Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Rosary and St Therese of Lisieux, Washwood Heath, Birmingham

Summary

A Roman Catholic parish church. 1932-4. Repaired and restored in the 1940s. Designed by George Drysdale in the Lombard style, an amalgamation of Early-Christian and Romanesque styles. The stained glass windows were all designed and made by Hardman and Co. and the mosaic work was carried out by Richards Tiles Ltd of Tunstall, with mosaic roundels by Elphege Pippet. The attached presbytery is not of special architectural or historic interest and is not included in the listing.

Description

MATERIALS: built of red brick with reconstituted stone or plaster dressings, with Westmorland slate roofs.

PLAN: the cruciform/basilican plan is roughly orientated on its ritual compass points, with the sanctuary at the north-east end of the church, but the ritual compass points will be used throughout the description. The narthex, with organ gallery above, leads into the three bay nave with north and south aisle. Off each aisle is a confessional, and off the south aisle is the south porch. At the west end of the aisles is the baptistery and side chapel. To either side of the central crossing, with tower over, are the north and south transepts with side altars. The chancel and apsidal sanctuary are to the east end, with the sacristry to the south-east corner. A separate chapel is off the east side of the south transept.

EXTERIOR: the gabled west elevation is flanked by the lean-to north and south aisles. The west entrance has three, arched openings with plain inscribed tympana. Above, is a large, recessed arch encompassing two single-light windows, the papal arms in mosaic, and a stone statue of St Thérèse under a timber canopy. The arches under the eaves are of Lombard character, rising to a statue of the Virgin and Child at the apex of the gable. The side elevations are plain, with paired windows in plastered surrounds to the aisles and clerestory. The gable ends of the transepts have Lombard eaves, offset buttresses and three, tall, single-light windows set within a shallow recessed round arch. The south transept has a Portland stone statue of St Peter and St Paul set within a niche to each buttress. Linking the east end of the south transept with the presbytery is the single-storey chapel, with two, triple-light round-arched windows with plastered surrounds. The apsidal east end of the church is of plain brick. Rising over the central crossing is the broad square tower with arched openings for the twenty-three bell carillon and surmounted by a shallow pyramidal roof, with Lombard eaves cornice beneath. There is a staircase turret to the north-east corner of the bell tower.

INTERIOR: the entrance doors lead into a narthex with a mosaic dado and two large marble holy water stoups. The narthex is separated from the nave by hardwood glazed doors, and above the narthex is the organ gallery with projecting timber front painted with the armorial shields of cardinals and two plaques in commemoration of the International Eucharistic Congress. The nave has a three-bay arcade of plain round arches on square piers clad in coloured marble. Above are five pairs of clerestory stained glass windows, which together with the windows in the transepts and sanctuary depict the Mysteries of the Rosary. The Annunciation window in the sanctuary is a later addition. The roof above the nave is formed of open timber trusses of Early-Christian character. A mosaic dado runs around the perimeter wall of the church incorporating fleur de lys and roundels with the arms of the pope, the bishops and the archbishop who consecrated the church, old Catholic families of Saltley, and modern benefactors. Above the dado are mosaic consecration crosses of the twelve apostles, designed by Elphege Pippet. The Stations of the Cross are of hand-carved oak frames with French terracotta plaques. The baptistry is at the west end of the north aisle and is complete with its wrought iron gates, marble font with domed marble cover and stained glass window of the Baptism of Christ. There is a replica of Michelangelo’s Pieta at the west end of the south aisle. It is set within an arched recess with a marble altar beneath. Each transept has two side altars set within round-arched recesses with marble altars and altar rails: Sacred Heart and St Therese to the north and Our Lady of the Rosary and St Anne to the south. The foundation stone, from the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth, is set into the wall of the Lady Chapel and protected by an iron grille. The chancel is separated from the nave by an arcaded, white marble altar rail with iron gates, and to either side of the chancel is a marble pulpit with blind arcading. There are carved oak chancel benches to either side of the set-forward marble altar. The sanctuary apse is lined with mosaic and at its centre is a baldacchino carried on marble Corinthian columns, with the semi-dome inlaid with blue and gold mosaic. Beneath this, the tabernacle is placed on a marble altar depicting the Agnus Dei resting on the Book of Revelation sealed with the seven seals. To the east of the south transept is the separate chapel with a wrought iron screen at its east end.

History

Mass was being said to Belgian refugees in Saltley from 1914 but it was only after the appointment of Monsignor John Power as priest in 1930 that the development of the parish gathered pace. A presbytery had been built in 1931-2 and on the 4 April 1932 Archbishop Williams of Birmingham blessed the foundation stone for the church. The stone had been acquired from the church of the Annunciation in Nazareth with the permission of Palestine’s political and religious authorities, including the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Amin al-Husseini. The stone arrived in Saltley on 7 October 1931, the Feast Day of Our Lady of the Rosary.

The church was designed by the Catholic architect George Drysdale in the Lombard style (an amalgamation of the Early-Christian and Romanesque styles). At the outset of the building works, all of the internal marble for the church, including the columns to the baldacchino, pulpit and altar rails, was ordered from Pieta Santa, Carrara, Italy. Unfortunately, the chief sculptor went bust soon after the work had been completed and he was unable to pay the subcontractors, who would not release their work. To resolve the issue Mgr Power travelled to Rome and through the offices of the British Embassy obtained an interview with Benito Mussolini who promised to intervene. This he did, and the marble was transported from Livorno in February 1933, arriving in Saltley a month or so later. The crossing tower, bearing a carillon of twenty three bells by Gillett and Johnston of Croydon and given by members of the Power family, was completed by the end of 1932. The bells were consecrated by the Archbishop Williams on 2 January 1933, the birthday of St Therese. The church was completed at a cost of approximately £43,000, and was consecrated by Archbishop Williams on 8 June 1934. After its consecration the extensive scheme of mosaic decoration to the church’s interior was carried out by Richards Tiles Ltd of Tunstall, under Mgr Power’s direction, using tesserae ordered from Venice.

In December 1940, a bomb damaged the south transept and west front, including mosaic roundels by Elphege Pippett, originally placed outside the west doors. A landmine similarly ruined the north transept in 1941. The parish immediately set about rebuilding and marble was salvaged and repaired, or replaced, and the mosaic work restored. In 1943 the Portland stone statues of St Peter and St Paul by Fr Vincent O.C.R, monk of Mount St Bernard Abbey were returned to the south transept. In August 1944, the bells were reinstated and the north transept window restored, followed in 1945 by that in the south transept. The west windows were restored in 1946. A new organ, a replica of the original was installed, and by Easter 1947 the repairs were complete.

Reasons for Listing

The Roman Catholic church of Our Lady of the Rosary and St Therese of Lisieux, of 1932-4 and designed by George Drysdale, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Artistic interest: its rich internal decorative scheme demonstrates a high degree of artistic quality and craftsmanship, and includes Italian marble work, mosaic roundels by Elphege Pippet and an extensive scheme of stained glass by Hardman and Co.;
* Degree of survival: although partially rebuilt and restored in the 1940s, this has been done with sensitivity and much of the historic fabric has been retained and includes a complete suite of fixtures and fittings;
* Historic interest: for its association with leading political and religious figures including the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Amin al-Husseini and Benito Mussolini.

External Links

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