Roman Catholic presbytery, Madeley

Image: © Richard Law Taken: 8 Sep 2018

A rare building, albeit much altered over the years. It essentially dates from the late 1760s, and was built as a Catholic Priest's house, with an attached chapel to the rear, at a time when Catholic worship was still illegal. The rendering seen on this side elevation is a relatively recent 'improvement' although much of the main structure is in the coursed sandstone visible to the right (rear) of the building. More or less derelict in the 1990s, but saved by conversion to parish rooms and resurrection of its use as a presbytery, the whole was Grade II listed in 2014 https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101416158-presbytery-of-roman-catholic-church-of-st-mary-madeley#.W88jddQrLGh, where there is a much more comprehensive description and contextual history. Part of the listing submission from that time states that "Madeley has clear historic interest as a very rare survivor of a building used for Catholic worship prior to the first Catholic Reform Act of 1778 when public Catholic worship was still illegal in England. Very few examples of this building type are known to survive and only a handful are listed", and mentions two or three others around the country, notably in Northumberland and another at Otterbourne in Hampshire (neither of which appear to be photographed on this site at present)

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