A building of modest architectural character, built as an Anglican chapel, which is of local historical interest for its associations with the RAF base which closed in the 1970s.

An airbase was formed at Finningley in 1915 as a Royal Air Corps military airfield. It was expanded in 1935 and went on to become an RAF base in the Second World War. The site continued in use after the war, principally as a training base and for search and rescue operations; substantial accommodation for RAF families was built on the site.  A Catholic chaplain was appointed in 1972 and places of worship were established during the mid-1970s, with buildings for Anglican, Roman Catholic and Nonconformist use. After the site was decommissioned in 1996 it was bought by Peel Holdings. Much was demolished, but the Anglican church (built in 1976) was retained and leased from Peel Holdings by the Catholic parish of Christ the King, Rossington (q.v.) as a chapel-of-ease. Much of the remainder of the site has been developed for commercial use as Robin Hood Airport and for office accommodation, leaving some as yet undeveloped areas near the church.

Description

All orientations given are liturgical. The church dates from 1976 and is built of red brick with tile roofs in a simple traditional style with pitched roofs and plain flat-headed windows. It consists of a lower service block at the west end, with the main entrance and external access to the boiler room on the north side. There are shallow gabled projections on each side of the main block and three stepped windows at the liturgical east end.  The entrance leads to a lobby, with kitchenette and WCs on one side and doors to the worship space on the other. The interior is simply appointed with modern furnishings and chairs. There is a modern crucifix at the east end and modern plaster statues.

Heritage Details