North East Bylines readers may recall my list of the Top 20 Churches of Middlesbrough from two months ago. You can find that list here. But several people complained that I had overlooked their favourite church.
Personal choice
These lists are subjective, or course, but there are several buildings that probably should have made the Top 20. So, I’ve decided to revisit my choices. In doing so, I’ve come up with another Top 20 list. This time, I spent a weekend in the suburbs of greater Middlesbrough.
Day 1, Saturday 17 May 2025
Both days started cold and gloomy, but bright sunshine emerged later on, which can be seen from the photographs.
Number 1: St Peter’s RC Church, Middlesbrough Road, South Bank
I started with the 64 bus service from Middlesbrough Bus Station. A 15-minute journey took me to my first church, St Peter’s. A great start, it’s a beautiful building, but it’s in peril. Falling congregations have led the local diocese to close the church, while maintenance costs soar. The front of the building sustained damage in an air raid in 1943, and some of the stonework was never repaired. But the building is a neo-gothic triumph dating back to 1905, complete with a landmark clock tower.
Warzone
Opposite the church on Milbank Street, the priests’ house, or presbytery, also Grade II listed, has suffered a more recent arson attack. In fact, the entirety of Middlesbrough Road now resembles a warzone.
Number 2: Baptist Church, Redcar Road East, South Bank
I headed east along Middlesbrough Road, turned right at Bennett’s Corner into Normanby Road, then left into Redcar Road East. After about 100 metres I reached South Bank Baptist Church. The church dates from 1905, the height of South Bank’s status as a boom town. Iron, steel and shipbuilding created wealth for the community, and this shows in the quality of this building. London-based architects G.Baines & Son were hired, and no expense was spared on wrought iron finials, a Welsh slate roof and lashings of terracotta. The result was a relatively unknown gem.
Disrepair
However, just as with many other buildings in the town, the church is showing signs of disrepair. I spoke to one of the maintenance staff, Kevin, who told me that much of the floor has started to warp due to movements in the underlying clay. Just as with St Peter’s Church around the corner, the roof is missing quite a few tiles.
Number 3: St John the Evangelist, Normanby Road, South Bank
The church hall of St John the Evangelist can be found opposite the Baptist Church. It hosts a community eco-shop. Community engagement would be a prominent feature of the churches I visited this weekend. I continued back along Redcar Road East alongside the church itself, and rounded the corner on to Normanby Road to find the entrance to St John’s. Its nave was built to hold a large capacity, but attendances have dwindled, and there’s not even a priest here at the moment. The church has been temporarily run by the lay community for the past three years.
Number 4: Methodist Chapel, Normanby Road South Bank
The Methodist Chapel, dating from 1878, is on the opposite side of the Normanby Road to St John’s. It has long-since ceased to have a religious use, and has now been repurposed at the Saabat Art Gallery.
Viticulture
The building was divided into a warren of small rooms during a spell as an unemployment drop-in centre during the 1980s. Some of these are now artists’ studios. There’s a community space at the back, which is effectively a walled garden. They’re growing a grape vine here, and these are a rarity in South Bank. Thanks to the gallery’s Coordinator, Nathaniel McGovern, for showing me around the building.
Number 5: St George’s Church, Spencer Road, Teesville
I jumped on another 64 bus and headed up Normanby Road to the junction with Fabian Road. From there, a two-minute walk to St George’s Church. It’s another one of Teesside’s hidden churches, but it’s worth a look. A bold angular roof permitting large north-facing window lights. The building was designed in 1966 by infamous architect John Poulson. Like many of his buildings it hasn’t aged well, and the church warden told me that most of the window lights have had to be blocked to prevent heat loss. But St George’s is an important community hub. A food bank operates on Fridays.
Number 6: St Andrew’s RC Church, Fabian Road, Teesville
I continued along Spencer Road to Fabian Road. St Andrew’s Church was part of an ensemble of handsome buildings along here, constructed in the early 1960s. The road itself, along with its large housing estate, had been built ten years earlier to accommodate some of the 25,000 workers at nearby ICI Wilton. Eston Town Hall and the James Finegan Hall, both designed by John Poulson, have been demolished now. The fourth part of the group, the Eston Hotel, is derelict.
Stained Glass
St Andrew’s was designed by F. B. Swainston in 1962, the first of four of his churches on this list. Swainston was generous with stained glass, which is put to good use here. The mosaic of St Andrew above the entrance is reminiscent of Jules Coomans’ work at the Sacred Heart Church in central Middlesbrough.
