Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nottingham An Architectural and Historical Review

Transcription

1 Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nottingham An Architectural and Historical Review Detail from side altar at Market Rasen

2 : An Architectural and Historical Review Prepared for English Heritage and the Diocese of Nottingham By The Architectural History Practice Limited April 2011

3 Contents Executive Summary Page 1.0 Introduction Purpose of the review 1.2. Structure of the review 1.3. Methodology 1.4. Authors of the review 1.5. Acknowledgements 1.6. Disclaimer 1.7. Select bibliography 2.0. Architectural and historical overview The penal years 2.2. James II and William III 2.3. The Relief Acts to the death of Bishop Milner 2.4. From Bishop Walsh to the Restoration of the Hierarchy 2.5. The Diocese of Nottingham 2.6. Bishop Roskell Bishop Bagshawe The early 20 th century: Bishops Brindle, Dunn and McNulty 2.9. The post-war period 3.0. General findings and recommendations Categories used in this report 3.2. Listed buildings 3.3. Buildings considered possible candidates for listing 3.4. Possible amendments to listing grades 3.5. Presbyteries and other structures 3.6. A note on fabric condition and grants 3.7. A note on extended use 3.8. Buildings requiring special consideration or support Annex 1: Map of the Diocese Annex 2: Churches and other buildings visited Annex 3: Leading architects working in Nottingham Diocese Annex 4: Outline Catholic chronology from An Architectural and Historical Review

4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Review, commissioned by English Heritage and the Diocese of Nottingham and supported by the Patrimony Committee of the Bishops Conference, assesses the special architectural and historic interest of parish churches within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nottingham. It is intended to be an aid to the Diocese, to parishes and to the statutory authorities when questions arise involving proposed changes to, or possible closure of churches. It provides a framework within which decisionmaking can take place, so that historical and architectural considerations can be balanced alongside pastoral and financial considerations. In the past there has been a tendency to underplay the significance of the built heritage of the Catholic Church, both on the part of national heritage bodies and also within the Church. Catholic churches in England and Wales are, generally speaking, under-represented in the statutory lists. Where remedied by means of spot-listing, this has often caused dioceses great difficulties in terms of forward planning. However, it is important that in planning for the future, dioceses should give due weight to the desirability of looking after the Church s patrimony as well as pastoral and other considerations. Of the 141 churches visited, 21 are already listed as buildings of special architectural and historic interest. At just under 15% of the total, this represents a low proportion in national terms (the average in other dioceses covered by AHP as part of the Taking Stock programme has been about 23%). The Review has identified a further 15 possible candidates for listing, some of them strong candidates, others more borderline. This means that the number of churches protected by listing may rise to 36, or 25.5%, slightly above the present national average. Pending individual listing decisions, it is recommended that those churches identified as candidates for listing are brought within the formal remit of the Historic Churches Committee. Even if the listing is not confirmed, there may be merit in retaining them under the umbrella of the HCC, since they are all important in terms of the patrimony of the Diocese. It is hoped that this report will encourage interest in the Diocese s fascinating history. It is also hoped that it will promote positive discussion about what the Catholic heritage means, to those who are responsible for its upkeep, to those who experience it in their worship and to those who have a more general interest in or responsibility for the conservation of the historic environment. An Architectural and Historical Review

5 1.0. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Purpose of the Review The purpose of this review is to provide an architectural and historical audit of the churches of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nottingham. The Diocese was created in 1850 following the restoration of the Catholic Hierarchy by Pope Pius IX. It lies within the Province of Westminster and encompasses the counties of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Rutland. In 2004 there were an estimated 134,470 Catholics in the Diocese (3.7% of the total population, low in national terms), served by 176 priests in 112 parishes. 1 At the time of the preparation of this report ( ) there were 21 churches in the Diocese in use for parish worship which had been listed by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport as buildings of special architectural or historic interest (see 3.2, below). However, it is generally recognised that Catholic churches are underrepresented in the statutory lists, and it can be anticipated that any review will reveal anomalies and omissions. Spot-listing requests are often initiated by individuals and organisations with little or no connection with the church or congregation, and are often driven by a desire to prevent alterations to, or in some cases closure of, a church. Such campaigns can seriously derail diocesan proposals, and it is in the interests of all that the architectural and historic interest of the buildings in the Diocese is established at an early stage, before decisions are taken about their future. Like other dioceses Nottingham is faced at this time with the dual problems of declining congregations in some areas and a decline in clergy numbers. The shortage of priests has resulted in the clustering of some parishes, but if the trend continues it will inevitably raise the prospect of church closure. Closure of churches is driven by a number of factors, primarily pastoral and demographic, and in the past, heritage has not always been sufficiently taken into account. In seeking to identify the significance of buildings and outlining the extent of their suitability for adaptation, whether in active use as places of worship or in another use, the review aims to help the Diocese, the Historic Churches Committee, individual parishes and other agencies to make informed decisions on proposals that may come forward. The review is a partnership project between the Diocese, English Heritage and the national Patrimony Committee. It should be stressed that this is not a pastoral review of the Diocese, nor is it a condition survey of the building stock. 1 Figures from An Architectural and Historical Review

