Presbytery adjacent to the Church of Our Lady and St Alphonsus

Summary

A monastery building of 1844-46 by Charles Hansom, in use as a dwelling since 1851.

Reasons for Designation

The presbytery adjacent to the church of Our Lady and St Alphonsus, of 1846 by Charles Hansom, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural interest: the building is a high quality and striking design in the Gothic Revival style;
* Architect: the building was designed by Charles Hansom, an architect of considerable importance.
* Group value: with the adjacent church of Our Lady and St Alphonsus (Grade II*), and the lychgate (Grade II) at the entrance to the churchyard.

History

The Blackmore Estate near Hanley Swan had been in the hands of the Hornyold family since the C16, and in 1844 Thomas Charles Hornyold donated land for the building of a new Catholic church. The church, with an attached monastery for monks of the Redemptorist order, was paid for by John Vincent Gandolfi, a Genoese silk merchant who had married into the Hornyold family and would inherit the Blackmore Estate in 1859.

For the new church and monastery, Gandolfi chose as his architect Charles Hansom on the recommendation of William Bernard Ullathorne, at that time Vicar Apostolic of the Western District. Ullathorne advised Gandolfi that Hansom 'could do all that Mr Pugin could'. The monks took up residence in the monastery upon completion in 1846 but left shortly afterwards, in 1851, and the building has been in use as a dwelling since then.

Details

A monastery building of 1844-46 by Charles Hansom, in use as a dwelling and presbytery since 1851.

MATERIALS: the presbytery is built of Cradley stone with Forest of Dean stone dressings, and has a tiled roof.

PLAN: the entrance elevation of the presbytery faces north; to the south it is connected to the Church of Our Lady and St Alphonsus by a covered way.

DESCRIPTION
Exterior: the building is of two storeys and three bays with a one bay cross wing to the east. There is a timber bellcote on the main ridge. The main entrance is in the northern elevation, in a pointed arch surround with a moulded hood. The thick timber door has original ironwork studs and handle. Above the door is a two-light mullion and transom window with trefoil heads in a square surround. The tall gable to the east contains a single trefoiled opening at first-floor level. West of the door is a canted bay with modern glazing, flanked by single-light windows with paired windows in dormers above and small lucarne openings above these. There is a further door giving access to a single storey wing to the west, with a walled yard beyond with timber gates.

The eastern elevation has further trefoil-headed windows, those in the large first-floor dormer have a quatrefoil opening above and a carved stone cross at the apex of the gable. There is also an armorial panel on this elevation. The southern elevation is of three bays, the third giving access to the covered way, and the cross wing beyond. There are three steeply gabled attic dormers at first-floor level.

Interior: the main front door opens into a large hall which is understood to have originally been the monks' refectory, with a large pointed arch halfway down its length and a door giving access to the covered way at one end. The windows retain original shutters which unfold to match the shape of the openings. The principal reception room has an ornate fireplace and timber beamed ceiling. Further rooms at ground floor level have original timber doors, some with quatrefoil viewing panes. The service range to the west retains some original cupboards in pointed openings, and one room retains dairy setlas.

The main stair has chamfered balusters and carved newel posts, and rises to the first floor where the original monks' cells have been converted to bedrooms. Most retain original timber doors. The second floor is much altered but retains original windows with decorative iron handles in lucarne openings.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES
The garden is bounded by stone walls and to the east there is a stone outbuilding with openings which are said to have been used as lookouts by the Home Guard during the Second World War.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

153289

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, Brooks, A, The Buildings of England: Worcestershire, (2007), 358
Rosemary, Hill, God's Architect; Pugin and the Building of Romantic Britain, (2007), 354-5

Other
The Architectural History Practice Limited: Churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham: An Architectural Review prepared for English Heritage and the Archdiocese of Birmingham (2015)

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