Church Of St Bede (Roman Catholic)

NEWPORT PAGNELL

645/0/10009 HIGH STREET 11-NOV-02 CHURCH OF ST BEDE ROMAN CATHOLIC

II

Church, originally police station and courtroom. Built in 1847, designed by Richard Shepard in Classical style. C20 front door and some internal alterations. Built of red brick in flemish bond with stone and yellow brick dressings and slate roof. Original plan was police station and cells on ground floor, together with two police flats with separate entrances to the street, and courtroom above. EXTYERIOR: Main entrance front facing east on to former Market Square is of three bays with central open pediment with brick modillion cornice supported on giant Ionic pilasters with deep plinth. First floor has sash window with nine panes. Round headed arched doorcase with C20 door. Sides of one tall storey with hipped roof and tall blank round headed arches filled-in with cement rendering. North and south sides are of two storeys: three windows. Ends have open pediments supported on full-height Ionic pilasters with deep entablature to centre bay. Central first floor window is 6-pane sash, end windows are 9-pane sashes. Ground floor has central arched doorcase with plank door and Four 12-pane sashes with cambered heads. South side has an added two storey brick addition with stair and porch obscuring an end bay. INTERIOR: First floor has original ceiling to courtroom divided into nine compartments by deep moulded beams and supported on four Tuscan columns at the intersections. The ceiling has a late C20 painting of "The river of Life" by Peter Koenig and three late C20 stained glass windows at the east end. The ground floor has been adapted in the C20 with a glazed screen to the west and folding screens opening to a meeting hall on the south side. HISTORY: The Police were moved to a new Police station in 1872 and this building became a Temperance Hall in 1881. By 1891 it was a Mission hall for the Plymouth brethren, it was taken over by the Baptists in 1915 and adapted for use as a Roman Catholic church c1950 with refurbishments of c1986.

[ "Buildings of England" Buckinghamshire p576.]