A small plain church of the late 1970s, built as a parish initiative, and notable mainly for its fine stained glass and for a carved Belgian altar of the early nineteenth century. 

Until 1979, when the present church opened, St Augustine’s school was used as a Mass centre in the Radford area, served from nearby Christ the King church (qv).  Planned by Fr Clonan, the church was built under the supervision of a structural engineer member of the congregation. In 1990, a parish sports centre was built alongside the church. The church continues to be a chapel-of-ease to Christ the King parish.

Description

The plan is rectangular with a flat roof, apart from a central oblong pyramidal roof with continuous clerestory windows. The external walls are faced in yellow brick, with moulded corners. The side windows are canted, similar to Coventry Cathedral.

Inside, the central pyramidal roof rests on four square pillars and is clad with softwood timber boarding. The stained glass in the clerestory is by Abbey Studios, Dublin, dating from 1979. The church has an early nineteenth-century altar from Belgium with a carved frontal of the Holy Family (acquired from a convent in Oxford). The tabernacle is set into the wall. There are statues of the Sacred Heart, Our Lady and St Augustine. The Stations of the Cross are painted plaster casts.

Heritage Details