Holy Cross

Introduction

Holy Cross church in Lichfield was built in 1802-3, enlarged and refronted in 1834, and given a transept in 1892. The front of Holy Cross church was designed by Joseph Potter (probably Jnr) of Lichfield.

History

Father John Kirk purchased land in 1802 and commissioned the building of Holy Cross chapel and presbytery. The church of Holy Cross was opened in November 1803. Father John Kirk remained in charge of Holy Cross until his death in 1851. In 1841 Kirk recorded that the chapel had been extended and a bell tower added in 1834.

The church was built by Rev. Dr John Kirk, 1760-1851, influential in the development of the C19 Catholic church. The altar has detached shafts of coloured marble and a low reredos with gabled tabernacle.

Architecture and furnishings

The church is in Norman/Early English transitional style with brick and ashlar dressings. The interior has a panelled cambered ceiling, round sanctuary arch with nook shafts and zig-zag moulding, and a west gallery over the porch. The church has a square angle turret to the left with nook shafts, string course, top cornice and pyramidal roof, and an offset clasping buttress to the right. The round-headed entrance has two orders with shafts and scallop capitals, zig-zag and roll mouldings, and a plank door with enriched strap hinges.

The transept has a coped gable with cross and two windows to the front with 4-light casements and 2 transoms. Holy Cross has a two-manual Bevington pipe organ built in 1843, refurbished during the Holy Cross re-generation project in 2000.

A new schoolroom was built at the rear of the church in 1899 to accommodate 100 pupils. New hymnals, 'Celebration Hymnal for All', were bought for the parish in 2015/16.