The magnificent Gothic edifice was built for
the dual purpose of serving the Irish Catholic community based around
Mickley and West Wylam collieries and commemorating the founder of the
Mission, Matthew Liddell of Prudhoe Hall. He
had been the principal owner of the Mickley Coal Co and it was his
wealth and generosity, which were crucial to the development of the
Catholic Faith in the area. His widow,
Susanna, after his death in 1881, entrusted the design to Dunn, Hansom
and Dunn, a firm of architects based in Newcastle.
Less grand than many of their mature works, the
church is built on a diminutive scale and is relatively modest in its
execution. Yet, a great deal of care has
been lavished on it, and it abounds both inside and out with fine
carving and rich contrasts of materials, colours and textures.
Archibald Dunn (1832-1917) and Edward Hansom (1842-1900) are
among the most important but unsung local architects.
Under the style of Dunn and Hansom they became the
foremost Catholic architects in the North of England, and gained such
notability for their prodigious church-building that they received
three of the most prestigious English Catholic commissions since the
Reformation – namely the colleges of Downside, Stonyhurst and
Ushaw. Their principal works in the North
East include the noble tower and spire of St. Mary’s Roman
Catholic Cathedral in Newcastle, and the magnificent church of St.
Michael in Elswick. Dunn was also a
prominent local landowner. Across the valley from Prudhoe is Castle
Hill House (1878-9), which he designed and built for his own occupation
in Wylam, the town of his birth.
Our Lady and St Cuthbert’s origins as a memorial church
are immediately visible. It reproduces the short nave and
asymmetrically-attached belfry of chapels he had designed at St
Andrew’s Cemetery, Hexham and Benfieldside Cemetery, Blackhill
during the early part of his career. The
small entrance porch on the south side allows a vast window to occupy
the east face. Above the steeply-pitched
nave rises an octagonal bell-tower with open belfry and gargoyles
projecting from each vertex. The tower is
akin to those Dunn and Hansom created for St Bede’s Church,
Jarrow in 1885, and the church ends with a robust semi-hexagonal apse,
which was their preferred method of enshrining the chancel. Apsidal
termination was also a characteristically French device and it was
common for English Catholic churches to be given this kind of stylistic
inflection, in order to distinguish them from their Anglican
counterparts. Perhaps the most consistent
feature of Dunn and Hansom’s work are the gargoyles that
continually haunt the upper portions of their buildings.
Here they are carved with consummate attention to
variety and expressiveness. Unusually,
however, they represent signs of the zodiac, a kind of symbolism that
does not occur elsewhere in their work and which is unusual in any
architectural context.
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Interior of Church photographed in 2005
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The building itself is ‘Perpendicular’ in style.
This term refers to the latest phase of medieval Gothic architecture,
which flourished c.1335-1530 and is typified by the church’s
membranous tracery and ornate wooden roof. The
firm employed this mode frequently towards the end of their career, it
was the style of their greatest ecclesiastical works.
This may be observed from the chapel of St Aloysius,
part of their majestic contribution to Stonyhurst College in Lancashire.
The placement of the mortuary is evident from the sepulchral
character of the sombre north transept, penetrated only by a single
rose window and adorned with symmetrical finials. Spanning
the wall is an arcade of pointed arches. These
enclose heraldic and foliated carving in which the monograms of Matthew
and Susanna Liddell figure prominently. Dunn
had a love of heraldry and it enriched the works produced throughout
his entire career. It is not surprising
that this passion extended to monograms, and such motifs pervade both
Castle Hill House and his early masterpiece Neville Hall in Newcastle,
as well as our Lady and St Cuthbert’s.
The Reredos in the mortuary chapel has a painting giving a
composite picture of Heaven, Earth and Purgatory. Purgatory
is depicted symbolically by rising, golden flames.
Earth is roofed by clouds and presents nine men and
women who are appealing to heaven with their prayers for those who may
be undergoing their purification in the flames below them.
So, we are encouraged to join our prayers to theirs
for the repose of the souls of the Faithful Departed, including those
of Mr and Mrs Liddell. This brings out the
whole meaning of the Mortuary Chapel. Notice
the predominant place given to the Glorious Christ.
His Mother Mary kneels before Him and petitions her
divine Son. The two smaller angels above
his shoulders are supplicating Him. All
heaven joins the prayer of the Faithful on earth in their charity
towards the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Christ
blesses all and gestures gently towards his Mother.
