A small church from the 1950s which has been re-orientated and reordered using modern furnishings from local materials.

In 1950 the diocese bought the site and placed the new mission under the care of the Redemptorists, who built the church with the help of a donation from the diocese. In the 1960s, care of the parish was returned to the diocese and it became part of the parish of St Gregory’s, South Shields (now part of the South Shields cluster parishes). In 1997 the church was re-orientated and equipped with new furnishings.

Description

The church was originally orientated to the west but in 1997 the sanctuary was moved to the east end.

The church has external brick walls in stretcher bond. The main roof is a pitched Plasticol coated profile sheet roof and the flat roof of the porch is covered in mineral-surface felt. The plan is rectangular with narrower projections at east and west, and with a southwest porch.

The current east end (the former west porch) is rendered apart from the round-arched blocked doorway. The former entrance steps bear memorial plaques. The porch contains a toilet and a small kitchen. The former chancel at the west is now the sacristy with a window to the nave. The church has a suspended ceiling and benches in two blocks. The higher-level sanctuary is framed by a flat arch on either side of which are lectern and a Risen Christ sculpture, the paschal candle stand and font. The sanctuary is lit by concealed natural and electric lighting. It contains the altar, chair, a processional cross and three backlit glass panels with exchangeable seasonal transparencies. All the sanctuary furnishings are of local stone and glass from local glassworks. At the northwest is a statue of the Virgin Mary on a glass stand. The Stations are conventional unframed reliefs.

Heritage Details