Roman Catholic Church of St Dunstan

Roman Catholic Church of St Dunstan

This church is constructed with lower walling of brown brick laid in Flemish bond to the interior and stretcher bond on the exterior. The roof is supported by wood with steel trusses and timber purlins, covered in aluminium sheeting.

The building's plan forms a large segment of a circle, with the main body occupying two-thirds of a circle and a smaller, lower vestry area attached to the south-west flank. From this, a straight two-storey presbytery wing projects to the west. A porch connects the church to the hall of 1953. Inside, an entrance ramp leads to a processional aisle curving around the outer edge of the main body. The sanctuary is a semi-circular dais approached by three steps and set against the west wall, with confessionals to its left and a side chapel to the right. A balcony with organ curves around the east wall.

Externally, the walling is flush pointed with mortar matching the brick colour, divided horizontally by emphatic raked joints between every two courses. The building is designed to be viewed from the west along Kingsfield Road. This western front features a tall, slender central tower serving as both the principal structural support for the roof and the chief visual element. The tower has a central vertical channel and a relief cross at its top. To the right are three vertical strip windows representing the Trinity, set in plain walling. To the left is a low porch with double doors. Above the porch, the roof rises by a series of steps curving around the tower like a spiral staircase with glazed risers, the tower acting as the central newel. The lower presbytery has an unlit segmental wall. A porch to its left connects to the presbytery wing, which has a jettied first floor to its original eastern portion. The first floor of this wing, its pantile roof, and the western portion including the projecting garage were all rebuilt or added. To the eastern side, a glazed porch connects the church to the community centre and provides entry to a staircase hall leading up to the church balcony.

Inside, the Flemish bond brick walling has deeply raked joints. The ceiling has timber boarding to the outer body and a semi-circular roof light to the centre. Curved fixed seating in the body and balcony is of pine, radiating from the sanctuary, with hinged kneelers. Panelling to internal doors, balcony front and other elements is chevron-patterned. Above the sanctuary, attached to the central tower's walling, is a large statue of the Risen Christ by John Poole, casting off his winding sheet and pointing to the font with one arm while enfolding the congregation with the other. The Stations of the Cross are represented in stained glass by John Hardman Studios, executed in chipped and faceted slab glass set in epoxy resin. The fourteen stations were set into six windows already incorporated into the church, resulting in two panels with three stations each and four with two. Also by Hardman's are the three lancet windows in angled reveals representing the Trinity: blue for the Father, red for the Saviour, and yellow for the Holy Spirit. The font, altar and ambo were all carved from Greek Pentalicon marble by Bannocks of Birmingham. The original font cover has been replaced. The glass screen to the Sacrament Chapel was etched in 1995 by Josephine Majella with scenes from the life of St Dunstan. The vestry contains a series of original cabinets and cupboards fitted to the curved form of the room.