Church Of St Joseph And St Francis Xavier (Catholic)

NEWBIGGIN NZ 1600 NE (north side)

681-/5/10002 CHURCH OF SS JOSEPH AND FRANCIS XAVIER Catholic Church

GV II

Roman Catholic Church. 1867-8, designed by George Goldie. Coursed rubble with ashlar dressings and slate roofs. Single nave and chancel with curved apse aisles, western porch and south western tower. Gothic Revival style. Chamfered plinth, flush ashlar quoins and cill bands, raised coped gables with kneelers and finials. South, entrance front, has projecting single storey lean-to porch with five pointed arches, containing 3 traceried windows and single flanking doors. Above 3 tall chamfered lancets, and a quatrefoil tracery circular window above. To the right a 2 light pointed arch window. To the left the tall slender tower with a square base rising to an octagonal bell -stage with short octagonal stone spire with 4 lucarnes. The lower stages have small stair lancets, and the bell-stage 4 narrow lancet bell openings. Clerestory has 5 circular windows to each side with chamfered quatrefoils. Aisles has pairs of chamfered lancets and alternating buttresses, with projecting vestry to east with external gable stack and circular stair turret with conical lead roof and finial. Projecting boilerhouse to west has tall circular stack. North apsidal end has three large, 3-light pointed arch windows with cinquefoil and trefoil tracery. Interior. Nave has 4 bay east arcade and 5 bay west arcade, with circular piers and responds with chamfered bases and stiff-leaf capitals, and plain, slightly chamfered arches. North west bay has panel tracery and dividing slender pier. Wooden roofs supported on curved stone corbels. Fine ashlar and marble curved reredos, and pulpit. Later wooden reredoses to aisles. Original C19 pews survive in the nave. Some good quality late C19 stained glass. Wooden organ and gallery to south.

Listing NGR: NZ1682500986