St. Joseph

Introduction

The Roman Catholic church was built in 1893-95 by E.J. Hansom of Newcastle. The church is built of brick with red sandstone dressings and Westmorland slate roofs.

Architecture and furnishings

The church has a clearstoried and aisled nave, apsed chancel, north and south transept chapels, sacristies in the south-east angle of the south transept, and a north-west porch. The nave has six bays defined by buttresses, with clearstorey windows in two-centred arches and paired trefoil-headed lancets to the north aisle. The west doorway has four roll-moulded orders and granite shafts with leafy capitals under a water-leaf moulded hoodmould. The gargoyles above the pilasters of the decagonal sanctuary apse and similar gargoyles to the west gable are by Milburn of York.

The nave arcades have compound piers and figures of angels to spandrels by Bolton & Sons of Cheltenham. The middle three windows of the apse have stained glass of Bible scenes by Glossley, Atkinson & Co. The marble reredos to the three faces of the apse incorporates four figures of the Virgin and saints in turreted niches, with a central niche containing a Crucifix flanked by mosaic panels. The altar has marble and alabaster sides and a grey granite mensa.

Each chapel has an altar and reredos of marble and alabaster, with figures and rails. The circular marble font stands on four compound shafts with foliate alabaster capitals and a moulded octagonal plinth. An ornamental sanctuary lamp in brass and iron is suspended from an iron bracket. The church has Decorated-style traceries to the nave and 2-bay chancel.

The roof is ceiled with timber boarding in the chancel apse, where wall-posts rise from angel corbels. The south aisle has blank arcading. The church has vitreous mosaic to the aisle floors and a marble mosaic chancel floor. The church has marble and alabaster side rails.