6 1.2. Structure of the Review The Review comes in two parts. The first is an overarching summary document consisting of: Introduction An architectural and historical overview, from the penal years to the present day The categories used in this report A list of churches already covered by listing A list of churches considered to be candidates for listing Suggestions for regrading and/or amendment of list descriptions Some presbyteries and other ancillary structures which might be candidates for listing Observations on the condition of the building stock A note on extended use Buildings requiring special consideration or support The second part of the Review is much more substantial and consists of individual reports on each of the churches visited. This is the flesh of the Review, providing the detailed research and analysis that has informed the conclusions contained in Part One. The individual reports can be found on the CD attached to the back of the summary report. Each one includes: Photographs A brief statement of importance Core data Historical background An architectural description Assessment of listing status Observations on condition An assessment of the building s scope for adaptation, either in its present use or in the event of closure Category 1.3. Methodology With the agreement of the Diocese and of English Heritage, the Review includes all those church buildings which are used for regular parish worship, and listed as such in the Directory for Some additional buildings owned by the Diocese have also been included (Bishop s House, Willson House, the Diocesan Centre at Mackworth and the University Chaplaincy building at Beeston, Nottingham). Buildings in multifaith use or buildings in other institutional use, such as school, prison and army chapels, have not been visited. Neither have Anglican churches borrowed for Catholic worship, private chapels, or churches belonging to religious orders (unless in use as parish churches and listed in the Diocesan Directory). Once the scope of the Review had been agreed, a letter was sent by the Diocese to parish priests outlining the purpose of the study, emphasising its importance, and encouraging parishes to offer full co-operation. The authors are pleased to report that they received full cooperation from parish priests and congregations at all those churches where an internal inspection had to be arranged. 141 churches have been visited, and these are listed in annex 2. Where we have been An Architectural and Historical Review

7 unable or have not needed to gain access to the interior, this is stated. Where we have been accompanied by the parish priest or a member of the parish, this too is stated Authors of the Review The Review has been undertaken by the Architectural History Practice (AHP) with the help of one external consultant. The summary document and many of the individual church reports are by Andrew Derrick, a Director of AHP. Andrew read Art History at the Courtauld Institute of Art and subsequently took a post-graduate Diploma in Building Conservation from the Architectural Association in London; his thesis topic being the post-war rebuilding of Wren s City Churches. From 1987 to 2002 he was an Inspector of Historic Buildings for English Heritage, until 1990 in London and thereafter in East Anglia. From 2002 until 2005 he was Assistant Regional Director at the English Heritage Cambridge office and also held a national responsibility for policy on places of worship, in which role he co-ordinated the English Heritage publication New Work in Historic Places of Worship. He is a member of the Roman Catholic Patrimony Committee and Chairman of the Historic Churches Committee for the Diocese of East Anglia. Churches in Derbyshire have been visited by Marion Barter and Clare Hartwell. Marion Barter read Archaeology and Geography at Nottingham University and spent her early career as an archaeologist. She chose to focus on historic buildings and completed an MA in Conservation Studies at York in She now has over twenty years experience in conservation. As part of the national Listed Buildings Resurvey, in the mid 1980s she assessed buildings for listing in Wiltshire. She had eleven years experience as a local authority conservation officer before joining English Heritage as a Historic Buildings Inspector for the North West Region in 1999, becoming a team leader in She has served on Diocesan Advisory Committees in Sheffield and Manchester and is a member of the Carlisle Cathedral Fabric Advisory Committee. She is also a member of the Institute of Historic Buildings Conservation. Clare Hartwell read archaeology and anthropology at Cambridge and subsequently completed an MA at the University of Manchester. Since that time she has been architectural adviser to the Victorian Society and the Georgian Group, a list inspector for Cadw in Wales and a register inspector for English Heritage's Parks & Gardens of Special Historic Interest. Her book on Manchester in the Pevsner Architectural Guides series was published in Neil Burton, a Director of AHP, visited churches in Leicestershire. Neil read history at Oxford, and subsequently took a postgraduate diploma in the History of Art. He is an architectural historian with over thirty years experience; as a historian with the Greater London Council Historic Buildings Division, as an Inspector of Historic Buildings within English Heritage and as Secretary of the Georgian Group, one of the national amenity societies. He has published a number of works on historic buildings. Nicholas Antram is an independent historic buildings consultant, an architectural historian and chartered town planner with 25 years experience in the heritage sector, most recently as an Assistant Regional Director in the London Region of English Heritage. He is at present engaged on a revision for the Buildings of England ( Pevsner ) volume for Sussex and has a detailed knowledge of historic buildings and areas and their management. He was one of the two authors of the 2005 review of churches in the RC diocese of Arundel and Brighton, and assisted AHP in their reviews of the RC dioceses of Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, Leeds and Plymouth. He visited some of the churches in Lincolnshire. An Architectural and Historical Review

