Roman Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart and St Catherine of Alexandria

Roman Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart and St Catherine of Alexandria

A Roman Catholic church designed by F Barry Peacock and commissioned by Walter Loveridge Hodgkinson. The church opened by November 1921. An extensive series of mosaics covering the upper walls and the vaults of the four side chapels and the baptistery was begun in 1922, with the majority completed by 1932. The mosaics were designed by Gabriel Pippet and executed by Maurice and Thomas Josey and Fred Oates. Pippet also designed and carved the capitals of the nave arcades and created fittings including statuary and relief panels on the altar, font and lectern, as well as the Stations of the Cross. The building is in an early-Christian style with Byzantine, Roman and Lombardic elements.

The church is constructed of brown brick laid in Flemish bond with stone dressings and a pantile roof. It is basilican in plan, oriented with its ritual east end facing west. The building comprises a nave and side aisles of eight bays with a choir gallery above a narthex at the west end and an apse at the east. A baptistery with an apsidal end projects from the north wall of the narthex. Projecting side chapels flank the sanctuary at the east, each with apses to their eastern sides. Small side chapels also project from the north and south aisles, and there is a south-western tower.

The western gabled end has a central doorway with a round-arched top and stone tympanum carved with Christ enthroned, flanked by St Catherine with her wheel and St Richard. Stone capitals flank the arch springing, with small round-arched windows to either side and a central rose window above. The top of the wall carries a Lombardic frieze. To the left, slightly recessed, is the baptistery flank. To the right is a side door with a tympanum showing the Annunciation, carved by Pippet in 1954. A wheelchair ramp has been added. The four-stage tower to the right has diminishing heights, with round-arched lancets to the two lower stages, paired lancets to the third stage, and three openings with dividing piers to the belfry. A pyramidal roof with an iron cross finial tops the tower.

The church flanks have arched panels to the upper walling in each bay, set with round-headed clerestory windows. Below these the aisles have lean-to roofs. The side chapels at the east end each have a round-arched window to their west end and another to their outer flanks, both with apsidal ends. The side chapels off the nave aisles and the baptistery all have recessed panels to their walls with a Lombardic frieze topping each bay. The eastern apse has a similar arrangement of panels and blind arched windows. A rectangular sacristy projects at ground level in front.

Inside, the nave arcades have monolithic limestone columns with double cushion capitals of Byzantine type. The walls below the dado are lined with panels of blue and green marble including verde antico. Above these, the walls and ceilings of the side chapels are decorated with extensive mosaics. Those on the north side of the nave below the clerestory depict the Life of the Virgin, while the south depicts the Life of St Richard Wyche. Between the clerestory windows above are the Fathers and Doctors of the church and Ancient Patriarchs and Prophets. The semi-dome of the apse shows Christ with outstretched arms with the Waters of Life flowing before him feeding palm trees and figures of harts forming a frieze. Above the sanctuary apse is the Resurrection. On the west wall above the choir gallery a large mosaic shows the Nine Choirs of Angels in flight. The aisles contain figures of saints and beati.

The Chapel of Our Lady to the north-east displays mosaics of St Francis of Assisi and St Theodore and the Coronation of the Virgin above the altar. The Chapel of St Catherine shows scenes from her life. The groin vaults of both these chapels are also decorated with mosaic.