Presbytery, Church Of The Immaculate Conception

Charles Menart, 1907-8. Cruciform-plan gable-fronted Gothic church with prominent twin spires and polygonal chancel. Rock-faced squared snecked yellow sandstone rubble with droved margins and ashlar dressings. Large pointed arch windows with stone panel tracery above main entrance and to transepts. Squat pointed arch clerestory windows. Segmental-headed windows in round-trefoil surrounds. Fine interior decorative scheme. Later 20th century presbytery buildings to N.

SW (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: double entrance with timber-panelled doors. Cusped pointed-arch tympana with continuous hoodmould in a panel of smooth ashlar with stepped string course above; niche between two doors. Large central pointed-arched window with stepped splays and bracketed hoodmould. Projecting skew to gable with clover-leaf cross finial. Square-plan 2-stage corner towers with trefoil-headed windows rising to octagonal-plan with corner gablets and windows to main elevations. Short octagonal spires with tall lucarnes. Low single bays with tall gabled lancets abutting towers.

SE ELEVATION: single bay with tall blind lancet panel, followed by single-storey pitch-roofed aisle with 5 small rectangular windows and single door to left. 3-bay clerestorey. Large transept window with low flat-roofed projection below. Single-storey Lady Chapel with 3 bays of rectangular windows below canted chancel window.

NE ELEVATION : chancel with mullioned Gothic windows to canted bays. Two segmental-headed windows to Lady Chapel (right).

NW ELEVATION : as SE but with blank 2-storey end bay to rear.

INTERIOR: substantially marbled interior, including variety of colours, especially to sanctuary and nave. Gothic nave arcades on black marble columns. Timber boarded gallery. Timber truss roof, gilded in sanctuary. Leaded windows, predominantly plain with bands of blue and green. Mosaic of Christ over altar with Gothic baldachin. Square-paned leaded stained glass to chancel. Stained glass to Lady Chapel and to baptistery.

Large panel tracery leaded windows with bands of blue and green panes. Graded grey slates, straight skews, gabletted skewputts. Cast iron rainwater goods with decorative hoppers.

PRESBYTERY: late 20th century 2-storey slate-roofed house with large picture windows.

BOUNDARY WALLS: rock-faced boundary wall to front with chamfered copes. Square-plan gatepiers with octagonal copes. Cast iron railings.