Former Chapel at Hopwood Hall College

Summary

A Roman Catholic chapel (now deconsecrated). It was built in 1964-1965 to designs by Frederick Gibberd, executed by Reynolds and Scott.

Reasons for Designation

Hopwood Hall Chapel, 1964-1965 to designs by Frederick Gibberd, executed by Reynolds and Scott, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* as a design by Frederick Gibberd, an eminent C20 British architect and leading proponent of Modern architecture in Britain;
* the chapel shares and refines many of Gibberd’s ideas for his 1960 competition-winning design for Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral (built 1962-1967), the smaller scale enabling him to set the altar directly under the lantern-tower corona, and place subsidiary spaces behind rather than seating;
* the interior is notable for the dramatic geometric pattern of concrete ribs and framing to the conical roof, crowned by the lantern tower concentrating the light of the coloured glass on to the central sanctuary;
* the abstract pattern of French antique glass in the lantern tower and the pavoir flooring below are by David Atkins, designer of the geometrical, marble flooring, baptistry gates, and glass in a side chapel at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral.

Historic interest:

* the church plan was at the forefront of placing the Eucharist spatially and spiritually at the centre of worship, as encouraged by the Liturgical Movement and formalised by the contemporaneous Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), then influencing designs of subsequent Roman Catholic churches.

Group value:

* the chapel is in close proximity, and has strong visual and contextual group value, with the Grade II* Hopwood Hall.

History

Hopwood Hall and grounds was purchased by the De La Salle Brothers in 1946 to establish a Catholic teacher training college in the north of England. Brother Augustine of the Order had studied at Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he had admired the nearby round Church of the Holy Sepulchre, leading him to raise the possibility of a circular chapel here.

The Manchester practice of Reynolds and Scott, designers of many Catholic churches, were appointed architects for the teacher training college. Frederick Gibberd had recently won the 1959 to 1960 competition for a new Liverpool Catholic Cathedral with a circular plan and central altar and Reynolds and Scott nominated him to design the chapel. Although much smaller, it took a similar form, with a centralised sanctuary lit by a lantern tower of concrete and coloured glass. The plans were then executed by Reynolds and Scott. The consulting engineers were Lowe and Rodin; James Lowe had worked on Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral and had also been a student friend of Brother Augustine. The main contractors were Taylor Woodrow (Construction) Ltd.

The lantern tower used French antique glass in white, yellow, red and green leaded into metal frames, the pattern designed by David Atkins, who had designed the Metropolitan Cathedral’s geometrical, marble floor pattern. He also designed the radiating pattern of buff colour paviors to the sanctuary floor beneath the lantern. The octagonal building had five segments of seating facing the sanctuary on three sides. The choir stalls and organ gallery with an organ by Jardine and Co Ltd were placed in the bay behind the sanctuary, with the enclosed sacristy to the rear. The bay to either side were occupied by the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, with low blockwork walls and timber altar canopy, and seating for the Brothers. The pews were of hardwood on black metal framing. Work began in March 1964 and was completed in fourteen months, officially opening in June 1965.

The chapel was deconsecrated in the 1990s and the pews removed. It was converted for use as a fitness and sports centre, and more recently used for storage. It is presently (2025) being converted for use as a learning centre by Hopwood Hall College.

(Sir) Frederick Gibberd (1908-1984) was an architect, town planner and landscape architect, who was influenced by the European International Style and became one of the architects who fathered the emergence of Modern architecture in Britain. He made major contributions as an architect-planner to post-1945 reconstruction and civic design, notably Harlow New Town, and designed many significant post-war buildings, including the first terminal buildings at Heathrow airport and power stations at Hinkley Point and Didcot, as well as landscaping several new reservoirs. He won major architectural competitions both for Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral (1962-1967) and the London Central Mosque in Regents Park. Gibberd was knighted in 1967.

Details

Roman Catholic chapel (now deconsecrated). 1964-1965 to designs by Frederick Gibberd, executed by Reynolds and Scott.