8 1.5. Acknowledgements The authors would like particularly to thank the Rev. Canon Anthony Dolan, Diocesan Archivist and Graham Foster, his assistant, for their unfailing help in gathering information and for offering amendments and corrections to the final reports. We would also like to thank the staff at Willson House, particularly Edward Poyser, Financial Secretary, and Howard Walters, Consultant in the Property Department. We would like to thank numerous parish priests and parishioners for their help in granting access to and providing information about their churches. Finally, our thanks to Linda Monckton of English Heritage, for her continued support throughout the project Disclaimer The broad aims of the Review have been fully endorsed by English Heritage, the Diocese and the Patrimony Committee. However, the opinions that it contains, both with regard to listing and to the scope for change in individual churches, are those of the authors alone. The Review does not, and should not be seen to, fetter the discretion of other bodies, including the Diocese, English Heritage, the Historic Churches Committee and local planning authorities, to advise or act as they see fit in the light of their own established policies and priorities. Similarly, the authors bear responsibility for any factual errors that the Review may contain Select bibliography There are numerous pamphlets and smaller publications relating to individual buildings, many of which are held in the diocesan archives, and which are referred to in the individual reports. Some parishes have useful information on their websites, and where these have been consulted, the reports say so. Other more general publications which have been consulted are: Anson, P.F.: Churches, their Plan and Furnishing, 1948 Bailey, Fr P., S.C.J.: Catholicism in North Lincolnshire after the Pilgrimage of Grace 1536, CRS 2002 Beck G.A. (ed.) The English Catholics: , Burns Oates 1950 Bennett, B.: The Catholic Church in Lincoln, 1982, History of Boston series, no.15 Catholic Building Review (Southern Edition), Derrick, A. (ed.) Ecclesiology Today: Journal of the Ecclesiological Society, Issue 38, May 2007 Diocese of Nottingham: Diocesan Directory 2010 Harwood, E: Pevsner City Guides: Nottingham, Yale, 2008 Hill, R.: God s Architect; Pugin and the Building of Romantic Britain, 2007 Little B: Catholic Churches since 1623, Robert Hale 1966 Martin, C.: A Glimpse of Heaven: Catholic Churches of England and Wales, English Heritage/Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, 2009 Norman, E.: The English Catholic Church in the Nineteenth Century, Oxford, 1984 O Donnell, R.: The Pugins and the Catholic Midlands, Gracewing 2002 Pevsner, N., Harris, J. and Antram, N.: The Buildings of England, Lincolnshire, 2 nd edition, 1989 Pevsner N. and Williamson E.: The Buildings of England: Derbyshire, 2 nd edition, 1978 Pevsner N. and Williamson E.: The Buildings of England: Leicestershire & Rutland, 2 nd edition, 1984 An Architectural and Historical Review

9 Pevsner, N. and Williamson, E.: The Buildings of England: Nottinghamshire, 2 nd edition, 1979 Twentieth Century Architecture 3: The Twentieth Century Church, The Journal of the Twentieth Century Society, 1998 An Architectural and Historical Review

10 2.0. ARCHITECTURAL AND HISTORICAL OVERVIEW 2.1. The penal years Figure 1: The chapel at Padley Hall, Derbyshire In 1534 the Bishops of York, Lincoln and Lichfield all took the oath accepting Henry VIII s Act of Succession, repudiating the authority of the Bishop of Rome. However, while the Henrician reforms were generally accepted by the ecclesiastical establishment (the alternative was trial for treason), they were by no means universally popular. Those refusing to submit included two priors of Beauvale (near Nottingham), Robert Lawrence and John Houghton, executed at Tyburn in 1535 and amongst the earliest martyrs of the Reformation. In 1536, following the first round of suppression of the religious houses, there were popular risings in Louth and Horncastle, which spread northwards and became known as The Pilgrimage of Grace. From 1549 (under Edward VI) parish clergy became legally bound to use a form of service set out in the first Book of Common Prayer. This was replaced in 1552 by the more Protestant second Book of Common Prayer, and was accompanied by the destruction of many altars and relics of Catholic devotion. There was a brief reversal under Queen Mary I, but during the reign of Queen Elizabeth the Protestant ascendancy was firmly established. In 1559 Bishops were called upon to repudiate the authority of the Pope; the Archbishop of York and the Bishops of Lichfield and Lincoln all refused and were ejected from their sees, Bishop Watson of Lincoln (the last of the old Catholic hierarchy in England) dying imprisoned in Wisbech Castle. In 1569 the rising of the Northern Earls saw the last organised Catholic rebellion against the Protestant ascendancy. In 1570 Pope V excommunicated Queen Elizabeth, releasing her Catholic subjects from all spiritual allegiance to their monarch. This was to usher in a period of persecution for all those who did not accept the spiritual supremacy of the head of the Established Church. The seeds of a new underground Church had already been planted in 1568 with the foundation of Cardinal Allen s College at Douai in the Netherlands, from which missionary priests were trained and An Architectural and Historical Review

