The Story of St Augustine's

The parish of St Augustine’s, situated in Grosvenor Square (All Saints) just off Oxford Road, is one of Manchester's most historic Catholic communities. Located just a short distance north of the Church of the Holy Name, it shares a deep history of serving the city’s university district and urban population.

Deep Historical Roots (1820s)

• One of Manchester's Oldest Parishes: Founded in 1820 by Fr. Rowland Broomhead, St Augustine’s is the third-oldest Catholic parish in Manchester (after St Chad's and St Mary's "The Hidden Gem").

• Original Granby Row Site: The original church was built on Granby Row (near modern-day Piccadilly Station) when there were only around 500 Catholics in the entire region.

• Wartime Destruction: In December 1940, during the Manchester Blitz, the second iteration of St Augustine’s Church (then on York Street/York Road) was destroyed by incendiary bombs. In a poignant detail of survival, crushed chalices recovered from the wartime rubble were later turned into a metallic collage, which remains on display inside the current church.

The Modern Grosvenor Square Church

Following the destruction of its historic home, the parish re-established itself at its current location on Grosvenor Square, previously occupied by a smaller chapel (Holy Family).

The art and architecture of the Church represent one of the finest examples of post-Vatican II modernist Catholic artwork in the United Kingdom. Designed by architects Desmond Williams & Associates and consecrated in 1970, the church replaced its Victorian predecessor destroyed during the Blitz with an unyielding modern aesthetic built around liturgical renewal.

The defining feature of St Augustine’s interior is its massive ceramic reredos wall covering the sanctuary wall behind the altar.

• Artist & Material: Created by York-based sculptor Robert Brumby, the installation consists of thousands of individual, hand-formed ceramic tiles and shapes glazed in earthy metallic tones of bronze, dark brown, and slate grey.

• Iconography: The central focus is a large stylized figure of Christ in Majesty with outstretched arms. Surrounding the central figure are dynamic, swirling relief patterns and symbols representing creation, the cosmos, and the Eucharistic mystery.

• Scale and Impact: Spanning almost the full height and width of the sanctuary wall, the sculpture acts as an immersive backdrop that catches ambient light from the ceiling windows, creating a shimmering, tactile texture during services.

Stained Glass and Lighting

Rather than using traditional framed windows, the design integrates stained glass directly into the structural fabric of the building:

• Slab Glass Glazing: Designed by glass artist Charles Blakeman, vertical strips of thick, slab-cut French glass (dalle de verre) are set into narrow concrete and dark brick slits along the side walls.

• Chiaroscuro Effect: The dark interior walls contrast sharply with these vertical light shafts, casting deep blues, golds, and reds across the sanctuary floor without distracting from the central altar.

• Sanctuary Skylight: A hidden overhead roof light directly above the altar illuminates Brumby’s ceramic reredos, making the central sculpture the focal point of the interior.

Exterior Art and Architectural Form

• Brutalist Massing: The exterior is clad in dark Staffordshire blue brick with crisp, minimalist lines, presenting a strong, bronze-tinted geometrical mass to Grosvenor Square.

• Main Entrance Reliefs: The main portal features bronze-clad doors with abstract geometric relief panels that echo the industrial textures of post-war Manchester.

• Relics of War: Set into the entrance porch is a metallic display case containing salvaged, fire-damaged sacred vessels—including chalices crushed in the 1940 bombing of the original church—serving as a stark artistic reminder of the parish’s survival through WWII.

(Text from Google and other sources)