A church of some townscape presence, accretive in character yet harmonious, and with some good internal features.

Over 2,000 people attended the laying of the foundation stone in 1936. The church, completed by 1937, was built to hold 250 people. The original architect has not been established. The sanctuary end was left incomplete, to allow for later expansion. This duly followed, the extensions being designed by W. C. Mangan (CBR 1956), and the enlarged church was formally opened by Bishop Flynn in 1957. The campanile was added in 1963.

Description

St Teresa is a large brick church with Gothic/Byzantine detailing. There is a tall northwest tower, attached polygonal southwest baptistery and transeptal chapels. Entrance vestibule with iron gates to the baptistery (now the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour). West gallery, mechanical hammerbeam roof. The most striking part of the interior is the east end where the treatment of chancel and chapels is individual. Plain chancel arch, and chapels divided from it by double arcades of pointed arches, all very plainly treated without mouldings. The chancel furnishings, of finely polished pale grey stone, look later twentieth century. Oak pulpit looks late nineteenth or early twentieth century, probably imported. The combination of historicism, in particular the hammerbeam roof, with the contemporary planar treatment of openings is not a success, architecturally, though the treatment of the east end is interesting. The chapels have fairly low-key furnishings. Mid twentieth century stained glass by Hardman at the west end and in the vestibule by John Hardman Studios. Glass of indifferent quality in the former baptistery.

Entry revised by AHP 18.12.2020

Heritage Details