken attic. Tall small-paned cast-iron windows with lugged moulded architraves light the building. A central pair of eight-panelled doors—with lower panels beaded flush and upper panels containing vents—is set within a stone doorcase of tall unfluted Tuscan pilasters supporting an entablature, cornice, and blocking course. This blocking course is raised and projects to the centre with a canted top. Above the doors is a half-H panel datestone inscribed "MDCCCXXXVI".

The central two-stage tower rises from the pediment. Its square lower stage has a moulded cornice and blocking course. The octagonal lantern above, with alternating long and short sides, features Tuscan antae supporting a full entablature and a low pyramidal cap. The lower stage carries a circular clock to the front, louvred occuli to the sides, and a carved coat of arms (Bridgewater Arms) at the base to the front.

The nave has a plinth, a brick band beneath the eaves, and a stone coped parapeted gable end with an acroterion at the apex. Small-paned cast-iron windows with stone cills and gauged-brick heads punctuate the walls. The chancel features a raised eaves band and hipped roof, with a Venetian east window devoid of ornament.

The interior has been partly stripped and gutted since redundancy. A vestibule beneath the tower opens via round arches to the west transepts and into the nave. A gallery staircase in the north transept has single-fluted stick balusters and a curved handrail. A pair of large doors into the nave, each with eight flush panels, leads from this vestibule. The nave has a moulded cornice and a panelled plaster ceiling with egg and dart enrichment to cased beams and plaster roses to central panels. Console brackets with acanthus ornament (removed from the north wall at the time of survey) once adorned the space. A gallery at the west end flanks the organ.

The small chancel is flanked by Tuscan antae with anthemion and palmette ornament to the capitals, supporting a full entablature with wreaths and egg and dart enrichment to the frieze. The interior of the chancel has dado panelling and a moulded cornice. The Venetian east window features antae, an entablature, and a moulded architrave to the centre light. Two steps lead up to the chancel, where wrought-iron altar rails with a wooden rail remain. An early 19th-century wooden reredos with four panels occupies the east wall; the central two panels bear painted inscriptions reading "I AM / THE BREAD / OF LIFE" and "I AM / THE TRUE / VINE", while the outer left and right panels carry the Lord's Prayer and Creed respectively. An early 19th-century square wooden pulpit with raised and fielded panels to the sides, Greek Doric corner columns, a square tester with moulded cornice, and a flight of wooden steps with closed string, stick balusters, and columnular newels also remains. At the time of survey in November 1986, the furnishings were in separate parts. An organ of approximately 1836 sits in the west gallery. An early 19th-century Ionic lectern formerly in this church is now in the Church of Saint Alkmund, Church Street. The tower clock, which was not working at the time of survey, is said to be the oldest surviving Joyce clock in England—notable given that Joyce was the famous Whitchurch clockmaking firm.

At the time of survey, much of the walls had been stripped of plaster, revealing early 19th-century building techniques including round arches with flush stone keystones and wooden slips inserted around doors and windows as the basis for fixed architraves and ornament.

The widow of the seventh Earl of Bridgewater was patroness of the church. The building is oriented so that the liturgical east end faces west. This description uses liturgical compass directions throughout.