A modern church which was built for a thriving parish and opened in the millennium year. It provides a dignified setting for the present-day liturgy and is supported by a spacious and well-equipped hall.    

The land for the first Catholic church at Buckley, together with a presbytery and school, was acquired in the early 1890s. Money was raised by the Bishop of Shrewsbury, in whose diocese the parish was then situated, with donors including the Duke of Norfolk and other notable Catholics. Of the three buildings, the first to be erected was the church, which opened in 1893, and was initially served by clergy from Mold. The presbytery was built by the first resident priest, Fr Pochard, a Frenchman, who for a time housed and taught a number of French boys. His term of office ran from 1906 to 1929.

Following the expansion of Buckley in the 1960s and 70s, the church became too small for the congregation, leading to a search for a new site. A place was found on Jubilee Road nearby, which had originally been intended for a school that never materialised. Building commenced in January 1999 and the church opened early the following year. The architect was Peter Pozzoni of Altrincham, but before he was selected, there had been a competition, for which submitted drawings from Mo Kelly of Michael Rayner Associates and TACP are held in the Diocesan Archive. Both of these were more ambitious than the scheme that was built but may have been beyond the available budget. Pozzoni’s contractor for the built scheme was Anwyl Construction of Rhyl.

The old church now serves as a centre for Bible Christians.

Description

The building consists of a church and a hall, connected by a quiet room that can be opened up as an overspill area. Including the overspill, there is seating capacity for 300. The plan is L-shaped, with the worship area set beneath a broad sweeping roof. At the east gable end, the sanctuary projects forward with a jagged outline concealing windows that are intended to cast light sideways from behind the altar. On the same axis, within the hall, there is a full height oriel window.

The building is faced in pale yellow brick with cast stone dressings and a concrete tile roof. The interior is plastered and painted white, and the absence of stained glass or coloured surfaces gives it a quiet and neutral character. The tabernacle, Stations of the Cross, statue of Our Lady and the furnishings of the small chapel were all brought from the old church. The only change made to the church since it was built is the recent introduction of a mosaic of the crucifixion in muted colours commissioned from Tricia Jones, a mosaic artist based in Hereford. 

Heritage Details