Catholic Church of the Blessed Sacrament

Catholic church, in a striking modern style dominated by sharp angular forms – described by John Newman as ‘mildly Expressionist’. Orientated N-S, liturgical E end to N. Concrete frame structure with rendered infill (brick or blockwork). Tiled main roof, very steeply pitched. Low saw-tooth metal sheet roof to aisle. Nave with W porch (originally open, but now enclosed), S aisle and narrower sanctuary.

W front with buttressing to corners, and fully glazed gable above full width porch or narthex. This has flat roof with central gablet, its angles repeated in the pattern of the glazing above it, mirroring the steep angles of the roof. The porch is now enclosed (with glazing to mirror the S gable). Line of porch continues as baptistry to S, marked by 9-light window with pointed heads. Nave N wall has 4 hexagonal windows set high. Similar larger windows to S aisle forming a continuous band. Side walls of sanctuary each have three rows of small windows in a grid pattern set under an eaves line that rises towards the E end. Blind E wall.

Full width porch or narthex behind glazed entrance screen. Baptistry to SE separated from the body of the church by open metal screens with hexagonal framing and concrete piers. Stone font, its angular stem echoing the angular style of the building. Nave dominated by the 6-bay lattice work roof trusses; plain plastered and painted walls. Original timber benches, South aisle, the arcade formed by shallow triangular arches between the supports for the roof trusses. Plain triangular arch to sanctuary, with lozenge patterned ceiling rising towards the east end, with upper and central rows of small window apertures on both side walls rising to match. Original high altar and later forward altar. Communion rails, central section removed. Sedilia with triangular head on E side.