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A wooden fund raising model made by Mr. Lewis, Snr.

Monsignor Hargreaves instructed Reynolds and Scott of Manchester, the Diocesan Architects, to prepare plans for the Church. The firm had been responsible for several substantial churches, notably at Alvaston, for Fr. McKeown, and at Knighton, for Fr. McLean. The new St. Alban’s was to be considerably more ambitious than either. It is much taller than Alvaston, with a lighter vault, and a more complex texture. On each side of the nave were three huge arches, almost small crossings, which led to “transepts” running the whole height of the nave walls. These let in great light from tall round-headed windows, as well as giving the nave an expansive, free texture. Outside, the Church would be bulky and strong, with the three pitched rooves of the transepts buttressing the nave; at the West end (which actually faces geographical East) there is a prominent “hump”, which Canon Purdy rightly compared to an Egyptian Pylon in his Year Book account of the Church. There is nothing as fanciful as a tower, let alone spike or spire. It is built as a fortress, of a very high quality buff brick, and inch-thick slate on its roof.

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Finances for the building

The next scene was an extraordinary general meeting held in the Hut on 28th November, 1954. Monsignor Hargreaves came along to tell the parish what was expected of it after the opening of the new Church.

“He suggested a minimum of £500 per year towards the repayment of the debt, and a further £1000 towards the running costs”.
“The Committee undertook to provide this sum”.

This was a sound forecast, in that the balance sheet for the past year, 1954, was £1672.13s.lld. Nonetheless, Mr. Brunt remarked that;

“The new Church will be opened this year, and we need a very virile Committee, to raise not hundreds but thousands of pounds”.

The great asset was to be the old church, soon to become the Church Hall; there is a note of indignation in the following minute for June 16th:

“A letter had been received by the Chairman, Mr. Fox, from the newly-formed Parochial Committee at Mackworth, enquiring whether we could dispose of our present Church building to them.’
“Mr. Fox is to reply that we have no say in the matter”.

The Foundation Stone is laid:

Bishop Ellis’s address

On 3rd October, 1953, at 3 o’clock, a gathering of people stood on the open site on Roe Farm Lane. Bishop Edward Ellis had arrived to lay the foundation stone. He had been Bishop for nine years at this stage; and he had frequently stated his policy that it was better to open a Catholic School than a Church. On this occasion he had decided to strike a blow for Catholic Education. So he began his address:

“In the months to come, a large and beautiful edifice will rise on these foundations, as a permanent testimony to the glory you desire to give to God.....We must, however, not become complacent. I have said that the occasion is a joyful one, evoking from our hearts deep gratitude to Almighty God. But there is another aspect of Catholic life in this district which is not so happy. For the full development of religious life, a school is also necessary, and this is being denied to the Catholic community on this new estate. Some five years ago we approached the Derbyshire Education Committee about the provision of a Catholic School for the area....and they asked us not to press the matter because a dispute was in progress between Derby and Derbyshire concerning boundaries. Eventually...