The Six Angels of the Frame itself support shields
bearing the implements of Christ’s Passion: the whipping post and
scourges, the seamless garment and the crown of thorns, the hammer and
pincers, the spear and sponge and the three nails.
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Fr Augustine Simmons requested the Church Furnishers,
T. Thomason & Co of Graham Street in
Birmingham, who were manufacturers of pulpits, reredoses, choir stalls,
lecterns, memorial brasses, to design a decorative metal screen for the
Mortuary Chapel, which was to be painted black with a little gilding at
a total cost of £30. The
drawing of the design above was sent to Fr Simmons on 11th
April 1906, but for some unknown reason the work was never carried out.
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Dunn and Hansom’s churches are
remarkable for the spiritual erudition that is displayed in their
planning and decoration. This is seen to
best effect in the splendid church of our Lady and the English Martyrs,
Cambridge, a cruciform edifice of gleaming white stone that overflows
with effigies and portraits of saints, bishops and kings.
Yet, is also apparent in the more modest churches
they created throughout their own diocese. At
Prudhoe the chancel ends with a tabernacle containing statues of the
Virgin and Child and St Cuthbert, which give tangible expression to the
church’s dedication. Though
weathered, they set a high standard that is upheld by the statuary
inside, the finest instance being the beautiful representation of the
baptism of Christ, aptly situated in the baptistry.
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An unsigned Victorian oil painting which is a copy of Raphael
Madonna and Child.
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The word ‘Nave’ is derived from
the Latin word ‘navis’ which means boat or ship. The Nave
is covered by a pitch pine roof, clearly evoking an upturned ship. This
is a fine wooden-truss roof with fibrous tracery between the structural
timbers. In keeping with the contemporary
liturgy, the richness of the nave roof is exceeded by the
lavishly-stencilled chancel ceiling. This
ensures that nave and chancel – the sacred and worldly domains
– are kept visibly distinct. The
glowing colours of these fittings are beautifully offset by the more
muted tones of the dappled grey stonework. The
Reredos of the High Altar contains the symbols of the four Evanglists:
Matthew – a winged man; Mark – a winged lion; Luke –
a winged ox; and John – a winged eagle. The Tabernacle, which
contains the most holy Eucharist, has fine brass doors and is
embellished with four enamels, Alpha Omega (the first and last letters
of the Greek alphabet) and IHS (the first three letters of
‘Jesus’) CHR (Christ). Above
the Tabernacle (Tent) is the throne for the Crucifix, above which is a
carving of a Pelican with the words: ‘Adoramus Te Christe’
(‘We adore Thee O Christ’) Following the edicts of the
renowned Catholic architect A.W.N. Pugin, Dunn and Hansom’s work
continually embodies the ideals of rational construction and structural
expression, and the ceiling fulfils Pugin’s assertion that
decoration may enrich but must never disguise construction. Similarly, the visual effect of the gargoyles
is underscored by their functional purpose of channelling away water.
Owing to the poverty of the Roman Catholic population, many
of Dunn and Hansom’s northern churches are small, aisleless
buildings devoid of decoration. Situated
in the poorest areas of town, among the chemical works and factories,
they are often little more than meagre preaching boxes.
At Prudhoe, however, the beneficence of the Liddell
family ensured that the architects were able to transcend the usual
financial difficulties and produce a perfect example of splendour on a
small scale. Replete with naturalistic
carving and expressive gargoyles, the church has the full beauty of the
firm’s mature work. Its turbulent
history of transference and alteration has not impaired the original
fabric, and Our Lady and St Cuthbert’s remains one of the most
pious and beautiful churches that Dunn and Hansom ever created,
undiminished as a monument to their contribution to the architecture of
the North East.
The fine octagonal Bell Tower with open belfry is home to a
fine bell cast by Taylor’s of Loughborough with the following
inscription:
“Bell made in 1891
– 300 cwt”.
It has the following Latin inscription around
the base:
“Me Sonnante Pia Succure Virgo
Maria”
(“O Blessed
Virgin Mary When I Am Sounded Come To Our Aid”)
To the right above the porch, there is a pair
of human heads in place of gargoyles. They
are thought to be representations of Mrs Susanna Liddell who built the
church and her nephew Mr John Liddell, carrying the scales of justice
as a Justice of the Peace, who paid for the relocation of the church.
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Gargoyles
of Susanna and John Liddell (Notice the scales of justice in indicating
his office as Justice of the Peace for Northumberland)
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Superb
carving of Agnus Dei
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At the end of the drip stones of the upper
Sacristy windows are the heads of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Above these is a superb carving of Agnes Dei
(the Lamb of God).
