A functional church design of the 1970s, with a later pitched roof.

The parish was founded in 1913 and a church built on land next to The Boot public house in the High Street. In 1926 a second church was built on the same site, with the first church altered and enlarged to serve as a presbytery (this still stands at no.69 High Street). The second church was demolished once the present church had been opened. This was built on land further to the south near to the London Road, an area of new housing development. In 1974 planning permission was obtained for a new and larger church, but this scheme was abandoned on account of cost. The present church was built from designs by Eva and Liam Bannon, of Dublin and Baldock. The structural engineers were Gregory & Bradley of Bedford. The church was designed to seat about 275 people, and was part of a planned complex of church, sacristies and presbytery, with a planned parish hall coming later. Work started in September 1975, and the completed church was consecrated on 17 December 1977.

The flat roof of the church soon developed leaks, and a new pitched roof was added in 1987 by Chris Fanning, Diocesan Surveyor.

Description

The church is square on plan, with entrances in each of the polygonal projections at the corners. These are not in use, apart from that on the internal face, towards the car park. The church is built of red brick with a black painted concrete ring beam above. There are slate roofs over the corner projections and a (later) hipped slate roof over the main body of the church with an aluminium cross at the apex. On the north side of the church, visible from the main road, is a freestanding metal campanile of latticed construction, housing one bell.

The interior has not been inspected. The plans reproduced in the CBR show the seating arranged along the diagonal axis, and the sanctuary in the southwest corner. The CBR description refers to ‘inner main beams in laminated plywood providing a “St Brigid’s Cross” profile on the ceiling with only one beam bearing on each of the floor (sic) walls’. 

Heritage Details