Catholic Church of St Oswald and St Edmund Arrowsmith
53°29′06″N 2°38′28″W / 53.485°N 2.641°W
| St Oswald and St Edmund Arrowsmith | |
|---|---|
| Shrine and Parish Church of St Oswald and St Edmund Arrowsmith, Ashton-in-Makerfield | |
 | |
 | |
| OS grid reference | SJ5756298889 |
| Location | Ashton-in-Makerfield |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | St Oswald and St Edmund Arrowsmith Parish |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Dedication | St Oswald & St Edmund Arrowsmith |
| Relics held | Hand of Edmund Arrowsmith |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Heritage designation | Grade II[1] |
| Designated | 1988 |
| Architect(s) | J. K. Brocklesby |
| Style | Romanesque |
| Completed | 1930 |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Liverpool |
| Deanery | Wigan |
| Clergy | |
| Priest(s) | Rev Canon John Gorman |
| Deacon(s) | Paul Blinston, John O'Brien, Jim Byrne |
The Catholic Church of St Oswald and St Edmund Arrowsmith is a Roman Catholic parish church located on Liverpool Road in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Greater Manchester, England, which is a Grade II-listed building and includes the Diocesan Shrine of St Edmund Arrowsmith.
Building
[edit]The first Catholic church on the site was built in 1822. The old church was demolished and the foundation stone of the new building was laid in 1925.
The present church was constructed in the Romanesque style and completed in 1930, with the architect being J. K. Brocklesby.[2] The bell tower, on the right of the facade is a notable landmark with its green copper pyramid roof that can be seen on the drive into Ashton from Stubshaw Cross. The interior has two saucer domes and an apse. The altar itself has marble flooring and four red carpets. It has four seats either side for the Altar servers to be seated. At the back of the altar is the Tabernacle, and eight candles. Above the altar are stained glass windows of saints designed by Harry Clarke.
The presbytery and the church gates, which both date from 1822, are also Grade II Listed.[3][4]
Nikolaus Pevsner described the church as "totally outdated" but "ambitious" and "impressive".[2]
Relic
[edit]The church houses a holy relic, the hand of St Edmund Arrowsmith, who was one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.[5]
Parish priests
[edit]- Canon James O'Meara 1896–1946
- Fr John Joseph McLaughlin 1946–1950
- Canon Robert Wilfrid Meagher 1950–1970
- Canon Francis J Ripley 1970–1991
- Fr Brian Newns 1991–2019
- Fr John Gorman 2019–[6]
Gallery
[edit]-
Exterior: Church -
Exterior: Church -
Exterior: West End -
Churchyard -
Interior: North Chapel -
Interior: Nave -
Interior: South Chapel
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ "ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH OF ST OSWALD AND ST EDMUND ARROWSMITH, Wigan - 1068462 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk.
- ^ a b Nikolaus Pevsner (1969). South Lancashire: The Industrial and Commercial South. Penguin. p. 66. ISBN 0300096151. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- ^ "ST OSWALD'S PRESBYTERY, Wigan - 1356252 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk.
- ^ "GATES AND GATE PIERS TO ST OSWALD'S CHURCH, Wigan - 1068463 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk.
- ^ Ryan, Patrick W.F. "Ven. Edmund Arrowsmith." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 17 February 2018
- ^ Plumb, Brian. "Found Worthy: A Biographical Dictionary of theSecular Clergy of the Archdiocese of Liverpool (deceased), 1850-2000" (PDF). www.nwcatholichistory.org.uk.
