Sacred Heart Church, Blackpool
Encyclopedia
The Roman Catholic Church of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, or Sacred Heart Church, is a Roman Catholic church in the seaside resort of Blackpool
, Lancashire
, England. Located on Talbot Road close to the town centre, it was the first Roman Catholic church built in Blackpool. It has been designated a Grade II* listed building by English Heritage
.
. It was designated as a Grade II* listed building by English Heritage
on 20 October 1983. The Grade II* listing is for "particularly important buildings of more than special interest". Sacred Heart is an active church in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lancaster. The parish priest is Canon Robert Dewhurst.
. Its plan consists of a four-bay
nave
with an octagonal crossing
, around which the aisle
s and transept
s lie. The lead roof over the crossing is pyramidal and has an octagonal wooden lantern
with side tracery
. The lantern itself has a pyramidal roof of copper. The church tower is to the west; it has four stages with angled buttress
es and corner pinnacle
s, and buttressed aisle
s with clerestories
. There are three-light windows in the aisles and four-light windows in the nave transepts. Stained glass in the nave windows was deisgned by Frances Barnett of Leith. The windows of the 1894 extension are larger than elsewhere and have reticulated tracery. The large east window has stained glass, possibly by William Wailes
.
The nave arcades
are supported by clustered marble pier
s with foliated tops and moulded lancet arches. There is a two-bay gallery to the west. The chancel
is flanked by two lady chapel
s. The church fittings include a white marble octagonal pulpit
that is carved and sits on red and black columns.
There is a Neo-Georgian
presbytery
to the east of the building that was built c. 1950, and a former school to the west that dates from 1898. The church has no graveyard.
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England. Located on Talbot Road close to the town centre, it was the first Roman Catholic church built in Blackpool. It has been designated a Grade II* listed building by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
.
History
Sacred Heart Church was founded by the Jesuits as the town's first Roman Catholic church. It was built in 1857 to a design by Edward Welby Pugin. The church was enlarged, to the east, in 1894, to a design by Pugin & PuginPugin & Pugin
Pugin & Pugin was a London-based family firm of ecclesiastical architects, founded in the Westminster office of Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin . The firm was succeeded by his sons Cuthbert Welby Pugin and Peter Paul Pugin after the death of their elder brother, Edward Welby Pugin...
. It was designated as a Grade II* listed building by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
on 20 October 1983. The Grade II* listing is for "particularly important buildings of more than special interest". Sacred Heart is an active church in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lancaster. The parish priest is Canon Robert Dewhurst.
Architecture
The church is constructed of stone, with slate roofs, in the English Gothic styleEnglish Gothic architecture
English Gothic is the name of the architectural style that flourished in England from about 1180 until about 1520.-Introduction:As with the Gothic architecture of other parts of Europe, English Gothic is defined by its pointed arches, vaulted roofs, buttresses, large windows, and spires...
. Its plan consists of a four-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
with an octagonal crossing
Crossing (architecture)
A crossing, in ecclesiastical architecture, is the junction of the four arms of a cruciform church.In a typically oriented church , the crossing gives access to the nave on the west, the transept arms on the north and south, and the choir on the east.The crossing is sometimes surmounted by a tower...
, around which the aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
s and transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
s lie. The lead roof over the crossing is pyramidal and has an octagonal wooden lantern
Lantern
A lantern is a portable lighting device or mounted light fixture used to illuminate broad areas. Lanterns may also be used for signaling, as 'torches', or as general light sources outdoors . Low light level varieties are used for decoration. The term "lantern" is also used more generically to...
with side tracery
Tracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
. The lantern itself has a pyramidal roof of copper. The church tower is to the west; it has four stages with angled buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es and corner pinnacle
Pinnacle
A pinnacle is an architectural ornament originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire...
s, and buttressed aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
s with clerestories
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
. There are three-light windows in the aisles and four-light windows in the nave transepts. Stained glass in the nave windows was deisgned by Frances Barnett of Leith. The windows of the 1894 extension are larger than elsewhere and have reticulated tracery. The large east window has stained glass, possibly by William Wailes
William Wailes
William Wailes, , was the proprietor of one of England’s largest and most prolific stained glass workshops.- Biographical :Wailes was born and grew up in Newcastle on Tyne, England’s centre of domestic glass and bottle manufacturing. His first business was as a grocer and tea merchant...
.
The nave arcades
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
are supported by clustered marble pier
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
s with foliated tops and moulded lancet arches. There is a two-bay gallery to the west. The chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
is flanked by two lady chapel
Lady chapel
A Lady chapel, also called Mary chapel or Marian chapel, is a traditional English term for a chapel inside a cathedral, basilica, or large church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary...
s. The church fittings include a white marble octagonal pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
that is carved and sits on red and black columns.
There is a Neo-Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
presbytery
Rectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
to the east of the building that was built c. 1950, and a former school to the west that dates from 1898. The church has no graveyard.