St Ninian's Catholic Church, Wooler facts for kids

St Ninian's Church in Wooler.

St Ninian's Church is a Catholic place of worship in the town of Wooler, England. It is a very old and special building, officially known as a Grade II listed building. This means it's important and protected because of its history and architecture. The church is part of the Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.

History of St Ninian's

Early Catholic Worship in Wooler

After the Reformation (a big change in religion in England), Catholics in Wooler started worshipping again in 1792. A kind lady named Mrs. Jane Silvertop helped make this happen. She started a "Catholic mission" (a place for religious work) in her own house. She even had a small chapel on the top floor of her home, which she called St Ninian's.

A priest lived in Mrs. Silvertop's house, which you can still find today on Ryecroft Way. After Mrs. Silvertop passed away, the house became a "presbytery." This is a house where a priest lives. It stayed a presbytery until 1850.

In 1850, Bishop William Hogarth decided to use the house as a special center for the Catholic Diocese. Sadly, a fire badly damaged the building in 1856. After the fire, it went back to being the presbytery for the new church that was being built nearby. Later, during World War II, the old presbytery was used to store hospital supplies. The church sold the building in 1974, and it became a guest house. In 1986, it was also named a Grade II listed building, just like the church.

Building the New Church

The current St Ninian's Church was built in a style called "Late Geometric." It cost £1305 to build, which was a lot of money back then! The architect who designed it was George Goldie from a company called Weightman and Hadfield.

Bishop Hogarth officially opened the new church on June 24, 1856. At the time, a Catholic newspaper called "The Tablet" described it as a "severely simple building." This meant it looked plain and strong, fitting in well with the wild countryside around it. Over the years, some parts of the church have been updated, like the Sanctuary in 1974 and the screen below the west gallery in 2012.

Church Architecture

St Ninian's Church is built from a type of stone called "snecked stone." This means the stone blocks are laid in rows, with smaller stones (called "snecks") placed in between them. The roof is made of slate, which is a strong, flat rock.

Church Tower

The church has a tower on its southwest side. It has a fancy pointed arch doorway. Higher up, there are two lancet windows, which are tall, narrow windows with pointed tops. The tower has a steeply sloped roof with decorative shapes called quatrefoils (which look like four-leaf clovers) in the gables (the triangular parts of the wall under the roof).

The bell tower was designed to hold eight bells, but it has only ever had one. This single bell has not been rung for many years.

Inside the Church

Inside, the church has a very tall chancel arch. This is a large arch that separates the main part of the church from the chancel, where the altar is. At the end of the south aisle (a side section of the church), there is a multi-sided Lady chapel. This is a special chapel often dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

The beautiful stained glass windows in the east window and the south aisle were made by an artist named William Wailes. One of these windows is dedicated to the architect George Goldie and his wife. Another window shows Saint Ninian, the saint the church is named after.