The Church of St Nicholas, Kingsway, Burnage, Manchester, is a Modernist church of 1930–2 by N. F. Cachemaille-Day, Lander and Welch.[1] It was enlarged in 1964 with a bay on the west side, also by Cachemaille-Day. Pevsner describes the church as "a milestone in the history of church architecture in England".[1] The church was designated a Grade II* listed building on 10 October 1980.[2]
St Nicholas is one of a relatively small group of Modernist churches in England, and one of the earliest. It is "of brick, high, sheer and sculptural, with a German-inspired passion for brick grooves and ribbing, both vertical and horizontal."[1] The building cost £11,600.[3] The interior was plainly furnished, "the walls bare, the windows clear, but the ceiling is coffered in blue, red and gold".[1]
In 2001–3, the church underwent significant conservation, at a cost of over 1 million pounds. The conservation included a re-ordering of the interior to provide additional meeting space, and offices, including the insertion of a "striking glass circular meeting room", designed by Anthony Grimshaw Associates from Wigan.[3] "The church's spatial complexity is not spoiled, but rather added to", by "hanging the meeting room above head height".[1]
Hartwell, Clare; Hyde, Matthew; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2004), Lancashire: Manchester and the South East, The Buildings of England, New Haven, CT; London: Yale University Press, ISBN0-300-10583-5
