Description

637/0/10010 COACH ROAD
20-JUL-05 CHURCH OF ST BEGH

II
Church, Roman Catholic, 1865-68, designed by E W Pugin, son of A.W.N. Pugin. Rock-faced coursed sandstone with red sandstone ashlar dressings, those round windows having alternating red and grey stone. Nave and apsidal chancel under a single roof of flat clay tiles in a variegated pattern, with aisles to each side extending as side chapels to the beginning of the apse, and a projecting vestry on the north side. EXTERIOR: The shallow chancel is a three-sided apse with a hipped roof, buttresses, and three large pointed arch windows with simple tracery flanked by projecting buttresses and steeply pointed pediments. Small quatrefoil windows above the main windows, repeated as decoration below. Clerestorey windows also quatrefoil. Chancel has two narrow round-arched windows to each side at clerestorey height, and two more on the side chapels. Each side chapel has a circular window in the gable end to the side of the chancel. To north between side chapel and aisle, a two-storey vestry and offices with three rectangular windows under a pitched roof, with single storey extension to outer gable end. North aisle has three and south aisle four windows with geometric tracery, somewhat truncated at the base, filling the spaces between prominent buttresses. Main entrance at west front. Shallow flight of 5 steps up to central wooden double iron-hinged door with overlight, in pointed arch doorway. Quatrefoil decorative plate to each side, and narrow lanceolate windows above, central one with geometric tracery. Strong buttresses with offsets to each side. Aisles each have pointed arched windows with tracery on west front.
INTERIOR: Shallow semi-circular chancel with three stained glass windows. Elaborately cusped and crocketted blind arcading in white marble with black marble shafts, with carved wooden benches below. Walls painted white and vaulted ceiling with decorative painted panels.Pulpit in the centre, wooden reading desk to left and tabernacle to right. Hanging sign in illuminated letters above "LUX LUCET IN TENEBRIS". Side chapel to left with original carved wooden doors reset in modern frames, double arched opening to chancel, late C20 altar, marble font, stained glass rose window and decorated painted walls and ceiling. Lady chapel to right with late C20 altar, decorated painted ceiling, stained glass rose window and double arched opening to chancel. Nave with stepped scissor truss roof rising from arcade columns that are alternately round and octagonal, with angular bases and capitals. These support the pointed arches of the arcade and the aisles, and both are banded in red and pale grey stone. Pews are pine and wrought iron benches, and the former altar rail in painted wrought iron acts as front of foremost pews. Aisles have the same pews, and a mono-pitched ceiling. North aisle has former choir above door to vestry, now blocked. Vestry with fitted wooden cupboards. Fixings for a pulpit formerly on column on left side of the nave remain. At the west end, a late C20 choir in wood is raised above a glass and wood panelled narthex.
SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE
A fine and relatively unaltered Roman Catholic church designed by the eminent architect E W Pugin, showing both typical and original features of the architect's style, it is well worth listing.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• St Begh's Church, Whitehaven at Wikipedia
• St Begh's Church, Whitehaven official website
• Wikidata Q26671346

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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