87905

 

II  

Interim Protection  

 

 

Catholic Church of St Joseph  

 

Denbighshire  

Denbigh  

Denbigh  

Denbigh  

304823  

365769  

 

On high ground to the S of the town, reached by a private drive off Lon Llewelyn.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

Modern  

Catholic church constructed 1968 to designs by Gwilym Parry Davies. The contractor was Hugh Jones and Son of Denbigh. The cost (for church and presbytery) was £25,000. A mission in Denbigh had been established by the Jesuit Fathers in 1853 and a chapel built in 1863 on land at Bryn Sychar. This was served for many years at weekends by seminarians from St Beuno’s. Eventually it was decided that the church was too small so after fundraising a new church and presbytery were built. Dedicated to St Joseph, the church was opened in 1968 by John Petit, Bishop of Menevia. The design of the church reflects the reforms brought about by the Second Vatican Council and it is purposefully non-traditional in its construction, materials, and layout. It was built on a square plan, but laid out with the baptistry and sanctuary aligned on a diagonal axis. It is also notable for using a hyperbolic paraboloid roof structure, a type of roof that was first developed pre-WWII but gained popularity during the 1950s and 60s and was used for structures that required a large open plan space. It offers a number of advantages over a traditionally constructed roof – speed of erection, a high-quality self-finish, and a comparatively low cost. Examples in England, like Markham Moor Services (1960-1) and St John’s church, Lincoln (1962-3), both by Sam Scorer, and the Commonwealth Institute (1962-3) are listed. In Wales the swimming pool of Wrexham Waterworld was constructed (1967-70) with a hyperbolic paraboloid roof. Its use at Denbigh could have been influenced by the roof at Wrexham. The use of this type of roof at Denbigh is only the second known example in Wales. The use of a self-supporting thin roof structure at St Joseph allows a flexible internal space without internal support. The roof has strength from membrane tension in the form of a double layer of tongue and groove boards with timber joists in between. The clerestory strip, directly under the roof, gives the impression that the roof is floating. The roof is held down by bolts into the cavity of the walls and is anchored by large reinforced concrete buttresses at two low corners. There have been minor alterations to the exterior (replacement of the fascia boards with uPVC) and internally there was originally a Lady Chapel separated from the narthex by a partition but the partition has been removed to create a large meeting room and refreshment area.  

Loadbearing pale brown brick walls with a hyperbolic paraboloid roof with a felt cover, anchored by concrete buttresses at two corners. Square plan, set out as a diamond with baptistery and sanctuary aligned on a diagonal axis. The fully glazed octagonal baptistery projecting from the sliced-off liturgical W corner dominates the approach to the building. Entrance to the L of the baptistry, double timber doors with shallow triangular head. Clerestory band below eaves on all four walls; three tall and narrow windows in each westward wall, single lights in the eastward walls. Projecting full height fin-like window bays to either side of the sanctuary (its only external expression). Aluminium windows, uPVC fascias (replaced, originally timber).  

Interior with plain white walls, quarry tiled floor. Timber tongue and groove ceilings. Entrance into narthex with meeting room attached (the former Lady chapel) along one side of nave; sacristies along the corresponding side beyond the baptistery. Large open plan worship area, the diagonal orientation and unsupported roof creating a sense of spaciousness. Sanctuary up one step and aligned on the diagonal. Large altar of Trevor grey granite lit by concealed vertical window strips. Rainbow coloured dalle de verre stained glass windows by Peter Morton of Pilkington Glass. Panes above the tabernacle show the mysteries of the Rosary and the Angelus bell. Baptistry with octagonal stone font and large dalle de verre window by Jonah Jones depicting the Baptism of Christ.  

Included for its special architectural interest as a Second Vatican Council era church with striking modern layout and an innovative structural design based on an hyperbolic paraboloid roof. It is a rare example of such a structure and is one of the few known examples to have been built in Wales. It is also of special interest for its fine stained glass including the large work in the baptistry by the artist Jonah Jones. This structure has been afforded Interim Protection under the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. It is an offence to damage this structure and you may be prosecuted. To find out more about Interim Protection, please visit the statutory notices page on the Cadw website. For further information about this structure, or to report any damage please contact Cadw.