11 sent out to sympathetic safe houses in England. The first Jesuit priests arrived in 1580, ministering to an estimated 100,000 people (out of a population of 3-4 million) who were refusing to attend Anglican services (the recusants ) 2. Laws passed in 1581 and 1582 made it treasonable, punishable by death, for any priest to set foot in the country, or for any member of the laity to shelter a priest, and fines were levied for failure to attend Anglican services. Eighteen priests or laymen were put to death in the five counties of the future Diocese of Nottingham, including Nicholas Garlick, and Robert Ludlum, arrested at Padley Hall (figure 1) in 1588, Thomas Sherwood, a layman of Nottingham, and Ralph Sherwin, priest. Although the penal laws remained on the statute books, violent persecution diminished under the Stuarts. Hopes for improvement under James I were not helped by the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, which prompted further executions and suspicion towards Catholics. At the same time, new monasteries and convents were being established on the Continent, to which the sons and daughters of the Catholic gentry were sent for their education. As persecution eased (with James hopes for a Catholic marriage), it became possible for a new ecclesiastical structure to be established. In 1623 Dr William Bishop became Vicar Apostolic for England, in charge of seven Vicariates, each under a Vicar-General, and each in turn divided into nineteen Archdeaconries. However, this arrangement only lasted until In 1619 the Jesuits had established an English Province, divided up into missions, of which Lincolnshire was one and the counties of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire another. In 1676 the Lincoln mission became the College of St Hugh, and the county proved fertile recruiting ground for priests. The reign of Charles I saw continued relative toleration towards Catholics, and indeed some rapprochement with the High Church wing of the Established Church. Most Catholics were loyal to the Crown in the Civil War, for which they suffered considerably during the interregnum James II and William III With the accession of the Catholic James II in 1685 the penal laws were suspended. Ecclesiastical hierarchy was restored with the appointment of John Leyburn as Vicar Apostolic for the whole of the country, which in 1688 was divided into four Districts, each with a Vicar Apostolic. The Midland District stretched from East Anglia to the Welsh border and included all the counties of the present Diocese of Nottingham. A network of Jesuit schools was also established at this time, including one in Lincoln, to complement the network of secular priests, trained mainly at Douai. A public chapel was also opened in Lincoln. However, these positive developments were nipped in the bud by James II s flight in 1689 and the accession of William III, ushering in the Glorious or Protestant Revolution. Under William III the penal laws were re-established. Practising as a priest was still theoretically punishable by life imprisonment, the last priest to be so punished being in The laity were prevented from buying new land, were barred from the professions, army and universities and were forbidden to own a horse worth more than 5. To a great extent the Catholic gentry accommodated themselves to the new regime, and where they did not lapse or become absorbed into the Protestant mainstream, 2 Centenary Book, p12 An Architectural and Historical Review

12 they practiced their faith in a low-key manner. Most priests were accommodated in the houses of the gentry; there were very few town missions. The Centenary Book of the Nottingham Diocese lists the following localities where priests were resident in 1773: Nottinghamshire Aspley Hall Hodsock Park Worksop Manor Derbyshire Barlborough Hall Derby Hassop Hall Hathersage Spinkhill Hall Wingerworth Hall Leicestershire Hinckley Neville Holt Hall Lincolnshire Cadeby Hall Grantham Irnham Hall Kingerby Hall Lincoln Sixhills Grange Worlaby Hall Rutland Luffenham The Catholic population of the five counties making up the future Diocese of Nottingham at this time has been estimated as 2,160, served by 20 priests in 21 oratories. 3 In terms of numbers, this was the lowest ebb of Catholicism in England The Relief Acts to the death of Bishop Milner In 1778 the first Catholic Relief Act was brought before Parliament by a committee of lay Catholics. The passing of this Act allowed Catholics to buy and inherit land and protected clergy from prosecution for fulfilling their priestly role. It prompted a fierce backlash that culminated with the Gordon Riots of 1780, when the London embassy chapels and other Catholic properties were sacked. Despite the residual anti- Catholicism that the riots demonstrated, the Catholic gentry were increasingly prepared to build new chapels in or close to their houses, although this remained technically illegal; moreover a small town chapel was built at Market Rasen in Diocesan Centenary Book, 21 An Architectural and Historical Review

13 Figure 2: Our Lady and St Joseph, Osgodby, 1793 (exterior) Figure 3: Our Lady and St Joseph, Osgodby, 1793 (interior, altered) An Architectural and Historical Review

14 The passing of the second Catholic Relief Act on 24 June 1791, 232 years to the day after public Masses had been made illegal, allowed Catholics, subject to the swearing of an oath to the King, to practice their religion without fear of prosecution, and this included the building of churches. However, bells and steeples were not permitted, neither was the establishment of schools or religious orders (although this hostility changed as refugees from religious institutions arrived from Revolutionary France). Early public church building in the five counties of the present diocese was tentative and low-key, built either under the shelter of a Catholic country house or in remote locations, often heavily disguised. The earliest surviving post-relief Act chapel in the Diocese is that at Osgodby, Lincolnshire, built in 1793 and to all external appearances a late Georgian farmhouse (figure 2). The chapel was placed on the upper floor (figure 3). Town chapels were registered at Lincoln, Louth and Market Rasen in 1792, and country house chapels at Eastwell, Leics (1798), Worksop Manor (before 1800) and Glossop, Derbyshire (1803). The appointment in 1803 of Dr John Milner as Vicar Apostolic ushered in a period of greater confidence and growth, with a move away from dependency on the Catholic gentry in favour of the establishment of missions in the towns. Milner was an antiquary with a keen interest in building; before his appointment to the Midland District, he had been at Winchester, where he built the church of St Peter, a notable church of the early Gothic Revival. Churches were built at Newark in 1809, at Derby in 1813 and at Leicester in However, the finest expression of the emerging confidence of the Catholics of this part of the Midland District was neither urban nor Gothic, but the neoclassical church at Hassop, Derbyshire, built in by the Eyre family, from designs by Joseph Ireland (figure 4). Figure 4: All Saints, Hassop, An Architectural and Historical Review

