Catholic Church of St Oswald and St Edmund Arrowsmith

St Oswald and St Edmund Arrowsmith, in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Greater Manchester, is an active Roman Catholic church in the Deanery of Wigan and Leigh, and the Archdiocese of Liverpool.^[1]

The church was built in 1925–1930, and houses the shrine of the holy hand of St Edmund Arrowsmith,^[a]St Edmund Arrowsmith is one of the Forty Blessed Martyrs of England and Wales. a locally born Jesuit priest who was martyred for his faith in 1628, and canonised in 1970; the reliquary is now housed in the Lady Chapel. Designed in the French Romanesque style, the church is “considered the masterwork of J. Sydney Brocklesby”.^[2]

St Oswald and St Edmund Arrowsmith was designated a Grade II listed buildingStructure of particular architectural and/or historic interest deserving of special protection. in 1988, upgraded to Grade II* in 2026 owing to its its “remarkable architectural and historic significance”.^[2][3] The presbyteryPart of the chancel in a Christian church housing the altar, or a residence for Roman Catholic priests. and church gates are separately listed as Grade II structures.^[4][5]

Architecture

The architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner has described St Oswald and St Edmund Arrowsmith as “totally outdated” but “ambitious” and “impressive”.^[6]

The church is built of pink and buff Darley Dale and Parbold stone, with concrete domes and vaults. Its plan consists of a naveCentral part of a church, used by the laiety., an apsidialSemicircular or polygonal termination of the chancel, which is typically situated at the eastern end of a Christian church. chancelPart of a church containing the altar, used by the officiating clergy. and ambulatoryGeneral term for a covered walkway, and more specifically for the walkway linking the two chancel aisles behind the high altar., a south-west tower, and north and south chapelsChristian place of prayer and worship, smaller than a church. to the nave.^[2]

There are nineteen stained-glass windows by the Dublin-born artist Harry Clarke, some completed after his death.^[2][3]

External links

• Official web site