A quirky building in its isolated position and toy-like appearance. Designed by Bishop Shine and very similar to Sacred Heart, Northallerton.

The church was the gift of Baron Frank Finn (who also paid for Sacred Heart, Hull). Built to serve the people of North Hull Estate, a planned 1930s suburb, it was consecrated on 7 June, 1933. The design was a collaboration between Bishop Thomas Shine and the Bridlington builder F. Spink, and is very similar to their Holy Name, Hull (qv), built about the same time.

Description

The church is built of brown brick in English garden wall bond, with orange stone dressings. Broad aisleless nave, castellated porch and southwest tower (barely rising above the ridge of the nave), small transept-like projections from the east end of the nave, and short polygonal sanctuary. The nave is buttressed and a triplet of simply chamfered lancets to each bay. The porch is of broad and squat proportions with a pointed-arched doorway with keyed circular windows to either side. Taller lancets either side of the porch and a stepped triplet of lancets above the porch, with a pointed niche above again. The tower has a similar doorway and single lancets. All is plain and unadorned. The sanctuary has a triplet of east lancets set high up, and in the canted sides, oddly tall, single lancets.

The interior is surprisingly dark with a warm glow from the patterned yellow glass. The windows are set in flattened round arches. Canted roof, boarded and with heavy boxed-in trusses. West gallery with contemporary glazed screen below to form the narthex. Plain pointed sanctuary arch with simple chamfer and no imposts. Similar arches to side projections containing chapels. The sanctuary has a plaster vault. Wooden Gothic altar against the east wall, clearly re-used from elsewhere and too small for the location. Main altar of distinctive design, a tapering block with deeply cut relief of the Last Supper and a wooden top raised on curved supports like a rocking chair. Three good stained glass windows of the 1950s, two in the sanctuary and one in the south chapel. Otherwise the furnishings are not special.

Amended by AHP 15.01.2021

Heritage Details