15 Milner established eleven new missions and at the time of his death in 1826 there were 25 priests working in the five counties, nine of them émigré French clergy From Bishop Walsh to the Restoration of the Hierarchy Thomas Walsh (Vicar Apostolic from ) was an enthusiastic supporter of building projects, with 21 churches opening in his time. This was a time of optimism and expansion, following Catholic Emancipation in The estimated Catholic population of the five counties in 1826 was but this was to rise to nearly 20,000 by the middle of the century. A notable figure at this time was Edward James Willson ( ), a Lincolnshire Catholic builder, antiquary and associate of A.W.N. Pugin. Like many architects and builders of his time, Willson was comfortable working in both the Gothic and Classical styles, although Gothic came more to the fore with his acquaintance with Pugin. He was the brother of Fr Robert Willson, who established the Nottingham mission, where E.J. Willson built the Classical church (now closed) in George Street in Willson also designed new churches at Market Rasen (1824, Classical and mostly rebuilt), Grantham ( , Classical), Louth (1833, Gothic, figure 5), Hainton (1836, Gothic) and Melton Mowbray ( , Gothic, in association with Pugin). Figure 5: Louth, St Mary, by E.J. Willson, 1833 Other new churches opening in the 1820s and 30s and charting the gradual move away from Classical to Gothic included Boston (1827), Loughborough, St Mary (1833, by William Flint of Leicester) and Glossop, All Saints (1836), the first of several churches in the Diocese by Weightman & Hadfield and, unusually for them, 4 Centenary book, 30 An Architectural and Historical Review

16 Classical. However, by this time the tide was moving firmly in favour of the Gothic Revival. Leicestershire played an important role in this revival, through the influence of two major Catholic patrons, Ambrose Phillips de Lisle and John Talbot, 16th Earl of Shrewsbury, and their association with the architect A.W.N. Pugin. Ambrose Phillips de Lisle converted to the Catholic faith in 1826 and in 1834 married into the Clifford family, settling at Grace Dieu Manor in Leicestershire. He was a close friend of Pugin, with whom he shared a mission to restore the glories of medieval Catholic worship and architecture. In 1835 he established the first community of Cistercian monks in the Charnwood Forest and, with the help of the Earl of Shrewsbury, commissioned Pugin to make a start on the Abbey Church of Mount St Bernard (figure 6), a major monument of the Gothic and monastic revivals. From Mount St Bernard a series of missions were established in the Charnwood Forest area, with further churches by Pugin at Whitwick (1837) and Shepshed (1842). Much of this missionary work was carried out by the Rosminians, for whom Pugin built a college at Ratcliffe, Leicestershire (1844). As well as these rural churches, Pugin also obtained the major urban commissions of St Mary s, Derby (figure 7), opened in 1839 and hailed by (Archbishop) Nicholas Wiseman as marking the real transition from chapel to church architecture among us, and St Barnabas, Nottingham (figure 9), opened in These large parish churches mark the triumph of the Gothic Revival in the counties of the future Diocese. Figure 6: Mount St Bernard Abbey, Leicestershire, engraving from Pugin s The Present State of Ecclesiastical Architecture in England An Architectural and Historical Review

17 Figure 7: St Mary s, Derby, opened in 1839 (drawing by Peter Anson) The building of such large urban churches reflected a nationwide expansion and urbanization of the Catholic population. In 1840 the Catholic Directory estimated the Catholic population of England to be 452,000, a more than six-fold increase on the 1781 estimate. The estimated Catholic population of the five counties was 16, That year Pope Gregory XVI increased the number of vicariates in England and Wales from four to eight, mainly to accommodate growth in the North and Midlands. This resulted in a split of the old Midland District, with Lincolnshire and Rutland becoming part of the newly-formed Eastern District, while Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire become part of the new Central District. Thomas Walsh was appointed Vicar Apostolic to the latter, and William Wareing Vicar Apostolic of the Eastern District. In 1848 Bishop Walsh moved to the London District, and was succeeded by Bishop William Ullathorne, who was to oversee the establishment of the new Diocese of Nottingham. 5 ibid An Architectural and Historical Review

18 2.5. The Diocese of Nottingham Figure 8: Roman Catholic Dioceses in England and Wales, 1850 (from Beck, 438) In 1850 Pope Pius IX's apostolic letter Universalis Ecclesiae heralded the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales and the creation of thirteen new dioceses (figure 8). The Diocese of Nottingham comprised the counties of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Rutland. Pugin s church of St Barnabas, Nottingham (figure 9) became the Cathedral church and Bishop Ullathorne, although appointed to Birmingham, remained as Administrator Apostolic to the Diocese of Nottingham pending appointment of the first bishop, Joseph Hendren, in An Architectural and Historical Review

19 Figure 9: The Cathedral Church of St Barnabas, Nottingham At this time there were some 28 permanent missions with resident clergy, as well as about a dozen other Mass centres, serving an estimated Catholic population of 20, The numbers had been swelled by Irish immigrants arriving in the wake of the potato famine, coming to the textile mills of northwest Derbyshire, the coalfields of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, or for seasonal agricultural work in Lincolnshire. There was at this time no provision for Mass in the expanding industrial towns of Chesterfield, Grimsby and Mansfield, and inadequate provision in Derby, Leicester and Nottingham Bishop Roskell In 1853 Bishop Hendren stepped down and was succeeded by the Rt Revd Richard Roskell, who was Bishop for over twenty years, and oversaw a period of consolidation and expansion. During this time the Jesuits withdrew from Lincolnshire, handing over their missions to secular priests, and the Rosminians withdrew from all but one of their Leicestershire missions. Some of the expansion, and most of the more solid architectural achievements at this time were due to the patronage of three figures, the 12 th Duke of Norfolk and Lord Edward Howard (second son of the 13 th Duke), who financed the building of several churches in the textile valleys in and around their estates in northwest Derbyshire, and Thomas Arthur Young of Kingerby Hall, near Market Rasen, who supported several church building projects in Lincolnshire. All three patrons worked almost exclusively with the Sheffield firm of Weightman & Hadfield and the successor practice of Hadfield & Son. (M.E. Hadfield was born in Glossop and was a nephew of Matthew Ellison, agent for the Duke of Norfolk s northern estates). Their work in the 6 ibid An Architectural and Historical Review

