The Church is situated on Broadfield Drive, somewhat west of the industrial and commercial centre of Leyland. When built, it was fortunate in that it was positioned in what was an extensive and well-kept garden, and many fine trees were preserved to frame and shelter it. It is approached across a paved piazza which serves to bind in visual unity the Church and Priory and Social Centre. The Church rises in three tiers. The lowest is a boldly assembled complex of masses whose complementary forms are picked out by differences of material. Above this the upper walls form a compact cylinder, somewhat reminiscent of the Castel San Angelo on the Tiber. Its smooth circularity is stressed by the strong horizontal lines of the pointing. Crowning this is a multiangular roof which rises to a central lantern and a finial of original design.
A free-standing tower, 88 feet high, carries the Angelus bell and its mechanism. This is surmounted by an illuminated cross. The skeleton forms of heavy concrete in the tower contrast with the light plastic effect of the Church.
Exterior Front/Right of Saint Mary's Leyland clearly showing the three separate tiers of construction. [ Larger Image ] The Bell Tower[ Larger Image ] Exterior Front/Right of Saint Mary's Leyland clearly showing the three separate tiers of construction. [Larger Image]
Facing the entrant, as he stands on the piazza, is the narthex. Over the entrance is a coloured ceramic tympanum more than 30 feet long and six feet high, designed and executed by Adam Kossowski. It represents the Last Judgment, a subject frequently shown in, or on, Benedictine Churches. It is thought that, when built, this ceramic was the largest of its kind in the world
The Tympanum above the main doors by Adam Kossowski