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South Side
of the Church
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The Main
Door
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The Belfry
with Gargoyles and Weather Cock
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DUNN HANSOM & DUNN
Archibald Mathias Dunn was born in 1832. His father was Mathias Dunn, a Mining Engineer
and Manager and one of the first Government Inspectors of Mines for the
North East of England. Archibald was
educated at Ushaw and Stonyhurst. He then
went to Bristol to be apprenticed to Charles Francis Hansom (1816-1888)
the younger brother of Joseph Aloysius Hansom (Inventor of the Hansom
Cab in 1834 and Founder of the Builder). It
was here that Dunn met his future partner Edward Joseph Hansom
(1842-1900) son of C.F.Hansom.
A.M.Dunn returned to Newcastle after completing his
training and set up a practice in c.1855 and about 1871 formed a
partnership with E.J.Hansom. As well as having an office in Newcastle,
they established another office at 2 Westminster Gardens in London in
1880. About 1887 a son of A.M. Dunn became
a partner and the firm became known as Dunn, Hansom & Dunn.
In 1862 Archibald Mathias Dunn married Sara an
authoress and daughter of Hugh Armstrong of Newcastle and Bromley, Kent. They were fond of travelling and Dunn
published a book in 1886 ‘Notes and sketches of an
Architect’ – a collection of sketches made in France,
Germany, Spain and England based on their travels.
Dunn and Sara resided at Castle Hill House in Wylam
in Northumberland, which he had designed and built in 1878. Previous to this they had been living in
Gateshead, where Dunn was an Alderman, one time Mayor and also a
Justice of the Peace for County Durham, and in 1870 was President of
the Northern Architectural Association.
Dunn also submitted a design for Westminster
Cathedral, which was unsuccessful (J.F.Bently received this commission).
Dunn retired from full time practice around 1883-87
with the firm later becoming Dunn, Hansom & Fenwicke.
In 1901 Archibald and Sara moved to Wood House,
Branksome Park, Bournemouth, where he died on 17th January
1917 in his eighty fifth year, leaving £36,000.
Here is a list of his works:
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1854 Saint Mary’s RC
Church, Blackhill
1858 National School,
Blythe
1858 St. Andrew’s
Cemetery, Hexham
1858 St. Joseph’s RC
Church, Gateshead
1860 St Anthony of Padua
RC Church, Walker, Newcastle
1858 Our Lady and St
Wilfrid RC Church, Blythe
1869 St George’s RC
Church, Bells Close, Lemington
1873 Saint Dominic’s
RC Church, Newcastle
18?? St.
Nicholas’ Cemetery, Newcastle.
1868 Prudhoe Hall, Prudhoe
1868 Mining Institute/Wood
Memorial Hall, Newcastle
1878 Castle Hill House,
Wylam.
Dunn & Hansom
1860 Spire of Saint
Mary’s Cathedral, Newcastle.
1882 Alterations to
Pugin’s Chapel, Ushaw
1876 Saint Matthew’s
School (mainly Hansom), South Road, Prudhoe
Dunn, Hansom & Dunn
1887 Medical School,
Northumberland Road, Newcastle
1891 St Michael’s RC
Church, Westmorland Rd, Newcastle
1891 Our Lady and St
Cuthbert RC Church, Prudhoe
1893 St Joseph’s RC
Church, Hartlepool.
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THE
2004/5 RESTORATION OF THE CHURCH
The
Church of Our Lady and St Cuthbert is a marvellous Dunn, Hanson and
Dunn Grade II List building set in its own walled grounds in Prudhoe,
Northumberland. Napper
Architects were commissioned in November 2001, with a remit to complete
the project to coincide with the church centenary celebrations in
October 2005.
The
significant £600,000 conservation and restoration project
included: total renewal of the internal Sanctuary spalled limestone
ashlar; adaptation of the baptismal font; cleaning of the terrazzo and
parquet flooring; limewashing and decoration of the whole interior; new
bespoke furniture to the Sanctuary and Nave; replacement heating and
lighting installation; replacement lead and slate roofing including
cast iron decorative ridge; re-pointing and DDA compliance works,
including substantial external terrace works. Other works included;
improvements to the confessional, adaptation of the choir balcony rail,
the installation of staircase to upper store for the Sacristy and the
cleaning and sealing of the ceilings. The
main contractor was Stephen Easten Ltd of Newcastle.
