Roman Catholic Church of St Peter Roman Catholic Church of St Raphael the Archangel

St Peter’s Church is in the Catholic Parish of St Peter and St Raphael of Stalybridge in the diocese of Shrewsbury.

St Peter's Church.

This church is located off the east side of Castle Hall Close and it was erected in 1838-39. It was designed in the Gothic Revival style by the eminent architect, Matthew Ellison Hadfield (1812-1885). He was born in Glossop and his architectural practice was in Sheffield. His most notable designs were; St John the Evangelist Church, Salford, (became a cathedral in 1850), The Cathedral of the Annunciation and St Nathy, Ballaghaderreen, Ireland (1860), and St Marie’s Church, Sheffield, (became a cathedral in 1980).

St Peter’s Church is built of coursed, rock-faced stone with larger blocks of ashlar stone used for the western front, which faces Castle Hall Close, and it has a slate roof. The interior is notable for its impressive single-span space unbroken by side galleries or aisles. The elaborate high altar of 1869 was designed by the architect, Edmund Kirby (1838-1920), whose architectural practice was in Liverpool.

St Peter’s Church is listed Grade II, List Entry No. 1413252.

St Raphael's Church.

This disused modernist church is located off the east side of Huddersfield Rd, about 1½ miles to the north east of the town centre, and it was closed in 2011 due to high repair costs. The foundation stone was laid on the 14 Oct 1961 by Bishop John Aloysius Murphy and it was opened by Bishop William Eric Grasar on the 25 Apr 1963; both Bishops of Shrewsbury. The church was designed by the architect, Edward J Massey of Massey and Massey of Warrington and it is recognised as one of key projects of this architectural practice.

Of particular architectural interest is the large dome, which references Byzantine themes, and the long colonnade facing Huddersfield Rd. This is comprised of eight segmental concrete arches. The circular columns supporting the arches are of textured concrete with inset heads and bases and they stand on a narrow cobbled strip. The first and eighth arches each contain a timber double doorway with glazed over light and side lights. The second to sixth arches consist of panels of dalle de verre stained glass each divided vertically into three by thin concrete mullion fins. These panels were by Pierre Fourmaintraux of James Powell & Sons (Whitefriars) Ltd of London (aka Whitefriars Glass). Dalle de verre (French for ‘slab of glass’) is an architectural art-glass technique that uses thick, coloured glass pieces set in a matrix of epoxy resin to create durable, light-refracting panels. The resulting artworks are known for their intense colours and chunky, modernist appearance.

Other notable features are the Stations of the Cross and holy water fonts by Alan Boyson, a prominent sculptor and muralist, primarily based in the North West and West Midlands, and the central pendant light fitting by J & C McGloughlin Ltd, an art metal-working company of Dublin.

St Rafael's Church is listed Grade II, List Entry No. 1406451.