Roman Catholic Church of St Edward the Confessor

The Roman Catholic Church of St Edward the Confessor was built between 1914 and 1915 to designs by Arthur Young. It is a substantial brick-built church in Perpendicular Gothic style of East Anglian character, dominated by a square lantern-tower over the nave crossing and decorated with flush chequerwork embellishments.

The walls are constructed in purple-brown brick with Bath Stone dressings, and the roof is covered in brick tiles.

The church follows a conventional orientation with a cruciform plan. It comprises a four-bay nave flanked by north and south aisles, with a side chapel to the north and a baptistery to the south. A square tower rises over the crossing, which is flanked by north and south transepts. The sanctuary is flanked by side chapels, with sacristies located to the north-east.

The principal west elevation is defined by two slim projecting octagonal towers embellished with chequered flushwork beneath crenellated parapets. At the centre is a pointed entrance doorway with a moulded stone surround. Above this sits a five-light pointed window with elaborate cusped tracery and leaded lattice glazing, with a stone rood carving by Joseph Armitage at the apex. Flanking the nave are single-storey porches with hipped roofs behind crenellated parapets, each abutted to the east by pent-roofed aisles with twin-light traceried windows under hood-moulds. The clerestory contains taller windows of similar design. East of the nave rises a substantial square crossing tower, approximately 80 feet tall, clasped at its corners by half-engaged turrets and decorated with chequerwork crenellated parapets. Each face of the tower has a group of three pointed-arched windows with slender transoms and mullions. The short transepts match the height of the nave and have five-light traceried windows in their gable end walls. The sanctuary is similarly proportioned with three twin-light windows on each side, abutted by lower pent-roofed sacristies. The east wall contains a five-light traceried window and a modern-looking addition across its lower part, believed to form part of rebuilding following fire damage in 1960.

The interior is well detailed with several notable furnishings. The walls are plastered and the flooring is linoleum. The nave features a timber waggon ceiling with ornamental bosses carved by Alfred Robinson. At the west end is an organ gallery with a narthex beneath. The nave is lined north and south by four-bay arcades of moulded pointed arches on clustered stone shafts with moulded capitals and bases. The outer mouldings carry stone portrait corbels by Geraint Davies and John Dasgupta, added in 2008, depicting notable members of the clergy. The clerestory window openings above are linked by a continuous moulded stone cill course. The aisles have timber roofs. The crossing space features tall pointed arches on shafted responds and an upper gallery with a decorative parapet of pierced stone. The flat ceiling is compartmented by moulded ribs with carved bosses. The sanctuary, remodelled during the 1970s and again in 1996, has a timber waggon roof with stone wall shafts and two pointed arched openings on each side, rising to large carved and painted timber angels with brass screens to the side chapels.

The sanctuary contains elaborate carved timber clergy stalls and a fine reredos across the east wall of carved stonework incorporating carved figures of English saints by Philip Lindsey Clark, added in 1934. Stained glass includes the war memorial east window by Hendra & Harper (1947) and two aisle windows by Goddard & Gibbs depicting St Bridget and St Patrick in the south aisle and St John, St Theresa and St Thomas More in the north aisle. A carved figure of St Edward the Confessor is positioned over the sacristy door, with the sculptor not ascertained. Side chapel fittings are more conventional, including carved stone altars with elaborate carved timber altarpieces above. The altarpiece to the Lady Chapel is inset with watercolour paintings on board signed by Norah EL Reid. Church seating consists of timber benches, replacing the original chairs. The Stations of the Cross are oil on canvas in timber frames.