Church Of St Mary

Church of St Mary

A Roman Catholic church built in 1872, designed by E W Pugin, son of the celebrated architect A W N Pugin. The building is constructed in rock-faced coursed dressed red sandstone with red sandstone ashlar dressings. It comprises a nave and chancel under a single slate roof, with aisles and transepts, and a main entrance porch at the ritual west end. A link corridor connects the church to an adjoining priest's house beyond the vestry. The actual alignment of the church runs south-east (nave) to north-west (chancel).

Exterior

The chancel features a distinctive circular window composed of six circular lights arranged around a central circle, the whole contained within mouldings of drop arched form. Below this is a stone quatrefoil, and above it a slit window near the apex. Prominent angle buttresses rise at the corners. Two windows on either side display geometric plate tracery. Side chapels flank the chancel, each with a rose window to the rear and three four-centred arched lights to the side under drip mouldings.

The ritual north transept has a rose window in its gable end. Below this sits a single storey vestry with two paired lights, connected to the priest's house by a link corridor. The ritual south transept displays three elongated lancet windows on the gable end, above a late twentieth-century entrance porch in glass and steel.

The nave has small lancet clerestorey windows positioned above the aisle roof. The ritual north aisle features three buttresses dividing three groups of windows, each group consisting of two lancets flanking a leaf-shaped window, all set under continuous drip-moulds. The south aisle is similar but with four buttresses and four window groups. The front end of both aisles have a single lancet window with plate tracery.

The ritual west end contains a single storey porch with lean-to roof, a central doorway and flanking lancet windows. The doorway takes the form of a pointed arch with drip moulding, ashlar jambs and double wooden plank doors with large elaborate hinges. The side doors within the porch are shouldered arches set below traceried lancet windows. Angle buttresses mark the ends of the porch and the main front; those on the main front feature saddleback roofs. Above the porch rise three elongated lancet windows with drip-mouldings. At the apex sits an elaborate bellcote containing three lancet niches and two circular niches with carvings, an exposed bell within a pointed arch opening, and a steeply pitched roof.

Interior

The chancel has a circular window fitted with stained glass. Behind the altar stands an ornate reredos with niches, statues and spirelets. The roof is arched with ribbed rafters. The north transept contains a door to the vestry, while the south transept displays stained glass in its three end windows and double doors opening to the twentieth-century porch.

The nave and aisles feature bench pews arranged around a centrally positioned altar. The roof is arched and ribbed with painted stylised roses within square panels. The nave arcades consist of pointed arches springing from plain columns with individually carved square section capitals and bases. A slim column, partly attached at the front of each main column, rises to clerestorey level to form the springing of the main roof trusses. The aisles contain side chapels at the altar end and have ribbed roofs with pointed arches sprung from the arcade columns. Stained glass appears in windows on the south side.

At the west end, stairs to the left of the entrance lead to the choir and organ loft. Glazed wooden arched double doors provide access to the entrance porch, flanked by glazed wooden screens in lancet form. The porch windows contain stained glass. The stained glass throughout varies in style and date from the nineteenth century to the twentieth century.

The altar rail is constructed in marble with gilded metal gates.

Priest's House

Joined to the church by a corridor with pitched roof, the priest's house is built in the same materials as the church and retains original windows. The interior was not inspected.