MATERIALS: an in-situ reinforced concrete frame with pinkish concrete block walls and a roof covered in copper-faced felt (Ruberoid Ltd).

PLAN: the building has a 100ft (30.5m) diameter octagonal plan with a central sanctuary lit by a tapering lantern tower and a low, projecting, polygonal entrance lobby to one angle with two side doors reached by a pair of angled staircases. A secondary doorway on the opposite side of the building is reached by a double-sided staircase.

EXTERIOR: the chapel stands on raised ground overlooking the college buildings to the south; Hopwood Hall is located to the north. An exposed concrete floorplate with flush concrete block walls overhangs inset concrete corner posts. A narrow, horizontal band of metal-framed, clerestory windows separate the walls from a deep ring beam at eaves level. The ring beam is of board-marked, unpainted reinforced concrete and has counterweights for the roof at the corners. The polygonal entrance lobby also has a concrete floorplate and concrete block walls with a lean-to roof oversailing the clerestory glazing and ring beam to this angle. The angled sides of the entrance lobby both have wide openings with timber and glazed screens incorporating central doors (presently boarded). These are reached by angled staircases (originally cantilevered, now modified or rebuilt with modern tubular handrails). The wall angle opposing the entrance lobby has a secondary entrance via a double doorway to the right-hand side with timber doors with alternating vertical planks and strip glazing and a cantilevered staircase with steps to both sides and a metal handrail to one side. The low-pitched, angled roof is covered in copper-faced felt with standing seams and extends down the lean-to entrance roof also. The lantern tower has exposed concrete ribs and copper-covered ring beams with coloured glass set in a metal framework.

INTERIOR: the sanctuary has two shallow octagonal steps with a central octagonal platform (upon which the rectangular York stone altar originally stood) all with a geometric pattern of buff pavoirs and pavoir-faced risers designed by David Atkins. Above, the central lantern tower has an abstract pattern of rectangles of predominantly yellow and acid-etched white glass with clusters of red, white and green glass, also designed by David Atkins. The sanctuary is surrounded by a wide band of red bricks set into the concrete floor with radiating bands defining aisles between the former segments of seating, a brick encompassing band beneath the outer walls and brick flooring to the entrances. The exposed concrete corner posts rise to the eaves ring beam and angle to extend into the conical roof as projecting ribs rising to the ring beam of the lantern tower. Between the ribs is a pattern of double “Y” shaped expressed concrete framing with white triangular and polygonal infill panels between, forming a bold pattern.

The segment facing the entrance has a polygonal sacristy with concrete block walls and a projecting, polygonal organ gallery and organ with silver pipes. The left-hand side wall has two wide doorways with timber double doors; the left-hand doorway opens off a small polygonal lobby to the secondary entrance and the right-hand doorway opens into the sacristy. The right-hand side wall has two single doorways with timber doors leading into the sacristy, which contains vestment wardrobes, drawers and storage, and electrical plant, with timber doors and panelling.

To the right of the sacristy the polygonal Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament is partially enclosed by low level concrete block walls with stone coping on three sides. The main wall steps down to the centre with decorative ironwork railings to each side of a central timber altar canopy (baldacchino) which extends over both sides of the wall. Within the chapel the canopy is above an abutting stone altar supported on a concrete block stand standing on a brick platform. On the outside the canopy is above a concrete step and a T-shaped stone block with an incised Latin cross set in the wall.

The main entrance lobby has a wide inner doorway into the church with timber double doors to the centre flanked by single outer doors, all with alternating vertical timber planks and strip glazing.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

456600

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Harwood, E, Space Hope & Brutalism. English Architecture 1945-1975, (2015), 452, 454
Manley, C H L, Frederick Gibberd, (2017), 98-99
5 College Chapel, Middleton, Lancashire: Architect Frederick Gibberd in The Architectural Review, (Oct 1, 1965), 254-255
College chapel at Middleton, Lancashire in The Builder, Vol. 210, (21 Jan, 1966), 109-112

End of official list entry

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