Our Lady Queen of Martyrs

Introduction

Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Newhouse, within the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, was built in 1883 by William de Normanville and William Fox, incorporating the chancel of an earlier church by T J Wilson, in Gothic Revival style. The church is particularly notable for its Holy Souls chapel, lined with marble, considered a relative rarity for a parish church.

History

The mission in Willington was founded as early as 1651 and endowed by Sir George Smythe and his son. A new church was opened on 21 October 1871 by Bishop Chadwick, with the foundation stone laid on land donated by Sir Frederick Smythe.

In 1881 this church was damaged by fire and was rebuilt to designs of Catholic architect William de Normanville, with a new nave and tower but retaining the original chancel. A fire in 1881 destroyed the Lady Chapel and much of the furnishings and a virtually new church was built, opened on St Patrick's Day 1883.

A new altar and stained glass was added in 1888 and the altar replaced in 1894 by a grander one of Bere stone and coloured marbles by Fr Fortin. The church was consecrated by Bishop Wilkinson on 27 September 1895.

A timber screen was added to the west end of the church to create a larger porch and a new confessional room. Fr Fortin died on 25 April 1901 at the age of 56, after serving as chaplain to British troops in the Boer War from mid May to mid November 1900.

Architecture and furnishings

The church has an aisleless nave, chancel and W tower and a N chapel, with a presbytery attached to the NE corner by a linking sacristy. The E end is surmounted by a cross finial with a highly placed rich, curvilinear window with a gabled hoodmould. The buttressed W end is formed by a three-stage tower with a crenelated parapet and corner finials. The E window depicts Our Lady of Sorrows, and may date from 1894.

The sanctuary is placed in front of the chancel arch on a dais, with an altar of Bere stone with enriched marble columns and an inset panel depicting the Descent of Christ from the Cross. The original, but truncated Gothic marble reredos is sited in the chancel arch, comprising five of the Seven Sorrows of Mary. The fine and ornate alabaster tabernacle is set to the right with slender marble columns supporting a Gothic arch with angels and a floral frieze over, on a new white marble plinth. In the tympanum over the reredos is a modern five-light stained glass window to St John Boste.

The aisleless nave has seating of simple open-backed pine pews with inverted Y-shaped ends, which might date from the original 1871 church. There is a single stained glass window in the S wall depicting the women at the tomb and Noli me Tangere. The Holy Souls Chapel has stone Gothic arcading carried on slender marble columns with floral bosses to the spandrels, inset with marble panels recording month by month the names of the dead of the parish. There is a timber gallery at the W end with a trefoil-headed arcaded gallery front, supported on a pair of ornate cast-iron columns. The church is built of local stone with ashlar dressings and Welsh slate roofs.

Music and liturgy

The Prayer and Spirituality Group exists to support the Parish Priest, to develop and enrich the liturgical life of the parish, and to deepen the individual and collective spirituality of parishioners. The Parish Pastoral Council is presided over by the Parish Priest and its purpose is to enable the laity and clergy to share responsibility for parish life. In 1903 a new organ by Blackett and Howden of Newcastle was installed, possibly in an extended organ loft.

Parish life

Baptism preparation sessions are held three times a year at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Parish Centre. The parish is part of the Finchale Partnership, a partnership of Catholic parishes in and around Durham City, joined at Pentecost 2017.

Sacraments and pastoral care

Preparation for First Holy Communion and Reconciliation is open to baptised Catholic children from School Year 4 and above and follows the Diocesan Programme. Confirmation preparation follows the Diocesan Programme, with students in diocesan Catholic schools taught a module in their R.E. lessons at the end of year 8. The confirmation programme may be run in conjunction with other parishes in the Finchale Partnership if appropriate.

Visiting

The church is Grade II listed and the listing includes the attached presbytery. The gallery houses the organ and steps give access to the second stage of the tower which has half-height panelling. The underside of the gallery is enclosed with etched glass panels to create a narthex and within this the main W door entrance has double-boarded doors. The first steps towards arranging the church for the new style liturgy of the 60s were taken by the parish priest at that time.