Description

1/0/10139 MANNINGHAM
01-JUL-04 Church of St Mary Magdalene

II
Church, built 1876-8, alterations c.1980s, architect E. Pearson Peterson. The church is built of sandstone, cut in small narrow blocks not much wider than bricks, with a slate roof, in a fairly severe early gothic style. Plan: nave and chancel of equal width with single storey aisles throughout, belfry at the west end. Two entrances into aisles at west end, wooden crucifix, designed by Philip Robinson, serving as a First World War Memorial, in centre between buttresses rising to top of aisle roofs. Two 2-light lancet windows above and circular window in roof space. Bell tower above with tall pyramid roof and narrow stepped slit windows at the top of the main roof area. South side has windowless aisle with six 2-light lancet clerestory windows plus one single light at each end. Narrowly projecting string course near the top of windows, extending round all but east end of building. East end windowless apart from small slit windows as at west end in roof space. Single central stepped buttress. North side as south with chimney at north-east corner and gable projection near east end.
INTERIOR: Nave open to aisles between wide pointed arches on plain columns, each centred below a clerestory window. Exposed stone walls and exposed timber roof of idiosyncratic style. Tie beam at east end of nave heavily carved and surmounted by a large crucifixion scene flanked by two figures, said to have been carved in Oberammergau. Organ to left side of chancel built by William Hill installed in 1878, unaltered. Te Deum painting on east wall behind the high altar completed 1889 by Messrs Powell of Leeds. North aisle at west end acts as vestibule. To the rear of the nave, meeting room inserted, c.1980's, between first two arches, with vaulted roof and arched entranceway of stone and wood facing into nave. Kitchen and lavatories to south side extending into aisle.
History: the church grew out of a mission in this predominantly poor part of Bradford. The architect was a brother in law of the vicar of a neighbouring church. The design was influenced by the constraints of the site. The church was built up to the edges of the site, and having no rights of light over the surrounding properties, had no windows at ground floor level. This necessitated the high clerestory windows giving an elongated appearance to the church. The east end was also windowless as it backed on to a nearby factory, still extant, the owners of which were Methodists and did not wish their employees to be distracted. The church is to be closed in July 2004.
This is a well preserved example of a good quality Gothic Revival style church designed 1856-58 by architect E Pearson Peterson.

This List entry has been amended to add the source for War Memorials Register. This source was not used in the compilation of this List entry but is added here as a guide for further reading, 16 August 2017.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26670368

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  England's Post-War Listed Buildings
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)