SS Mary and John Church

Introduction

The church is noted as a good example of a mid-Victorian Catholic church, notable particularly for its rich interior fittings and the excellent naturalistic carving of corbels and capitals.

Architecture and furnishings

The church is built of ashlar with a slate roof in the Decorated style. The church has an apsidal chancel with flanking chapels and sacristy to the south, a nave with lean-to aisles and transepts. The west facade has an entrance of two orders with a Crucifixion in the tympanum over enriched paired doors, a 6-light window above, and a gable with a Crucifix and flanking figures of SS Mary and John. The interior includes a High Altar and reredos enriched with niches and angels, with a tabernacle having a throne above with pinnacle.

The church has good stained glass, particularly at the east end, probably by Hardman. The church has a 3-bay chancel with flanking 3-bay apsidal chapels, all with gabled 2-light windows. The nave has 5-bay arcades and higher arches to transepts with quatrefoil piers and rich foliate capitals. The chancel has 3-bay arcades with rich foliate capitals, traceried parclose screens, and a vaulted roof on wall shafts.

The nave has a deep arch-braced boarded roof with corbelled shafts and stencilling. The west organ gallery has two traceried organ cases and an overthrow. The altar rail has traceried alabaster panels. The stone pulpit has traceried panels and relief angels.

The outer north chapel has a rich panelled octagonal font with a smaller bowl to the side. The east end has stencilled patterns and a rich cornice. The chancel arch has a hood mould and headstops. The inner chapels have pointed tunnel vaults, cut through for arcades. The chapels have altars except for the outer north chapel.