Holy Cross Church

Holy Cross Church is a small Catholic church on Station Road in Topsham, a historic port town on the Exe estuary that forms part of the Exeter area in Devon. It is a modest interwar building, and its story is closely tied to the growth of the Catholic community in this corner of the county.

What is Holy Cross Church in Topsham?

Holy Cross is the Catholic church of Topsham. It should not be confused with the town's other places of worship, because Topsham has several churches of different denominations, and a local museum has even devoted an exhibition to them. Holy Cross stands out as a twentieth-century addition rather than a medieval parish church, which makes it an interesting contrast to the older buildings around the town.

What is the history of the church?

Before the present building existed, Catholics in Topsham worshipped in a former Methodist chapel. That first Catholic church closed in 1932, when Topsham became part of the parish of Heavitree in Exeter. The community needed a new home.

In 1934 the parish priest, Father Cahill, bought the site on which the church now stands. He raised money for a new, small church and, according to the records, paid for much of it himself. The design was by Wilfrid Mangan, an architect working between Preston and London, and the construction was carried out by Turl Bros, a firm from Topsham itself. Sources differ slightly on the date of completion: one heritage record gives 1936, while another gives 1936–37.

What does the building look like?

The church is a plain, compact structure in dark red brick, described in heritage surveys as an interwar red brick church with no particular architectural style. The main body is a nave with the sanctuary under a single roof. At the western end there is a small porch, and in the north-west corner rises a tower topped with a pyramidal roof. The tower is the most recognisable feature and gives the otherwise simple church a clear silhouette.

The church is not a listed building and does not lie within a conservation area. That does not make it less significant locally: it shows how smaller congregations built modest, practical churches in the decades between the wars, often funded by individual donors and built by local firms.

Why visit?

Holy Cross is not a major sightseeing stop, but it suits visitors who enjoy exploring a town through its architecture and social history. Topsham is known for its maritime past, its historic streets and its position on the estuary, and a walk through town can easily include the town's several churches. Comparing Holy Cross with the older churches nearby gives a good picture of how religious life in the town changed over the centuries.

How do I get there?

The church is on Station Road in Topsham, a short distance from the town centre. Topsham is a few kilometres south-east of the centre of Exeter and is reachable by road, bike and rail, since the town has its own railway station on the line towards Exmouth.

Frequently asked questions

Is Holy Cross Church in Topsham or Exeter? It stands in Topsham, which lies within the wider Exeter area in Devon.

When was Holy Cross Church built? The site was bought in 1934, and the church was completed in the mid-1930s. Records give 1936 or 1936–37 as the date.

Who designed it? The architect was Wilfrid Mangan, and the builders were Turl Bros of Topsham.

Is it a listed building? No. It is neither listed nor within a conservation area.

What denomination is it? It is a Roman Catholic church.

What was there before? The earlier Catholic church in Topsham was a converted Methodist chapel, closed in 1932.