The main part of the Church is circular. The high altar stands in the centre and is surrounded by three concentric circles containing respectively the Sanctuary, the 'Nave', if one may so call it, which has seating accommodation for 1,200, and a broad ambulatory. The overall diameter is 119 feet. Directly opposite the narthex and vividly conspicuous in its rich colouring is the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, with seating for 120. This was built of so considerable a size that the new Saint Mary's was then referred to as virtually two churches in one. The ceiling consists of a curved slab of concrete, under which there is a frieze of green marble. The taberbacle, crystal lamp and alter furniture were designed by Robert McGhie, all these against a back-drop tapestry, representing the Blessed Trinity, designed by Jerzy Faczynski and woven by the Edinbugh Tapestry Company. There are statues of the Sacred Heart and the Blessed Virgin Mary, by David John and the altar is flanked on either side by large etched windows depicting angels, sandblasted into the glass and designed by Jerzy Faczynski. The confessionals are located on either side of the Chapel.
The pivot, the key, to creation, is the Crucifixion. Symbolically, therefore, the nearly formless glass surrounds the high altar. The colours are kept subdued so as not to distract from the vital colours of the liturgy.
A folded slab roof of 95 feet diameter dominates the central space. Its concrete, cast on the site and carefully patterned by the timber of the moulds, contrasts sharply with the cleanly finished precision of the sixteen pre-cast concrete valley-beams, which are the main supporting elements in the radial roof. These rest on the walls with a deceptive air of lightness. The estimated weight of the roof is 400 tons. Clerestory windows, set directly in the concrete without steel frames, throw light up on to the ceiling and thence by diffusion on to the floor. The main source of direct lighting is the central lantern, eight feet in diameter. The Church has natural ventilation, and was originally heated by under-floor electric heating. This has, in more recent times, been replaced with a gas and electric powered fan heater system.
Inside the Church, all with access from the Ambulatory, are the chapels dedicated to St. Joseph, St. Benedict, All Souls and St. Anne. When constructed, St. Joseph’s Chapel was primarily for private prayer, the statue of the Saint was by Charles and May Blakeman. Today, the chapel is used from Monday to Friday, inclusive, for the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, with a watching rota to assist those who wish to visit and pray. The russet wall of St. Benedict’s Chapel is of onyx from Morocco, with a reliquary, designed by Robin McGhie, holding a relic of the Saint. The painting of the same Saint is by Jerzy Faczynski, and the Crucifix is by Arthur Dooley, the artist responsible for the, now quite famous, Stations of the Cross. Carved into a wall plaque are the names of four saints, Edmundus, Anselmus, Vincentius and Theodoru – the religious names of the four monks serving the Parish when the Church was designed. The All Souls Chapel is equipped with a tabernacle of reservation for use in Holy Week. In this Chapel is the figure of the Risen Christ by Arthur Dooley and represents his controversial 15th Station of the Cross. There is also a fibreglass plaque of Christ receiving the Souls, and on the right of the Chapel is the foundation stone, laid and blessed by Cardinal Heenan. St. Anne’s Chapel, originally designed for private prayer, is now used as a quiet room for infants and children. See The Chapel Gallery for more Images
