Church of Our Lady & St Alphege, Bath facts for kids

Church of Our Lady & St Alphege
The church in the background, with the church hall to the fore.
Church of Our Lady & St Alphege Location in Somerset Show map of Somerset Church of Our Lady & St Alphege Location in England Show map of England
51°22′24″N 2°22′35″W / 51.3734°N 2.3763°W / 51.3734; -2.3763
Location	City of Bath, Somerset
Country	England
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	[1]
History
Consecrated	1954
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Architect(s)	Giles Gilbert Scott
Style	Romanesque
Years built	1927-29
Administration
Deanery	St Oliver Plunkett
Diocese	Diocese of Clifton
Province	Province of Birmingham

The Church of Our Lady & St Alphege is a Roman Catholic church located in the Oldfield Park area of Bath, Somerset. It was built between 1927 and 1929. The church was designed by a very famous architect named Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. He also designed the huge Liverpool Cathedral! This church is a Grade II* listed building. This means it is a very important historic building that needs to be protected.

About This Special Church

This church is unique because its design was inspired by an old Christian church in Rome. It looks a bit like the Santa Maria church in Rome. Sir Giles Gilbert Scott said this church was one of his favorite projects.

What It Looks Like Outside

The outside of the church is built in a style called Romanesque. It uses a local stone from Bath. You can see a cool three-arched porch, called a loggia, with special columns. These columns have a Byzantine style. The red roof tiles were brought all the way from Italy!

The loggia, a three-arched porch, at the church.

Why No Tall Tower?

The original plan for the church included a tall bell tower, called a campanile. However, it was never built. This was because people were worried the ground might not be strong enough to hold such a heavy tower.

Exploring Inside the Church

Inside the church, you'll find columns with amazing carvings. These carvings were made by an artist named William Drinkwater Gough.

Stories in Stone

• On the north side, the carvings show scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary.
• On the south side, they show moments from the life of St Alphege.
• Near the back, supporting the choir and organ area, you can even see carvings of people connected to the church. This includes the architect, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott himself!

Why This Church is Important

For a while, this church was not very well known. A famous historian, Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, even missed it in his book about buildings in the area.

Getting Recognized

In 2010, the church's importance was officially recognized. Its "listed building" status was upgraded to Grade II*. This means it's considered a very important building designed by a nationally famous architect. Michael Forsyth, another architectural writer, said it's a building that "cannot fail to astonish and delight."