Number 7: Christ Church, High Street, Eston
I continued along Fabian Road, turned right into Church Lane, then left into Eston High Street to find Christ Church. A statement Early English Gothic Revival in red-brick, which dominates the skyline near Eston Square. Christ Church was designed by W.H. Blessley in 1884. The population of Eston had boomed since the first ironstone mine was opened in 1850, and Christ Church replaced the smaller St Helen’s Church nearby. St Helen’s fell into dereliction during the 20th Century, and was eventually moved stone-by-stone to Beamish Museum, where it has been fully restored.
Appearances can be deceptive
The somewhat brutal external appearance of Christ Church isn’t repeated inside the building. The stained glass lets in soft light, and it’s quite a contrast. Christ Church is run as a joint parish with St George’s (see church number 5) by rector Graham Potter.
Number 8: St Gabriel’s RC Church, Allendale Road, Ormesby
From Eston Square, I took the 63 bus and headed west through Normanby for a few stops to the junction of Normanby Road and Allendale Road. St Gabriel’s Church is the second of Frank Swainston’s churches on this list. As with St Andrew’s (church number 6), the architect made use of stained glass. But this time he experimented with a square floor plan and a pyramidal roof. The combination works well. The church was completed in 1975.
Number 9: St Cuthbert’s Church, Church Lane, Ormesby
From one of the newest churches in Middlesbrough to one of the oldest. I continued west along Normanby Road, which becomes Ormesby High Street, then turned left up Church Lane to St Cuthbert’s Church. The church can be traced back to Anglo-Saxon times, but was extensively rebuilt in the 12th Century, and then again in 1875. Its Grade II National Heritage listing, here, is worth a read.
Ormesby Hall
St Cuthberts’ neighbour is the magnificent Ormesby Hall. I picked up the ‘2 parks’ walk at the back of the hall, and followed it along the boundary of the A174 Parkway road. You may have seen Ormesby Hall somewhere before.
Number 10: St Bernadette’s RC Church, Gypsy Lane, Nunthorpe
I crossed under the Parkway into Cypress Road in Marton, followed the road uphill, then turned left into Gypsy Lane. And so, from a church founded by the Anglo Saxons, to another work by Frank Swainston. St Bernadette’s is from 1963. Swainston’s trademark stained glass can be found, but he reverted to a more orthodox rectangular floor plan here.
Heading home
The chimney at the side of the building may be a recent addition to advise local residents of the election of a new pope. However, I’ll need to research this more. I headed back to Cypress Road and returned to Middlesbrough bus station via the 29 bus.
Day 2, Sunday 18 May 2025
Another ten churches, starting at Middlesbrough bus station again.
Number 11: Holy Trinity Church, Market Place, North Ormesby
I boarded a number 8 bus for the 10-minute journey to North Ormesby Market Place and Holy Trinity Church. Holy Trinity’s architectural style is Early English Gothic Revival, built in 1869. Or rather, it was. The nave and chancel were destroyed in fire in 1977. But they’ve been replaced with a smaller, tasteful modern version.
The outsize clock tower is one of four neighbouring rivals, the others being the Middlesbrough Dock Tower and the towers of both the old and the new town halls. But Holy Trinity’s is the tallest of them.
Number 12: St Alphonsus RC Church, Westbourne Grove, North Ormesby
A 5-minute walk south along Kings Road took me to the junction with Westbourne Grove and St Alphonsus Church. The church was built in 1960, having been designed by Thomas Crawford. Crawford was the go-to architect for Middlesbrough RC Diocese before Frank Swainston came along. In addition to his work at St Alphonsus, he designed Corpus Christi in Thorntree (see church number 13), St Clare of Assisi in Brookfield, and The Holy Name of Mary in Linthorpe. The first three of these are strikingly similar. If you’ve got a good design, why only use it once?
Number 13: Corpus Christi RC Church, The Greenway, Thorntree
I jumped on another Number 8 bus and took a five-minute trip to Thorntree. Corpus Christi Church appears to be a scaled down version of St Alphonsus. Thomas Crawford built this one two years earlier, in 1958. Both were built to serve a burgeoning Roman Catholic population, as Middlesbrough’s vast new council estates spread southwards and eastwards. There are no internal columns that would block a view of the altar. Corpus Christi is now served from St Gabriel’s Church (see church number 8).
