Church of St Ignatius Oxford Street Salford

CHURCH, SALFORD - The Church of St. Ignatius, now being erected by Earl Egerton of Tatton, is situated in the parish of St. Bartholomew, Salford. The site fronts Oxford-street, which leads into Regent-road, and will be bounded on the east and south by new streets, now in course of construction. The new church is to seat 500 persons. The church is being erected from the designs and under the superintendence of the architects, Messrs Darbyshire & Smith, and the foundations are being executed by Messrs. William Brown & Son, contractors, of Salford. [Builder 5 July 1902 page 17]

The new Church of St Ignatius in Oxford Street, Salford, which has just been consecrated, is built of brick with terra cotta dressings, the nave columns being of mottled red Runcorn stone. A campanile is placed at the Oxford Street end. In addition to the usual church accommodation, a parish room is provided in the basement under the choir vestry and south transept. The buildings throughout are equipped with electric light from the Corporation cables. This portion of the work has been carried out by Messrs F W Smith and Company of Salford and the terra cotta is the work of Mr Jabez Thompson of Northwich. The church has been executed from the designs of Messrs Darbyshire and Smith of Brazennose Street, Manchester and the whole of the work has been carried out by Messrs W Brown and Sons of Salford. The actual cost of the structure and parish room with its furniture is £9,641. [British Architect 13 November 1903 Page 362]

SALFORD - The church of St. Ignatius, which was consecrated by the Bishop of Manchester on Thursday in last week, has been built by Earl Egerton, of Tatton, in a new district. The site is a part of the ground originally belonging to the Tatton estate, occupied for many years by the Infantry Barracks, and sold by the War Office to the Salford Corporation, from whom it was purchased. It fronts Oxford‑street, leading into Regent‑road. The new church is about the same size as that built recently by Lord Egerton at Ordsall, and will seat 500 persons. Earl Egerton decided to adopt the round ‑arched Romanesque style. The material is brick, with terra cotta dressings, and the nave columns are of mottled red Runcorn stone. The church has been built from the designs and under the superintendent of the architects, Messrs Darbyshire and Smith of Manchester. Its cost, with' the furniture, is about ,9,500. [Building News 30 October 1903 page 602].

A CHURCH BUILT BY EARL EGERTON - The Church of St Ignatius, which will be consecrated by the Bishop of Manchester tomorrow, has been built by Earl Egerton of Tatton in a new district comprising about 8,000 inhabitants, taken from the parish of St Bartholomew’s Salford. The site is a part of the ground originally belonging to the Tatton estate, occupied for so many years by the Infantry Barracks and sold by the War Office to the Salford Corporation from whom it was purchased. It fronts Oxford Street, leading into Regent Road, and is bounded on the east and south by streets recently laid out. The new church is about the same size as that built recently by Lord Egerton at Ordsall, and will seat about 500 persons. The church of St Ignatius has not been controlled - as with St Cypians – by any architectural surroundings, and Earl Egerton decided to adopt the round arched Romanesque or Byzantine style, which found such beautiful expression in North Italy and Germany. The material is brick, with terra cotta dressings and the nave columns are of mottled red Runcorn stone. The east end is apsidal, and the columns of the arcading are of variegated serpentine, the circular headed panels being fitted with mosaics representing vases of lilies on a gold ground. The altar table and reredos are of oak, chestnut, walnut and yew frown on the Tatton estate, and the picture of the Last Supper has been painted by the Hon. Mrs Mitford, with a gold background and other enrichments. The altar cloth and frontal of silk ornamented with white lilies and gold cross have been embroidered by the Duchess of Buckingham and Chandos. A handsome campanile stands at the west end near Oxford Street. Opposite the west door is a recess containing a font of Caen stone with a granite shaft. Besides the church accommodation, a large parish room has been provided in the basement under the choir vestry and south transept, with separate entrance from the new street on the east side. The buildings are supplied with electric light from the Corporation cables, and the fittings are of appropriate design. The church has been built from the designs and under the superintendence of the architects, Messrs Darbyshire and Smith. Its cost with the furniture is about £9,500. [Manchester Guardian 22 October 1903 page 5]

Stock brick and red terra cotta. Norman. The church has a big SW tower with pyramid roof.  (Pevsner South Lancashire Page 397)

Church based on the Church of San Bernardino Urbino Italy

Consecrated     23 October 1903, by the Bishop of Manchester

Reference    Builder 5 July 1902 page 17
Reference    British Architect 30 October 1903 Page 326
Reference    British Architect 13 November 1903 Page 362
Reference    Manchester Guardian 22 October 1903 page 5
Reference    Building News 30 October 1903 page 602