When the Church of Saint Peter in Chains was opened on 2 October 1938, it had
no Presbytery. Priests lived at 9 South Crescent, later South Crescent Road,
which was half of a large three storey semi-detached house. The other half,
number 10, was the Convent of the Sisters of Misericorde of Sees, known locally
as the Nursing Sisters. The house is shwon below.
In the early 1950s, thought was given to building a Presbytery beside the Church
and fundraising events were held. The entire proceeds from the 1955 Sale of
Work were given to the Presbytery Fund. The Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald of
15 July 1955, carried a report
on this event.
Jack Coia, the architect who designed the
Church, drew plans for the Presbytery in 1955. The following year, construction
work started. Father Fischer was
impatient to move in. His bed was taken along and he stayed in the unfinished
house to look after valuables such as carpets. The builders completed the job
around him in 1957. The Presbytery was built to accommodate three priests and
a housekeeper. It matched the Church so well that the age difference of nearly
twenty years was not obvious. In 1957, a garage and sheds were built behind
the Church. One of the ground floor rooms later became an office for the parish
secretary. The
photograph below was taken on 9 September 1997 during the construction of the
Parish Centre.
In the early hours of 2 July 2004, fire broke out in the Presbytery.
Father Michael Lynch died from smoke
inhalation. The Presbytery was badly damaged and unfit for habitation. It was
boarded up as shown in the photograph below.
Following his appointment as Parish Priest on 23 November 2005, Father
Matt McManus lived in Seamill before moving to the house shown below in
Barrie Terrace, Ardrossan in August 2005.
On 11 April 2005, demolition work started on the Presbytery. Within eight days,
the site was entirely cleared.
An insurance claim was made and funds were given to build a new house. There
was, however, a delay because Historic Scotland raised objections. It wanted
an unrestricted view of the Grade A Listed Church from South Crescent Road.
The matter was eventually resolved and planning permission was given.
On 9 November 2005, construction work started on the new Presbytery as shown
in the photograph below.
On the ground floor, there are offices, a reception room, meeting rooms, library,
laundry room and fire-proof storage. Upstairs, there are two bedrooms, a study,
kitchen and living/dining room. Heat is provided by an underfloor hot water
system. In common with the Church and Parish Centre, the house is protected
by closed circuit television and a security system. There is a telephone and
computer network throughout the building.
The stained glass window on the staircase is based on an idea by Father
Matt. It shows Saint Peter's boat on the Ardrossan shore with Arran in the
background. The window was created by Gail Muir of the Lighthouse Glass Company,
Irvine. The photo was taken on shown 11 June 2006.
The chief architect was Paddy Cronin of McMillan and Cronin, 24 Main Street,
Largs, the firm that designed the Parish
Centre. Construction was by David McLaughlin and Sons of Ardrossan. The
work was supervised by Shaun McLaughlin. The almost-complete building is shown
in the photograph below taken on 17 June 2006.
The new Presbytery was blessed and officially opened on Thursday 29 June 2006
by His Eminence, Keith Patrick Cardinal O'Brien. Evening Mass was followed by
a reception in the Parish Centre.
Photographs of the demolition of the old Presbytery, construction of
the new one and the visit of Cardinal O'Brien are on the Pictures
page.