A fairly functional pre-Vatican II design, with some furnishings of note.

The original missions of St Peter’s, South Bank (1874) and St Mary’s. Grangetown (1886), serving the Irish and Lithuanian immigrants who worked in the smelting works by the Tees, gave birth to the parishes of St Andrew (1962) and St Anne (1970) as the terraced streets near the works were demolished and new housing was built further south towards the Cleveland Hills. St Mary’s church was demolished in 1989 and four parishes became one by 2002. The church of St Andrew was built in 1962, from designs by Frank Swainston.

Description

The church is oriented south and directions given are liturgical.

The church, opened in 1962, consists of a broad, unified nave and sanctuary under a low-pitched roof carried on reinforced concrete trusses. There is a small Blessed Sacrament chapel at the northeast and a sacristy at the southeast. The exterior is plain being faced with brown bricks laid in stretcher bond. The west end presents a symmetrical face to the road with a small, functional porch above which is a tall, central panel with a mosaic of St Andrew flanked by a pair of grid-like, six-light windows with criss-cross leading and brightly coloured stained glass. The south elevation is of plain brick. The north one is mostly glazed and has a broad band of glazing with more criss-cross leading and brightly coloured glass.

The spacious nave is brightly lit by the northern windows. At the west end there is a gallery over an assembly area, repository, toilets etc. The visual focus of the interior is a Crucifixion standing proud of the east wall and set against a fine, tall mosaic reredos, where the colours merge from gold on the edge to blue in the centre. The coloured glazing in the windows also grades from gold to blue. The liturgical furnishings – main and side altars, font, pulpit and president’s chair – are made from green (breccia in the case of the main altar) and white marble. The nave is seated with sturdy wooden benches. The floors are carpeted.

Amended by AHP 16.01.2021

Heritage Details