Summary
A Roman Catholic church of 1852-4 by Charles Hansom, completed 1861-3 by Gilbert Blount.
Reasons for Designation
The Roman Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception and St Dominic, of 1852-61 by Charles Hansom and Gilbert Blount, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural interest: the church is a confident and accomplished design by noted architects, and survives substantially intact;
* Interior: the interior is of high quality in its design and execution;
* Group value: with the attached St Dominic's Convent and Priory School.
History
The history of this site as a place of Catholic worship began with Blessed Dominic Barberi of Aston Hall, who commissioned AWN Pugin to design the Chapel of St Anne in 1843-4. The Church of the Immaculate Conception and St Dominic was founded by Mother Margaret Hallahan, concurrently with the foundation of the adjacent convent. Mother Margaret (1803-68) was the founder of the Dominican Congregation of St Catherine of Siena (Third Order), and the convent became the mother house.
The nave of the church was designed by Charles Hansom 1852-4 and the foundation stone was laid by Bishop Ullathorne in 1853. The east end of the church was completed to designs by Gilbert Blount 1861-3. Mother Margaret is buried in the nuns' choir, and Bishop Ullathorne is buried in the sanctuary, with a tomb of 1889 by Joseph Hansom in the south transept.
The church was given by the convent to the Diocese of Birmingham in 1968, and was re-ordered in the 1960s. At this time it is understood that the original rood screen and the screens to the side chapels and nuns' choir were removed. Much of the painted decoration was also covered over. That to the side chapels was restored in 2000. In 2002 a narthex was constructed at the west end of the nave.
Details
A Roman Catholic church of 1852-4 by Charles Hansom, completed 1861-3 by Gilbert Blount.
MATERIALS: The church is constructed of stone, with a slate roof.
PLAN: The church is aligned liturgically east - west, with a nave with north and south aisles and a small tower at the western end. There are two transepts and the sanctuary at the eastern end, with a projecting apse and ambulatory. The church joins the adjacent convent on its northern side.
EXTERIOR: The church is a large building in the Gothic style of the late C13, and is dominated by its tall nave with sweeping slate roof. The nave clerestory is lit by six spherical triangle windows, each with three trefoil openings. Below this, on the southern elevation, the south aisle has six tall, pointed arch traceried windows with buttresses between, that at the western end being larger than the rest. The church is entered through a small tower which was intended to be larger and is capped with a pyramidal roof. The main door is beneath a tall pointed hood with carved decoration. The western elevation of the tower contains a tall pointed window in a deep reveal, and a projecting stair. The west end of the nave has a gabled projection beneath a large spherical triangle window with intricate tracery.
At the eastern end of the church an apse projects from the southern side of the sanctuary adjacent to the large south transept, and has blind panel arcades with cusped heads, which sit beneath a crenellated parapet and conical roof. Adjacent in the boundary wall is a stone cross memorial to the soldiers and sailors of the congregation who fell in the First World War. The east elevation has two projecting gables, that to the sanctuary with a large, five-light east window. The northern gable contains the organ loft and has a large, circular window with five quatrefoils. Here the church joins the adjacent convent.
INTERIOR: The main entrance in the tower leads up a flight of modern stairs into the narthex of 2002, beyond which is the nave of the church. The nave has tall, six-bay arcades with high, pointed arches which spring from carved capitals on quatrefoil piers. Between the arches are corbels with carved angels which support the tall timber roof. There are C20 pews in the nave and side aisles. Both aisles have chapels at their eastern ends with elaborately carved altars and reredos and stencilled decoration which was restored in 2002. In the angles between the nave arcades and the crossing arch there are elaborately carved niches containing statues. In the crossing there is a forward altar with transepts on either side. The south transept contains the chest tomb of Bishop Ullathorne of 1889 by Joseph Hansom, with quatrefoil panels with shields, lettering to the cornice and the effigy of the bishop. The south transept also contains a richly carved altar and reredos.
The sanctuary contains the high altar, which stands in front of an elaborately carved reredos with statues of Our Lady and St Dominic in pinnacled niches at each end, a central canopy above the tabernacle and flanking panels on either side. These show the Assumption of Our Lady and the death of St Dominic. To the right of the altar is an apse with rib vaulted ceiling supported on angel corbels and open pointed arches, and elaborately carved capitals. Between the arches are ornate metal railings. The apse contains a further altar and reredos. North of the sanctuary, beyond an arcade of tall, pointed arches is the nuns' choir, which contains collegiate seating and an organ chamber. Above the door which gives access to the convent beyond is a gallery for sick or indisposed members of the nuns' community.