20 Diocese reflects the general development of Catholic church architecture in the middle decades of the 19 th century, moving from the Greek Revival style (Old Glossop, 1836), via mainstream Puginian Gothic (New Mills, 1845 and Hadfield, , figure 10), through to the use of brick polychromy influenced by Street (Gainsborough, ) and the early adoption of revived Early Christian and basilican motifs (Market Rasen, 1868). Figure 10: St Charles Borromeo, Hadfield, Derbyshire 2.7. Bishop Bagshawe Edward Bagshawe was an autocratic and forceful character who achieved much in his 27 years as Bishop. A pioneer of the Catholic social movement (embodied in Pope Leo XIII s encyclical Rerum Novarum, 1891), Bagshawe made it his priority to reach out to the poor of the Diocese. He founded 43 missions, mostly in industrial areas; a mission was founded in Mansfield in 1876, four new missions in Nottingham in 1877 and five in the Leen and Erewash valleys. Money was short and without wealthy supporters the results were usually architecturally modest (figure 11). Many missions were established in temporary buildings, the so-called tin tabernacles, as at St Augustine, Woodborough Road, Nottingham. School building was an even higher priority than church building, and when funds for a church were not available, dual purpose school-chapels were often built, several of them by the London architect Christopher Wray (Bishop Bagshawe s brother-in-law). Most of these school-chapels were simple structures which have been replaced over time by purpose-built churches, but a much-altered example survives at Lutterworth (1881). An Architectural and Historical Review

21 Figure 11: The first church at Carlton Hill, Nottingham: A typical mission church of the 1880s Figure 12: St Mary on the Sea, Grimsby Bagshawe had been a priest at the London Oratory and was a supporter of the Ultramontane faction. He encouraged continental devotions and banned Gothic vestments; at the Cathedral the gates of Pugin s chancel screen were removed and An Architectural and Historical Review

22 marble communion rails installed. By this time Pugin s medievalism had generally fallen out of favour and new churches, even when Gothic, were designed with wide chancel arches, narrow aisles, and no screens, all with a view to maximising visibility of the high altar (figure 12). Generally speaking the architectural legacy of Bagshawe s lengthy episcopate is rather thin. The emphasis was on building lots of churches quickly and cheaply, and many of these have since been replaced with more permanent structures. There are however exceptions, such as the ambitious design by Hadfield & Son for St Mary on the Sea, Grimsby (figure 12), richly fitted out at the expense of Thomas Young, and St Hugh, Lincoln, , a large Gothic church by Albert Vicars The early 20 th century: Bishops Brindle, Dunn and McNulty Figure 13: Our Lady of Lourdes, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Bishop Brindle s episcopate encompassed the period between the death of Queen Victoria and the outbreak of the First World War. Brindle had a distinguished background as a military chaplain, but he came to the diocese at a relatively advanced age, and his time was mainly one of consolidation after the whirlwind episcopacy of his predecessor. The architectural legacy from this time is also thin, the major exception being Frederick Walters church at Ashby-de-la-Zouch (figure 13), a handsome neo-romanesque design commissioned by the 15 th Duke of Norfolk. Thomas Dunn s episcopacy ( ) was a different matter. The Catholic population of the Diocese was growing fast (by over 11,000 between 1921 and 1931 alone), leading to the building of twenty eight churches. 7 Dunn had been secretary to Cardinal Vaughan at the time of the building of J.F. Bentley s great new Cathedral at 7 Centenary book, 63 An Architectural and Historical Review

23 Westminster. At Nottingham Cathedral he introduced the choral recitation of the Daily Office (then only practiced at Westminster), and also sought to restore the character of Pugin s design, removing Italianate furnishings installed by Bishop Bagshawe and reinstating Pugin s rood beam. Towards the end of his time the medieval chapel of the Fitzherbert family at Padley, Derbyshire (figure 1) was acquired by the Diocese as a pilgrimage centre in honour of the Padley Martyrs. Major new churches opening in Dunn s time demonstrate the stylistic eclecticism of the interwar period. J.S. Brocklesby s St Augustine, Nottingham ( ) is a notable essay in the style of the Romanesque churches of southwest France, while C.A. Easdon s St Philip Neri, Mansfield (1925, figure 14) is a splendid and highly polished Baroque design, and Young & Reid s new church for the Dominicans at Holy Cross, Leicester (started in ) demonstrates the persistence of Gothic. What unifies these different designs is the quality of their design, construction and fitting out, and the confidence that they exude. Figure 14: St Philip Neri, Mansfield, 1925 Bishop Dunn s successor John Francis McNulty saw the Diocese through to Bishop McNulty continued Bishop Dunn s sympathetic work in the Cathedral, and elsewhere in the Diocese 19 th century churches of the Gothic Revival were sympathetically adapted to meet changing liturgical norms (e.g. St Charles Borromeo, Hadfield, as altered by E. Bower Norris and F.M. Reynolds in 1940). It is interesting that at a time when the architecture of the Gothic Revival was generally unfashionable it should have found two powerful advocates in the Diocese of Nottingham. An Architectural and Historical Review

