PARISH ARCHITECTS
St Mary Magdalen's
The architect of the new church of St Mary Magdalen was Frank Roberts. It was completed in 1988 at a cost of £250,000.
The church was reviewed at length in Church Building and featured in Country Life as the "Best Church of the Decade".
This combination of fine architecture, good craftsmanship and the use of sensitive artist craftsmen has not been seen since the Arts and Crafts ideals were swamped by the Modern movement.
For this reason alone, St Mary Magdalen, Penwortham, is without doubt the most important church to have been built since Goodhart-Rendel died in the 1950s.
The church was also featured by Lucinda Lambton in her television programme "Hurrah for Today" in 1990 and included in the 20th Century Church Exhibition RIBA Heinz gallery, London 1997.
Source : http://www.francisroberts.com
St Teresa's
St Teresa's Roman Catholic Church was designed in 1959 by Preston Architects, Cassidy and Ashton Partnership, based at East Cliff, Preston.
The Architect was Gerald Cassidy who was assisted in the detailing by Fred Shorrock.
Gerald continued to worship at the Church throughout his life and Cassidy and Ashton dedicated a Pascal Candle Stand, a Mobile Font and two Ciborium bowls in his memory.
The Church is modern in its appearance, having a very high interior created by a series of concrete portal frames with high level glazing producing a well lit and spacious environment for worship; a Parish Meeting Room was added in 2003.
The Church is rectangular, has a simplicity in its choice of materials, with a hexagonal Sanctuary, allowing good visibility from within the Church. The internal metalwork of the Baptistery and the sculpture of the Crucifixion over the Sanctuary are both very striking and effective.
The Church is much admired and has received acclaim from the Art and Architecture Department of the Liverpool Archdiocese. St Teresa's is a simple and homely building creating a most attractive and welcoming Church.
Source : http://www.cassidyashton.co.uk
St Teresa's Social Centre was opened on 17 October 1970 in what used to be the old scout hut - roughly on the site of today's tennis pavilion. In the early 1970s this was knocked down and a new centre was built which has been extended and upgraded over the years. Originally a members' club run by an elected committee, it is now a proprietary club.
Information provided by Peter Reed
