A small brick church in the simplified Romanesque style so popular between the wars.

In the nineteenth century the Churwell area was transformed from an agricultural to an industrial area, with coal mining, clay and ironstone works, textile mills and railway works. Until 1929 Catholics in the area had to travel to St Anthony’s Beeston, but in that year Canon O’Connell of Beeston commissioned a chapel-of-ease to St Anthony’s, to be built on the main road to Morley. The architect was Charles Fox of Dewsbury, who designed a number of churches in the diocese. Construction began in February 1929 and the church was opened by Bishop Cowgill on 17 October in the same year. In 1954 St Brigid’s became a separate parish, and a presbytery was built from designs by R.A. Ronchetti of Harrogate.

Description

The church is built in the simple brick Romanesque style that was so popular between the wars, and widely adopted in particular by the architect Charles Fox in his Catholic church building practice. Red brick in stretcher bond with spare stone detailing under a slate roof. Gabled west (geographical southwest) front with central gabled 9 inch projection containing round arched entrance doorway, square-headed recesses, stone cornice and neo-Romanesque arcading. Stone kneelers and coping to main parapet. Flank elevations of five bays, with one round arched window per bay with attractive geometrical glazing; bay divisions marked by brick pilasters.  Two round-arched windows on either side of narrower chancel; plain canted east end surmounted by gable and cross. Flat-roofed sacristies and boiler house etc attached to the north side. Interior not inspected.

Heritage Details