The Holy Name, Oakley

Introduction

The church was built to serve miners moving in from Lanarkshire. Charles W Gray designed this rectangular-plan, Romanesque revival church in 1958, with an apse, saddleback-roofed tower and transepts.

Architecture and furnishings

The church has stained glass dalle de verre windows depicting stylised scenes from the life of Jesus in the W clerestorey. The church is whitewashed harl with contrasting sandstone-ashlar dressings, stone cills, a rusticated base course and an eaves course. The south elevation has a crowstepped porch breaking the eaves in the penultimate bay to the right, with steps up to a deep-set two-leaf boarded timber door and a carved figure above on a corbelled base. The west elevation has a gabled elevation with a stone-cross finial, and a small canted apse at the centre with windows to the north and south.

The interior has a vaulted nave with fixed timber pews and a broad chancel arch. The east windows contain symbols of the Eucharist, and the east transept has a window depicting 'Our Lady'. There are two armorial windows in the south chapel.

Sacraments and pastoral care

The parish cares for the sick and elderly at home, in care or hospital, and helps meet material needs locally and abroad. A Reconciliation Service with individual confessions is held during Lent and Advent.