Church of St Chad and Bell Tower, Wood End

Church of St Chad and Bell Tower, Wood End

A church and bell tower designed by Basil Spence and built by Wimpey between 1954 and 1957.

The church has a concrete portal frame with panels of no-fines concrete and spar dash render to the exterior, finished with a shallow-pitched aluminium roof. The bell tower is of reinforced concrete and cedarwood.

The building is oriented north-south, with the ritual eastern end at the north. The church has an open, basilican plan measuring 90 by 30 feet, with steps rising to the sanctuary. At its south-western corner, the church shares a linking lobby building with a community hall extending to the south. The bell tower is positioned to the east of the church. A covered, processional way with piloti supporting a concrete roof leads from the south-eastern door to the base of the tower.

The church's northern and southern gable end walls are fully glazed, though the original infill of ribbed glass has been replaced by sheets of opaque glass fibre. Eight bays line the flanks, each with two tiers of clear-glazed windows set to the centre of the bays. The division between individual bays is marked by a shallow, canted vertical joint. A fascia board surrounds the building above the eaves. The flank windows have projecting concrete surrounds set in the lower wall and at the top as clerestory windows. These windows were held in place while the no-fines concrete was poured around them. At both north and south ends, a prominent cross of steel beams is superimposed to the centre of the window. The south end has a double doorway with canopy to the east.

Internally, the window surrounds to the flanks project as outside. The ceiling consists of thin timber joists laid between the concrete portal frames, with filler boards of light blue and occasional green or bright red panels creating an abstract pattern.

Original fixtures designed by the architect include choir stalls with ribbed fronts and storage for music, and a pulpit and lectern. The altar and altar rails with attached kneelers have inlayed strips of lighter wood to their uprights. A piscina with copper bowl is set in the east walling. Benches throughout the body of the church are of laminated Makore wood. At the ritual west end stands a circular font of Hollington stone in front of the centre of the window, inscribed by Ralph Beyer with "RECEIVE YE THE HOLY SPIRIT +". The inset copper bowl has a wooden cover with a finial representing the Holy Ghost, designed in metal by Spence. The foundation stone is set in the flooring at the centre of the nave, now covered by carpeting. Two consecration stones are set in the walling: one at the south end made of stone used for the new cathedral, and one in the sanctuary made of stone from the old cathedral, both bearing an inscribed pattern of the cross. Heating dials for thermostats are set into the column uprights of the portal frame. Skittle-shaped light fittings are original. A hanging cross, made to the design of Eric Gill for Bishop Gorton by pupils at Blundell's School where he had been headmaster, was given to the parishioners of St Chad's.

The bell tower has four stages of ascending height, with corner posts and lintels of reinforced concrete. The two upper stages are bare, but the lowest stage forms part of the covered, processional way to the east of the church. The stage immediately above has screens to its sides of cedarwood posts with enamelled metal plates set at angles between the uprights. Platforms at the different levels have holes and iron hoops to allow for ladders and bell ropes. The ceiling of the topmost stage has a cross made of concrete beams, flanked by bolts to anchor a central bell.

The church hall to the south and the linking lobby building connected to the west flank are not of special architectural or historic interest.