Architecturally old-fashioned for its date, the church acts as something of a local landmark. Externally the transverse gables add individuality to the north elevation, while the interior retains its original coherence; the simplified detail of the piers is unusual and the reredos has some distinction. 

A school-chapel (now parish hall) at South Stockton (now Thornaby) was designed in 1872 by George Goldie. It was replaced with the present church, seating 600 and designed by Goldie’s son Edward, which was opened by the Bishop of Middlesbrough in June 1891.

Description

The church is built of red brick and consists of a nave, north aisle, three-sided apsidal sanctuary with a sacristy in the south and link to the presbytery adjoining. The roofs are covered by slates. The west façade abuts the street and has a gabled entrance with a statue of St Patrick in a niche flanked by pairs of lancet windows. Above is a bellcote housing a single bell. The north side has an interesting treatment: low eaves are interspersed between tall, transverse gables which rise to the level of the nave eaves. Each gable is pierced by three, graded lancets. The south windows of the nave are also graded triple lancets as are the ones in the canted faces of the apse.

The nave and sanctuary are a long, undivided space under an arch-braced roof: a number of skylights have been let into the roof. The very individual external treatment of the north aisle is reflected internally by tall gables alternating with low lean-to roofs. The walls are plastered and whitened. There is a west gallery with a ground floor glazed screen to the nave. The nave has seven bays and an arcade with alternating round and square piers (the latter with chamfered-off corners). The arches are of a single step without any embellishment and the capitals are also of striking simplicity – the tops of the piers swell upwards to take on the section of the arch masonry above. The reredos is an extremely ornate one of timber. It is flanked by windows containing glass signed by Mayer & Co. of Munich and London, and depicting six named saints.

Amended by AHP 16.01.2021

Heritage Details