A modest post-Vatican II church with an attractive exterior mosaic and interior furnishings from closed or demolished churches in the area.

Bradford is a suburb of Manchester which expanded in the nineteenth century with the advent of industry, and was the subject of rebuilding with council housing schemes during the post-war period. The mission started as an offshoot from St Anne, Ancoats. A school-chapel was opened in 1879 and a church built in 1884. This was replaced by a second church in 1901, a large building of neo-Romanesque design, possibly by O. C. Hill (stylistic attribution).

In 1970-1, this church was demolished and replaced with a new dual-purpose church and hall, built from designs by Burles, Newton & Partners. In 1996 the hall was extended and remodelled to add a distinct worship space. Today the church is again served from St Anne, Ancoats (qv).

Description

The building is of brick with a metal-clad roof. There are roller shutters to the entrances and openings to the hall part and tall windows to the church part fitted with glass blocks with cross designs.  An entrance with a canopy has beside it a mosaic showing St Brigid. There is a narthex with the entrance to the hall on one side and the entrance to the church part on the other. The church is furnished with items from various demolished or closed churches in the area, including bench seating from St Michael’s, Ancoats,  and an altar, Stations of the Cross and Crucifix, some or all of which came from St Vincent’s, Openshaw (demolished), which was also the source of a statue of St Vincent.

Heritage Details