Number 14: Church of Ascension, Penrith Road, Berwick Hills
I took the third Number 8 bus of the day, and headed back towards Berwick Hills. A quick bite to eat in Morrisons supermarket, then a cut across the car park to Penrith Road. There are a few polygonal churches in the suburbs of Middlesbrough, but this is the only octagon. The church is an Anglo Catholic church, the only one of those in Teesside. Think of this denomination as Roman Catholic, but with slightly less Latin.
Number 15: St Oswald’s Church, Marton Grove Road, Grove Hill
Quite a walk to the next church. A return along Penrith Road, left into Crossfell Road, then the footbridge across the Esk Valley railway line. The path continued on to Belle Vue Grove, after which I turned right on to Marton Road, then left into Marton Grove Road. St Oswald’s is a relatively obscure parish church, but it’s neat and tidy.
The Genesis Project
But St Oswald’s significance relates to its church hall, the home of the Genesis Project, serving one of the most deprived communities in the UK. This includes provision of food, clothing, and healthwork. Since the systematic destruction of the UK’s welfare state began more than 40 years ago, places such as this are the last bulwark against destitution for many people.
Number 16: St Chad’s Church, Keith Road, Saltersgill
I headed south along Lambton Road, turned right into Marton Burn Road, then took the left fork into Keith Road. The church is named after St Chad of Mercia. St Chad’s forms a joint parish with St Oswald’s. Sunday services are alternated between the two, and they share the same community outreach work.
The Italian Job
Architect’s drawings from Lambeth Palace show the church as dating back to 1954. The Italianate style was popular in Middlesbrough at the time, and the silhouette of the campanile lends distinction to the building.
Number 17: St Thomas More’s RC Church, Kirkham Row, Beechwood
I returned along Keith Road, took a right turn into Deepdale Road, crossed Grassington Road into Newington Road, then turned right into Kirkham Row. St Thomas More’s Church is the fourth of Frank Swainstons’ churches that I visited this weekend. Swainston went for a hexagonal floor plan here, and It’s probably his finest work. Externally it’s not too impressive, not helped by being almost hidden behind ranks of trees. And it’s under repair right now.
Insider view
I wasn’t able to gain access to the interior of the church, but a library picture, courtesy of Taking Stock, shows a large, uninterrupted well-lit space. The walls and ceiling are formed by laminated trusses.
Number 18: St Agnes’ Church, Broughton Avenue, Easterside
Following Kirkham Row south, I picked up a footpath, turned right on Broadwell Road, then reached the junction with Broughton Avenue. But I was too late to visit St Agnes, Church. Having lain derelict for six years, it finally fell victim to the wrecking ball last year. However, its distinctive steel pylon still punctures the sky.
The Marmite church
St Agnes’ Church divided opinion in its day, which was 1967. Uncompromisingly modernist, with striking murals and a green copper-coated roof, which could be seen for miles. It was never a well-loved building but, if it had survived, perhaps it could have been reevaluated and appreciated for its boldness. Sadly, it has become yet another of Middlesbrough’s lost buildings. Here’s a picture of St Agnes’, courtesy of the Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England:
Number 19: St Mary’s RC Cathedral, Dalby Way, Coulby Newham
I took a number 10 bus to Dalby Way in Coulby Newham. The cathedral would have been yet another of Frank Swainston’s designs, but he died before he completed the drawings. The work was completed by Peter Fenton. The cathedral was completed in 1988, replacing the original in Sussex Street. Despite being the centerpiece of a huge diocese stretching down to the river Humber, the cathedral isn’t a distinguished piece of work. The saving grace is a brick campanile which contains the three bells saved from the first cathedral.
Number 20: St Mary’s Parish Church, Church Lane, West Acklam
Back to the bus stop, then the number 12 bus to the junction of Acklam Road and Church Lane. St Mary’s Church can be found after a few hundred metres. There’s been a church here since the Anglo Saxons, including a medieval one. But the current version was built by the Hustler family, who occupied the nearby Acklam Hall, in 1874. A modern extension was built in 1956. This later extension may have prevented the church being given ‘listed building’ status. However, its neo-gothic style is worth a look, particularly the unusual feature of an octagonal stone lantern cum steeple.
My work here is done
I returned along Church Lane to Acklam Road, then took another number 12 bus back to the bus station.
Your visit
For the information of anyone who would wish to repeat either of these tours, the first one took about four hours, and the second one took six. The latter involves quite a lot of walking. On both days I started and finished at Middlesbrough bus station. I bought one-day Teesside SmartZone tickets, which permit travel on all bus services. These tickets can be purchased online or from the bus driver.
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