St Francis-Xavier Rc Church, Hope Street

A R Conlon (Reginald Fairlie Partnership) 1958-61. 5-bay, rectangular-plan nave and 'saw-toothed' plan sanctuary, Modern church, with prominent towering glazed and mullioned entrance block, with tall tapered concrete fins to principal elevation and figurative sculpture (see NOTES). Squared artificial rubble ground floor, pre-cast concrete slab finish above, dry-dashed to rear and side elevations. Striking, highly decorative interior schemes with artwork by Felix McCullough.

E (PRINCIPAL ELEVATION): advanced ground floor with wide moulded architrave and steps to recessed porch at centre with 3-pairs of boarded timber doors, plaque to left with carving of Archbishop Gray's coat of arms by Hew Lorimer. Tall central block, with tapered concrete fins, figarative sculpture at base; decorative grid panelling above windows; large sculpture of St Francis Xavier by Maxwell Allen at re-entrant angle to left with stair tower set back; sculpture set below two semicircular canopies supporting a latin cross. Slightly advanced vestry block to right, moulded cill course,

N ELEVATION: advanced section to right blow stair tower with recessed entrance, replacement glazed door with sidelight; 5 square windows in vertical line to entrance tower. Tripartite square windows with wide concrete mullions and concrete surround to side aisles. Gridded windows to clerestorey. Full-height windows to chancel. 2-storey, 3-bay building abutted to left bay of nave to adjoin church with neighbouring earlier presbytery.

S ELEVATION: mirror of N elevation, except vestry block to left with 3 narrow windows at ground floor

W (REAR) ELEVATION: exposed concrete latin cross at centre; rear wall of chancel flanked by single storey offices with square headed window.

INTERIOR: (seen 2009) main entrance flanked by chapel (originally baptistery) and former mortuary chapel, both with decorative metal gates; bays of nave divided by large precast-concrete arches, N (chancel) wall of exposed red brick with thirty five gold crosses; Kenton stone altar with six bronze candlesticks designed by Conlon, containing bronze figures of Scottish saints (St Margaret, St Andrew St Ninian, St Columba, St Mungo and St John Ogilvie). Chapels in south aisle containing mosaics by the Casa group of Edinburgh; confessionals in north aisle; laminated glass panels above side aisles by Felix McCullough. Continuous stained glass panels to clearstorey (see NOTES). Choir gallery at E.

Predominantly aluminium framed windows, plate glass, some stained glass (see NOTES). Flat roof to tower, ground floor and vestry; pitched slate roof to nave, monopitch slate roof to side aisles and chancel.