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Heating
engineers from Myers Ltd of Sunderland installing new boiler &
pipework
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Preparatory works for both underground electric cables
for floodlighting and new pavement in Matlock sandstone.
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The Parish Council
and Finance Committee were consulted from the start of the planning
process. All the
parishioners were kept up to date on the expected costs of the project. In the beginning, the
cost of some remedial work was thought to be in the region of
£50,000! A
certain degree of dismay must have been experienced by the parish as
the cost inevitably escalated.
But all can now enjoy a rare achievement, that of a completely
conserved and restored church. The Historic Churches
Committee of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle vetted all the work of
conservation and restoration.
The work was carried out between October 2004 and
April 2005. All
the pews were removed from the church and taken to Liverpool by Hayes
and Finch Ltd for refurbishment.
All the floors were protected with wooden boards and
the high altar was boxed in to prevent damage. During this time, all
the weekend Masses were provided at St Matthew’s School in
Highfield Lane, with weekday Masses being held in the Presbytery.
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The floor
of the church protected by boards and the high alter boxed in for
protection
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Scaffolding
for work on re-leading the roof and re-gilding of the weather cock
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The Sanctuary
furniture, Altar, Ambo and Ministerial Chair are solid marble quarried
in the Sichuan Province of Western China. The top piece of the Altar
weighs 1200 kilograms.
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Classic
Masonry uses 'A' frame to lift the altar top into place
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St
Cuthber's Cross carved into the base of altar
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The design of
the Ministerial Chair has been loosely based on the 7th
century stone chair in Hexham Abbey, known as the Frith Stool, believed
to have been used by St Wilfrid when he was bishop there. The marble
was principally processed by a company known as Chunkai Trading in
their factory in Fuzhou (Fujian Province) on the south east coast of
China, near the Taiwan Straits.
This was all arranged by Classic Masonry, who
installed the marble in the Sanctuary in September 2005 in time for the
Centenary Mass of Thanksgiving on 5th October.
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The
Ministerial Chair
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The Ambo
or Lectern
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Charles McReavy from Gosforth, the nephew of
Monsignor Lawrence McReavy who had been professor of Canon Law for many
years at Ushaw College and a very accomplished watercolours artist, was
responsible for the painstaking work of restoring the High Altar and
the Stations of the Cross, using 23 carat gold leaf. Charles took the
Stations of the Cross to his home to work on them, but the work on the
high altar involved many trips back and forth, applying the three hour
gold size to dry before the application of the gold leaf.
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Altar and
Reredos with the four Evangelists embellished with gold leaf
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Disabled access and disabled toilet were major items
of expenditure in the project.
Matlock sandstone was used for all the paving on the
south side of the church.
Floodlighting to the church and the automation of
the Church Bell enhanced the presence of the building in the locality. Smiths of Derby
installed the bell ringing mechanism and timer, allowing for the hours
to be struck and the Angelus to ring out at twelve noon and six in the
evening. Several
groups of women from the town on visiting the church after the work had
been completed, such as Prudhoe Heights and the Wednesday group, were
curious about the significance of the extra strikes of the Bell at
midday and in the evening.
As a result of Father Zielinski explaining the
significance of the Angelus to them, about 40 non-Catholic women in
ear-shot of the Bell are now praying the Angelus.
The church was completely rewired and a
sophisticated lighting system installed. The dimming system provides
great versatility, allowing the creation of multiple lighting
‘scenes’ in both Nave and Sanctuary. The effect is to make
the most of the architectural features of the building, and to change
the ‘mood’ to fit varying liturgical themes, such as
gathering, celebration, adoration, and meditation, or changing the
focus from altar to baptismal font, to reredos.
A new church organ with digitally sampled pipe
sounds was installed by Edinburgh Organ Studio from Edinburgh.
The final piece of work, which was not carried out
until October 2006, concerned the waterproofing and provision of Matlock
sandstone to the Crypt of the Church, and the engraving of the names of
Matthew and Susanna Liddell above the entrance. It seems fitting
their final resting place in the Church, which their generous provision
had brought about, should also enjoy some conservation and restoration
to mark the centenary of the translation of their mortal remains from
Prudhoe Hall to Highfield Lane.
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Bishop
Kevin Dunn presides at the Centenary Mass on the 5th of October 2005,
during which the new altar was consecrated.
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Donations gratefully accepted to the church restoration fund.