The Church
The chancel, quite unlike any other in the city, helps to give the church its character.
The elaborate dome, which dates from the 1880s, was painted in the 1920s by Father Kirkley, with a celestial scene, showing the sun at the centre, surrounded by representations of Saturn, a comet and a crescent moon. As a consequence, the church is sometimes referred to as "The Day and Night Church"
The original sanctuary lamp was stolen when the church was desecrated by vandals in 1995. This magnificent early 19th century planished brass Baroque style sanctuary lamp was given to St. Andrews in 2005.
When first built,the chancel was highly decorated with stencilled paintings on the walls, in the spandrels of the dome and over the altar. Kirkley covered these up as part of his works, though they still exist beneath the current layers of paint. As part of the recent redecoration of the church, it was decided to keep as much as possible to Father Kirkley's scheme, rather than to try to return the chancel to its 1882 appearance.