St. Charles Borromeo, Hadfield

Introduction

Saint Charles Borromeo in Hadfield was built in 1858 by JG Weightman, ME Hadfield and George Goldie.

Architecture and furnishings

The church is in Gothic Revival style. The church is built of coursed rock-faced millstone grit with ashlar dressings and Welsh slate roofs. The plan includes a south-west tower, nave with north and south aisles, north porch, chancel with north and south chapels, and a presbytery attached to the south-east. The Lady chapel was added in 1888.

Alterations were made in 1918-22. A north chancel chapel was added in 1940. The interior has a 5 bay nave arcade with round piers and cushion capitals. The fittings include a large freestone and marble reredos with niches containing carved figures under crocketed and pinnacled canopies and gilt angels.

The stone polygonal pulpit with carved scenes on marble shafts dates from 1894. The stained glass includes south aisle windows by Mayer & Co of Munich. The church has a chamfered plinth and a tower with a polygonal south-west stair turret, three stages, and an ashlar parapet. The west front of the nave has two small lancets, two tall lancets with a carved figure under a gabled canopy, and a circular window with trefoil tracery.

The north front has an off-centre gabled porch with a pointed arch doorway and double plank doors with iron hinges, and six circular clerestory windows above. The south front has three double lancets, a gabled confessional, a single triple lancet, and six circular clerestory windows above. The east apsidal chancel has two circular clerestory windows to each side and three tall lancets to the east. The fittings include a stone altar with marble columns and carved angels flanking the crown of thorns.

The fittings include a stone font on a pedestal with claws. Many of the wooden fittings date from the 1930s and 1950s.