A conventional building for its time, designed to provide good-sized accommodation quickly and relatively cheaply. The exterior is plainly handled and the main efforts are concentrated on the interior. This is brightly lit from the west window. The decorative focus is the panelling on the east wall and the canopy over the altar.

When Fr William Kirk came to St Edward, Windsor, in 1957 it was apparent that housing development would be on the west side of the town. To meet the needs of Catholics in this area he obtained the old Dedworth Community Centre on a ten-year lease. A plot was found for a permanent church behind the working men’s club in Dedworth Road. In 1965 the club itself was put up for sale and it was bought for £650 to give direct access to the road. The church was begun in January 1968 and was opened on 12 October, having cost some £36,000. A parish was erected in 1977 but was amalgamated with St Edward’s in 1986. The parish hall was opened in 1983.

Description

The building is oriented south so all directions given are liturgical.

The church lies under a wide, pitched (?artificial slate) roof resting on side walls of light brown brick. The body of the church is divided into five bays by concrete piers. At the west end there is a central entrance between two brick walls leading into an assembly area which also contains a confessional, toilet and ancillary facilities. This western area is under a flat roof. Above this the gable is largely filled with a plain-glazed window subdivided into a grid-like pattern. A wide band of brick rises to the apex of the gable.

The interior is clean, simple and functional. There is little expression of the structural framing of the building – just small, raked members emerging from the walls and disappearing into the ceiling. The walls are plastered and painted a light cream. The ceiling is formed of acoustic panels. On the east wall there is plain vertical panelling rising to ceiling level. From this projects a deep timber canopy suspended from the roof and following its pitch. On the underside is a grid of square, recessed panels.

Heritage Details