Description

131/0/10008

CLEATOR MOOR
CLEATOR, Brookside
MAIN STREET
Church of St Mary

20-JUL-05

II
Roman Catholic church, 1872, by E W Pugin, son of A W N Pugin. Rock-faced coursed dressed red sandstone with red sandstone ashlar dressings. Nave and chancel under single slate roof, aisles and transepts, main entrance porch at (ritual) west end. Link to priest's house beyond vestry. Actual alignment of church is south-east (nave) to north-west (chancel).
EXTERIOR: Chancel has circular window consisting of six circular lights around a central circle, the whole set within mouldings of a drop arched shape. Below is a stone quatrefoil, and above a slit window near the apex. Prominent angle buttresses on corners. Two windows to either side with geometric plate tracery. Side chapel on each side with rose window to the rear and three 4-centred arched lights to the side under drip mouldings. (Ritual) north transept has a rose window in the gable end, below which is a single storey vestry with two paired lights, leading to a link corridor to the priest's house. (Ritual) south transept has three elongated lancet windows on the gable end, above a late C20 entrance porch in glass and steel. Nave has small lancet clerestorey windows above aisle roof. (Ritual) north aisle three buttresses dividing three groups of windows each consisting of two lancets flanking a leaf-shaped window, each group under continuous drip-moulds. South aisle similar but with 4 buttresses and 4 groups of windows. Front end of aisles have a single lancet window with plate tracery. (Ritual) west end has single storey porch with lean-to roof, central doorway and flanking lancet windows. Doorway is pointed arch with drip moulding, ashlar jambs and double wooden plank doors with large elaborate hinges. Side doors in porch are shouldered arch below traceried lancet windows. Angle buttresses to ends of porch and main front, those to main front with saddleback roofs. Above porch, 3 elongated lancet windows with drip-mouldings. At the apex, an elaborate bellcote with three lancet niches, two circular niches containing carvings, exposed bell in a pointed arch opening and a steeply pitched roof.
INTERIOR: chancel has circular window with stained glass, ornate reredos with niches, statues, spirelets etc behind altar. Roof is arched with ribbed rafters. Altar rail in marble with gilded metal gates. North transept has door to vestry. South transept has stained glass in three end windows, and double doors to C20 porch. Nave and aisles with bench pews arranged around altar in the centre Roof is arched and ribbed with painted stylised roses within square panels. Nave arcades have pointed arches springing from plain columns with individually carved, square section capitals and bases, with slim column partly attached at the front, rising to clerestorey level to form springing of the main trusses of the roof. Aisles have side chapels at altar end, and ribbed roof with pointed arches sprung from arcade columns. Stained glass in windows on south side. At west end, stairs to left of entrance lead to choir and organ loft. Arched double doors in glazed wood to entrance porch, flanked by glazed wooden screens in lancet form. Stained glass in porch windows. The stained glass varies in style and date from C19 to C20.
Priest's house: joined to church by corridor with pitched roof, and in same materials as the church, with original windows. Interior not inspected.
SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE
A fine Roman Catholic church designed by the eminent architect E W Pugin, showing some good distinctive features despite superficial alterations, it merits listing.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26672115

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

• 
  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  ENGLAND GUIDE TO POST WAR LISTED: A Guide to Post-war Listed Buildings
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair