Survey Data
Reg No
13829004
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Artistic, Historical, Social
Original Use
Church/chapel
In Use As
Church/chapel
Date
1925 - 1930
Coordinates
304860, 297980
Date Recorded
06/07/2005
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Freestanding gable-fronted double-height stone Roman Catholic church, built 1926, in the Romanesque style. Rectangular-plan, six-bay nave, single-storey lean-to aisles to east and west, bell tower having four-sided copper cupola over triforium to north-west, gabled projection to centre of east aisle, apsidal chapel to north-east, L-plan gable-fronted vestry to south-east. Pitched slate roofs, hipped at vestry gable, paired crested ridge tiles, stone Celtic crosses to gables, moulded cast-iron gutters on brackets, moulded cast-iron hoppers and downpipes, rock-faced ashlar chimneystack to vestry. Rock-faced granite walling with cut granite dressings to nave and clerestory. Round-headed window openings, plain ashlar flush dressings, chamfered flush sills, leaded lights; rose window to north elevation, granite hood moulding, ashlar granite surround, slit windows to bell tower, square leaded lights; round-headed tripartite stained glass leaded lights to chancel. Round-headed door opening, hood moulding, ashlar granite surround, varnished timber diagonally-sheeted double doors with decorative wrought-iron hinges. Interior with double-height nave with exposed timber rafters, single-storey aisles to east and west, timber pews, encaustic tiles to aisles, mosaic tiles to altar, painted smooth rendered walling supported on marble columns with plasterwork heads of saints above, carved timber organ loft to north. Set outside the town on an elevated site, in extensive grounds, bounded by wrought-iron gate with ornate decorative ironwork and kissing gate, square rock-faced granite piers surmounted by lamps, containing wrought-iron gates.
Appraisal
Saint Peter and Saint Paul's, designed in 1926 by Ashlin and Coleman, is a confident example of the Romanesque style. The exterior is distinguished by the robust rock-faced granite walling. The church's most striking feature is the distinctive Italianate bell tower with its copper cupola. The interior is a light and airy space, the mosaic work to the chancel is very fine and contributes to the artistic significance of the church.