A good example of a medium-size post-war estate church, one of the stronger designs by the prolific architects Reynolds & Scott. The interior is enhanced by a set of well-designed contemporary fittings and decorative materials, particularly the stained glass. The adaptation of the church to serve a dual purpose use has been achieved sympathetically.

The church of St Bernadette was built to serve a large post-war housing estate built on the northern edge of Stockport. The parish was founded by Fr T. P. Morton in 1957 when Mass was first said in the community centre on Hereford Road. The handsome presbytery was built in 1959, when the foundation stone to the church was laid; the church opened in 1961. The church was re-ordered for dual use in 2000 when the west end of the nave was subdivided to create an ICT training centre run by Aquinas College, part funded with European grant aid. This project was the work of Sister Gertrude and Sister Pauline who have led the parish since 1998.

Description

The church building is aligned with the liturgical east end orientated to the north-east. In this description this will be referred to as the east end. The building is faced in brown brick and the steeply pitched roof is covered in Roman clay tiles. The eight bays of the nave are expressed by external buttresses, with windows in alternate bays on the south side, framed in plain projecting concrete frames. The north side has flat-roofed projections for confessionals and sacristies and an octagonal baptistery at the north end of the narthex. The principal entrance is up a flight of concrete steps to the west doorway, beneath a shaped reinforced concrete canopy with blue and gold mosaic  soffit; above this is a large circular window with cross motif. The side entrance to the narthex from the south has steps with original steel railings, adjusted in c.2000 on the east side to form a ramp.  The east gable end is blind and the narrow sanctuary lit from the north and south with narrow triple side lights.

Heritage Details