Church Of Holy Cross And All Saints

The Church of Holy Cross and All Saints is a Roman Catholic mission church built in 1881 by F.W. Tasker, with an extension added in 1886. It is constructed from rock-faced Kentish ragstone with Lancaster stone dressings and features slate roofs with coped gable ends. The layout includes a nave, a chancel with a bell-turret on the southeast corner, and a Lady Chapel on the south side. The north side of the chancel now houses the organ, and there are north and south aisles, with the north aisle being added in 1886, along with a south porch.

In terms of architectural style, the church is designed in the Early English style. The east end showcases two lancet windows and buttresses, with the central buttress featuring a Crucifixion above a canopy and a quatrefoil in the gable. A circular turret with an arcaded belfry and a short conical spire is located at the southeast corner, all made of ashlar. The north and south chapels have lower gable-ended roofs, with the Lady Chapel on the south side having a double span roof. The lean-to aisles contain small lancets and lack clerestorey windows. The south aisle includes a gabled porch, while the north aisle has an integral vestry with a small gabled dormer and a chimney stack. A large rose window is present in the west gable.

Inside, the church features three-bay arcades without capitals, where the double chamfers die into piers. The nave roof has arched braces supported by long corbelled colonnettes, which are also present in the stone ribs of the chancel vault. Romanesque arcading surrounds the chancel. A carved stone reredos and altar, created by Thomas Earp, includes a carved relief of the Last Supper, which has been moved forward. The stained glass windows on the east side were added in 1986 by J. Lawson of Goddard and Gibbs. The church was originally built as a mission for Roman Catholic soldiers stationed at Warley barracks and was donated by Countess Tasker.