Catholic Church of St Oswald and St Edmund Arrowsmith

53°29′06″N 2°38′28″W / 53.485°N 2.641°W / 53.485; -2.641

St Oswald and St Edmund Arrowsmith
Shrine and Parish Church of St Oswald and St Edmund Arrowsmith, Ashton-in-Makerfield
Map
OS grid referenceSJ5756298889
LocationAshton-in-Makerfield
CountryUnited Kingdom
DenominationRoman Catholic
WebsiteSt Oswald and St Edmund Arrowsmith Parish
History
StatusActive
DedicationSt Oswald & St Edmund Arrowsmith
Relics heldHand of Edmund Arrowsmith
Architecture
Functional statusParish church
Heritage designationGrade II[1]
Designated1988
Architect(s)J. K. Brocklesby
StyleRomanesque
Completed1930
Administration
ArchdioceseLiverpool
DeaneryWigan
Clergy
Priest(s)Rev Canon John Gorman
Deacon(s)Paul Blinston, John O'Brien, Jim Byrne

The Catholic Church of St Oswald and St Edmund Arrowsmith is a Roman Catholic parish church located on Liverpool Road in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Greater Manchester, England, which is a Grade II-listed building and includes the Diocesan Shrine of St Edmund Arrowsmith.

Building

edit

The first Catholic church on the site was built in 1822. The old church was demolished and the foundation stone of the new building was laid in 1925.

The present church was constructed in the Romanesque style and completed in 1930, with the architect being J. K. Brocklesby.[2] The bell tower, on the right of the facade is a notable landmark with its green copper pyramid roof that can be seen on the drive into Ashton from Stubshaw Cross. The interior has two saucer domes and an apse. The altar itself has marble flooring and four red carpets. It has four seats either side for the Altar servers to be seated. At the back of the altar is the Tabernacle, and eight candles. Above the altar are stained glass windows of saints designed by Harry Clarke.

The presbytery and the church gates, which both date from 1822, are also Grade II Listed.[3][4]

Nikolaus Pevsner described the church as "totally outdated" but "ambitious" and "impressive".[2]

Relic

edit

The church houses a holy relic, the hand of St Edmund Arrowsmith, who was one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.[5]

Parish priests

edit
  • Canon James O'Meara 1896–1946
  • Fr John Joseph McLaughlin 1946–1950
  • Canon Robert Wilfrid Meagher 1950–1970
  • Canon Francis J Ripley 1970–1991
  • Fr Brian Newns 1991–2019
  • Fr John Gorman 2019–[6]
edit

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH OF ST OSWALD AND ST EDMUND ARROWSMITH, Wigan - 1068462 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk.
  2. ^ a b Nikolaus Pevsner (1969). South Lancashire: The Industrial and Commercial South. Penguin. p. 66. ISBN 0300096151. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  3. ^ "ST OSWALD'S PRESBYTERY, Wigan - 1356252 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk.
  4. ^ "GATES AND GATE PIERS TO ST OSWALD'S CHURCH, Wigan - 1068463 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk.
  5. ^ Ryan, Patrick W.F. "Ven. Edmund Arrowsmith." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 17 February 2018
  6. ^ Plumb, Brian. "Found Worthy: A Biographical Dictionary of theSecular Clergy of the Archdiocese of Liverpool (deceased), 1850-2000" (PDF). www.nwcatholichistory.org.uk.