Our Lady of the Angels and St Peter in Chains Church or Our Lady and St Peter's Chains Church is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

Parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of . In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 256,375. It is the largest settlement ...

, Staffordshire. It was built in 1857 and designed by

Charles Hansom Charles Francis Hansom (27 July 1817 – 30 November 1888) was a prominent Roman Catholic Victorian architect who primarily designed in the Gothic Revival style. Career He was born of a Roman Catholic family in York. He was the brother of Jose ...

. It is situated on Hartshill Road close to the junction with Shelton Old Road, south of Queensway, in the centre of the city. It was founded as a church with an adjoining priory of

Dominican nuns The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...

and is a Grade II listed building.The city of Stoke-on-Trent: Roman Catholicism
in ''A History of the County of Stafford: Volume 8'', from ''

British History Online ''British History Online'' is a digital library of primary and secondary sources on medieval and modern history of Great Britain and Ireland. It was created and is managed as a cooperative venture by the Institute of Historical Research, Uni ...

'' (London: Victoria County History, 1963), 271-276.

History

Foundation

In 1838, a

mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

from Longton was started in Stoke. In 1841, a chapel, named St Peter's Chains, was built on Back Glebe Street. In 1850, the chapel received its own priest. In early 1851, a group of Dominicans nuns moved into Longton. In 1854, with their lease in Longton ending, they moved to the site of the present church.

Construction

In 1856, building work began on the church and the adjoining convent for the Dominican nuns. To pay for the construction, the old chapel was sold. In 1857, the new church was opened and named Our Lady of the Angels and St Peter in Chains. The convent started a girls' school at the same site. From 1864 to 1865 the adjoining building was expanded to house a boarding school and St Margaret's Home for Incurables. In 1866, the convent was designated a priory.

Extensions

From 1884 to 1885, a new

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. ...

was built. Its architect was A.E. Purdie, who also designed

Kilworth House Kilworth House is a four star country house hotel, located west of North Kilworth, Leicestershire. History This grade II listed Italianate country house was built as a family home towards the end of the nineteenth century for John Entwisle, th ...

and the chapel at

Rudding Park House Rudding Park Hotel, Spa and Golf is a Grade I listed Regency-style country house in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. It is situated within the Rudding Park estate at Follifoot on the southern outskirts of Harrogate. It is a two-storey bui ...

. Rev Dr James Northcote was parish priest at the church from 1857 to 1860 and then from 1881 to his death in 1907. In 1865, he also donated a series of Stations of the Cross from Belgium to the church. In 1905, an organ was installed. This was to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Northcote's priesthood.

Parish

The church has two Masses: 5:45pm on Saturday and 10:30am on Sunday.

References

External links

*
Our Lady of the Angels and St Peter in Chains Parish site
{{Archdiocese of Birmingham Roman Catholic churches in Staffordshire Buildings and structures in Stoke-on-Trent Grade II listed churches in Staffordshire Grade II listed Roman Catholic churches in England Roman Catholic churches completed in 1857 1857 establishments in England Gothic Revival church buildings in England Gothic Revival architecture in Staffordshire