24 In Bishop McNulty s time the Catholic population of the Diocese increased from 56,000 to 66,000 and sixteen new churches were built8. These mostly took the form of offshoots or daughter parishes in the main centres; for example, in Leicester the number of parishes was increased from four to eight. This was a time of particularly hectic activity for F. J. Bradford, a Leicester builder who was responsible for at least ten churches in the Diocese (see annex 3), and who was awarded a papal knighthood for his efforts. But perhaps the finest building from this time is E. Bower Norris and F.M. Reynolds Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Nottingham (Bulwell), in Romanesque-Basilican style and with a monumental mosaic in the chancel by Ludwig Oppenheimer (figure 15). Figure 15: Chancel mosaic at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Bulwell 2.9. The post-war period Just two episcopates spanned the whole of the second half of the 20th century. Edward Ellis s thirty year reign ( ) saw the Diocese through the post-war rebuilding programme, involving a considerable number of substantial new churches (seven are written up in the 1959 Yearbook alone), mainly serving the expanding council estates and suburbs of the major towns. By far the most prolific architects employed at this time was the Manchester and Nottingham-based firm of Reynolds & Scott, responsible for more than 20 new churches and major reorderings (see annex 3). Their churches were typically large, conventional in their planning but modern in their construction, with widespread use of concrete and portal frames. These churches were sometimes relieved by artworks of high quality, such as the stained glass by Joseph and Patrick Reyntiens at Holy Cross, Hucknall (figure 16). 8 Ibid, 68 An Architectural and Historical Review

25 Figure 16: Stained glass at Holy Cross, Hucknall, 1959 Figure 17: Good Shepherd, Woodthorpe, Bishop Ellis also saw the Diocese through the major changes ushered in by the Second Vatican Council II ( ). Some of these changes, such as the bringing forward of the altar to allow for westward celebration of the Mass, had already been An Architectural and Historical Review

26 presaged in the Diocese, for example at Weightman and Bullen s reordering of the Cathedral in The reforms of the Council led to a great number of further reorderings, and the commissioning of new churches designed on the principle of full and active participation in the Mass. Prominent amongst those architects rising to this new brief were the Rutland-based Thomas E. Wilson, responsible for eleven new churches, notably the dramatic centrally-planned circular church of St Joseph, Leicester ( ), and the Sheffield and Manchester-based firm of John Rochford & Partners, with about half a dozen new churches, notably St Teresa of Lisieux, Nottingham (Aspley), This period also saw a brief vogue for functional dual purpose church-cum-parish halls, notably those built in the Derby suburbs by Derek Montague. However, the finest fruit of the Second Vatican Council was Gerard Goalen s church of the Good Shepherd, Nottingham (Woodthorpe, figure 17), which has a centrally planned interior focused on the altar and a rich display of stained glass by Patrick Reyntiens. Recent years have seen a falling off in the number of new churches, and a trend towards consolidation and closure, as congregations have fallen and the supply of priests has diminished. Much recent reordering has sought to ameliorate the effects of some of the more unsympathetic earlier reorderings, not least at the Cathedral, reordered in 1993 by the Buxton architects Smith & Roper for the 150 th anniversary of the church. A number of churches have been adapted to accommodate new facilities, and of note here has been the work of the Lincoln firm of John Halton Design Ltd, which has carried out sympathetic and contextual remodellings at Market Harborough, St Hugh at Lincoln and elsewhere. By contrast, a more strikingly contemporary approach has been adopted in the internal remodelling of the plain interwar church of St Francis of Assisi, Long Eaton, 1995, by Austin Winkley Associates, with curved sanctuary dais, axially placed font with sunken pool and artworks of a high order (figure 18). Figure 18: St Francis of Assisi, Long Eaton, Nottinghamshire: Internal remodelling by Austin Winkley Associates, 1995 An Architectural and Historical Review

27 3.0. GENERAL FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 3.1. Categories used in this report Each church in the report has been assessed and placed in one of four categories. The purpose of these categories is to aid assessment of each church not just for architectural or historical significance, but also in terms of their sensitivity to change (something which list descriptions were never intended to do). It is hoped that the categories will assist the careful management of change at both the strategic and at the local level. The categories are: Category 1: Churches of outstanding significance and limited adaptability that should be retained in use as places of worship, with fabric and/or furnishings protected from all but the most modest changes. Churches in this category are usually listed grade I or II*, but may include particularly complete grade II buildings. There are just six churches in this category: 1. Cathedral church of St Barnabas 2. Derby, St Mary 3. Hassop, All Saints 4. Mansfield, St Philip Neri 5. Nottingham (Woodthorpe), The Good Shepherd 6. Osgodby, Our Lady and St Joseph Category 2: Churches of high significance that could nonetheless tolerate change if carefully and sympathetically managed. These are usually grade II, but may include highly graded churches whose special interest lies above all in their external design/fabric, and less in their internal fitting out. This category may also include churches whose architectural, historical or archaeological qualities may have been overlooked or undervalued and which might be proposed for spot-listing. There are 22 churches in this category: 1. Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Our Lady of Lourdes 2. Bakewell, English Martyrs 3. Corby Glen, Our Lady of Mount Carmel 4. Crowle, St Norbert 5. Glossop, All Saints 6. Glossop, St Mary Crowned 7. Grantham, St Mary the Immaculate 8. Grimsby, St Mary on the Sea 9. Hadfield, St Charles Borromeo 10. Leicester, St Joseph 11. Lincoln, St Hugh of Lincoln 12. Loughborough, St Mary of the Annunciation 13. Louth, St Mary 14. Market Rasen, Holy Rood 15. Melton Mowbray, St John 16. Mount St Bernard Abbey, Our Lady and St Bernard 17. Nottingham, St Augustine 18. Nottingham (Aspley), St Teresa of Lisieux 19. Nottingham (Bulwell), Our Lady of Perpetual Succour 20. Nottingham (Hyson Green), St Mary 21. Scunthorpe, Holy Souls 22. Stamford, St Mary and St Augustine An Architectural and Historical Review

