A good example of a late Georgian church, built in 1836 in Greek Revival style. Paid for by the twelfth Duke of Norfolk, the church and the contemporary presbytery, known as Royle House, are notable examples of the early Catholic Revival, expressing increased confidence boosted by aristocratic patronage. The church is an early work of the Sheffield architects Weightman & Hadfield. The interior bears similarities to Joseph Ireland’s church at Hassop (qv) and retains its original spatial character and some good late nineteenth century fittings.

The great patron of Catholicism in Glossop in the early 1800s was the Howard family; the Duke of Norfolk’s estate developed the town for textile manufacturing. The architect M. E. Hadfield was born in Glossop and was a nephew of Matthew Ellison, agent for the estate, which had enabled Catholics to hear Mass in a chapel at Glossop Hall from c.1810. All Saints was built in 1836 for the twelfth Duke, and was early fruit of Hadfield’s partnership with John Gray Weightman, who had trained in the offices of Charles Barry and C.R. Cockerell and who may have influenced the choice of a Classical design (characterised by Bryan Little as an enlarged version of Joseph Ireland’s church at Hassop, qv). The later ecclesiastical work of Weightman & Hadfield was usually Gothic.

The church was a private chapel until 1925, when the estate transferred it to the Diocese of Nottingham. The school was built in the 1840s. The church interior was refitted in 1888 and the sanctuary reordered in 1960-61 and 1979.

Description

The principal elements of the church are referred to in the list entry (below). The liturgical east end is to the west. Inside, the building retains the character of a late Georgian church, with a well-proportioned nave beneath a shallow segmental-arched vaulted  ceiling. The apsidal sanctuary has a vaulted ceiling; now plainly over-painted; devotional paintings in five panels were created in 1875, then repainted in 1936 (attributed to the Manchester artist Adolphe Valette). Historic images of the sanctuary show the walls painted to resemble ashlar, now papered. The oak sanctuary rails with vase balusters and wide rail, oak parquet nave floor, oak pews and stained glass were provided in 1888. The Stations of the Cross are oil paintings on wood in oak frames, early 1900s, attributed to Rene Janssens of Belgium. The Hopton Wood stone altar dates from 1936, made by Alberti of Manchester but altered and moved forwards in the 1979. The sanctuary floor was relaid with hardwood blocks at the same time. The west gallery has its original staircase with continuous mahogany handrail and cast-iron balusters.

The presbytery (Royle House), dating from the early 1830s, retains some original features including a staircase with stick balusters and mahogany handrail, dining room with arched buffet recess, moulded cornice, four-panelled doors, door architraves and marble chimneypieces with paterae. The passage from the sacristy in the house to the church follows the outer curve of the sanctuary apse.

List descriptions

Church

II

Roman Catholic church. 1836. By ME Hadfield & TG Weightman for the 12th Duke of Norfolk. Millstone grit ashlar and Welsh slate roof with deeply overhanging eaves which form pedimented gables. STYLE: Neo-classical. PLAN: nave and apsidal sanctuary set within rectangular plan with vestries to rear over basement. EXTERIOR: plinth and plain entablature. East, ritual west, entrance front has rusticated ashlar facade with 4 giant Tuscan Doric pilasters and central doorway with 6-panel double doors and overlight in moulded ashlar surround with bracketed hood. Either side single windows with 10-pane casements in moulded ashlar surrounds with flat hoods. Above central recessed panel flanked by single 16-pane sashes in recessed plain surrounds. Above in pediment small circular window with ashlar surround. Side elevations each have pairs of giant Tuscan Doric pilasters at either end and 5 tall windows in shouldered ashlar surrounds, those to west with glazing bar sashes. West, ritual east front single giant Tuscan Doric pilasters at either end and single small 16-pane sash to left. Above in pediment small circular window with ashlar surround. Above again large ashlar bellcote has single round arched opening with bell, bracketed cornice and cross finial.

INTERIOR: nave has coved plaster ceiling and gallery with open balustrade supported by large console brackets and reached from steps in internal porch. Sanctuary with elliptical arch flanked by doors to vestries has coved plaster ceiling. Furnishings include open-backed nave benches and more elaborate choir stalls with later sanctuary rails. Good set of early C20 stained glass windows with central figures of saints and martyrs in complex Renaissance surrounds.

Gates and walls

GV II

Gate, railings and walls. 1836. Probably by Hadfield & Weightman. Cast-iron and coursed millstone grit with ashlar dressings. Central gate with plain spear headed uprights and diagonal rail. Flanked by double cast-iron gate piers with pomegranate finials and spear headed railings with top rail and 2 base rails. Either side square ashlar piers with pyramidal caps and curved flanking walls with ashlar coping and similar outer piers. Included for group value with the Roman Catholic Church of All Saints (qv). Listing NGR: SK0383994783

Presbytery (Royle House)

GV II

Presbytery. Late C18, rebuilt 1836. By M E Hadfield & T G Weightman. Squared and coursed millstone grit with ashlar dressings, and hipped Welsh slate roof with 3 stone stacks. PLAN: double-pile. EXTERIOR: 2 storey. Plinth. Paired brackets to deeply overhanging eaves. East garden front has 4 windows arranged 3:1 all with 4-pane plain sashes under narrow lintels. South entrance front has single doorway with ashlar surround and half glazed panel door with above single 4-pane plain sash. West front has 4 windows. Left bay recessed with doorway in ashlar surround and to left single 12-pane sash, above similar 12-pane sash. To right central tall round headed 23-pane stair window flanked by single 12-pane sashes on each floor. North front has single storey extension with to left 2 small 4-pane plain sashes and above single 12-pane sash. INTERIOR: not inspected, but ground floor rooms retain their panelled internal shutters. The Presbytery adjoins All Saints Roman Catholic Church (qv) at north-east corner. Listing NGR: SK0381694824

Heritage Details