28 Category 3: Churches of some significance that should be retained in use if possible, but with scope for more extensive alteration or adaptation in the interests of securing a sustainable future. This category includes those churches which are not considered to be eligible for statutory designation ( listing ) under current criteria but which may warrant consideration for designation in the future. It also includes churches which make a positive contribution to a conservation area, or which might be eligible for local listing. This is the largest category, with 69 churches: 1. Belper, Our Lady of Perpetual Succour 2. Bolsover, St Bernadette 3. Boston, St Mary 4. Brigg, St Mary 5. Broadbottom, Immaculate Conception 6. Burton-on-Trent, Holy Rosary 7. Burton-on-Trent, St Joseph the Worker 8. Buxton, St Anne 9. Caistor, St Thomas More 10. Chapel-en-le-Frith, St John Fisher and St Thomas More 11. Clay Cross, St Patrick and St Bridget 12. Cleethorpes, Corpus Christi 13. Coalville, St Wilfrid of York 14. Deeping St James, Our Lady of Lincoln and St Guthlac 15. Derby (Alvaston), English Martyrs 16. Derby (Chaddesden), St Alban 17. Derby (Mackworth), Christ the King 18. Derby (Mickleover), Our Lady of Lourdes 19. Derby (Old Normanton), St George and All Soldier Saints 20. Earl Shilton, St Peter and St Paul 21. East Leake, Our Lady of the Angels 22. Eastwood, Our Lady of Good Counsel 23. Gainsborough, St Thomas of Canterbury 24. Grimsby, St Pius X 25. Hinckley, St Peter 26. Ilkeston, Our Lady and St Thomas of Hereford 27. Leicester, Blessed Sacrament 28. Leicester, Holy Cross 29. Leicester, Mother of God 30. Leicester, Our Lady of Good Counsel 31. Leicester, Sacred Heart 32. Leicester, St Patrick 33. Leicester, St Peter 34. Leicester, St Thomas More 35. Leicester (Eyres Monsall), St John Bosco 36. Leicester (Oadby), Immaculate Conception 37. Lincoln, St Peter and St Paul 38. Long Eaton, St Francis of Assisi 39. Loughborough, Sacred Heart 40. Luddington, St Joseph and St Dympna 41. Market Harborough, Our Lady of Victories 42. Market Warsop, St Teresa of the Child Jesus 43. Marple Bridge, St Mary 44. Matlock, Our Lady and St Joseph 45. Melbourne, Our Lady of Mercy and St Philip Neri 46. Melton Mowbray, St Peter 47. Newark, Holy Trinity An Architectural and Historical Review

29 48. New Mills, Church of the Annunciation 49. Nottingham (Beeston), The Assumption 50. Nottingham (Bilborough), St Hugh of Lincoln 51. Nottingham (Carlton), Most Sacred Heart of Jesus 52. Nottingham (Clifton), Corpus Christi 53. Nottingham (Hucknall), Holy Cross 54. Nottingham (Lenton Boulevard), St Paul 55. Nottingham (St Ann s), Our Lady and St Edward 56. Nottingham (West Bridgford), Holy Spirit 57. Oakham, St Joseph 58. Ripley, St Joseph 59. Shepshed, St Winefride 60. Shirebrook, St Joseph 61. Sileby, St Gregory 62. Sleaford, Our Lady of Good Counsel 63. Southwell, Our Lady of Victories 64. Spilsby, Our Lady and the English Martyrs 65. Swadlincote, St Peter and St Paul 66. Sutton-in-Ashfield, St Joseph the Worker 67. Tideswell, Immaculate Heart of Mary 68. Whitwick, Holy Cross 69. Wirksworth, Our Lady and St Teresa of Lisieux Category 4: Churches of little architectural, historical or archaeological significance, which could without detriment to their historic interest be disposed of in accordance with the recognised procedures of the Roman Catholic Church. Many of these buildings serve their parishes very well and to describe them as being of little architectural or historic interest does not deny the contribution they make in pastoral terms. Some may contain furnishings of quality, and in the event of closure, proper provision would need to be made for the retention or appropriate re-use of these. There are 45 churches in this category: 1. Alfreton, Christ the King 2. Ashbourne, All Saints 3. Bardney, St Francis of Assisi 4. Barton-upon-Humber, St Augustine Webster 5. Birstall, St Theresa 6. Borrowash, St Hugh 7. Bourne, St Gilbert 8. Calverton, St Anthony 9. Castle Donington, The Church of the Risen Lord 10. Crich, Briars Residential Youth Centre 11. Cotgrave, Our Lady of Grace 12. Derby, St Joseph 13. Derby (Allestree), Holy Family 14. Derby (Sinfin), Holy Spirit 15. Duffield, St Margaret 16. Grimsby, St John Fisher 17. Holbeach, Holy Trinity 18. Immingham, Our Lady Star of the Sea 19. Keyworth, St Margaret Clitherow 20. Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Our Lady Help of Christians 21. Leicester (Aylestone), St Edward the Confessor 22. Leicester (Nether Hall), Rosary Church 23. Leicester (South Wigston), St Mary An Architectural and Historical Review