St Catherine's Church, West Drayton

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St Catherine's Church
St Catherine of Alexandria Church
Roman Catholic Church of St Catherine, West Drayton (01).jpg
St Catherine's Church, West Drayton
51°30′15″N0°28′35″W / 51.5043°N 0.4763°W / 51.5043; -0.4763
OS grid reference TQ058794
Location West Drayton
CountryEngland
Denomination Catholic
Website Official website
History
Status Parish church
Dedication Catherine of Alexandria
Consecrated 29 September 1893 [1]
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationGrade II listed
Designated12 May 2016 [2]
Architect(s) Thomas John Willson
Samuel Joseph Nicholl
Style Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking 26 October 1868
Completed29 September 1869 [3]
Administration
Province Westminster
Archdiocese Westminster
Deanery Hillingdon [4]
Parish West Drayton and Yiewsley

St Catherine's Church or St Catherine of Alexandria Church is a Catholic parish church in West Drayton, Borough of Hillingdon, London. It was built from 1868 to 1869 and designed by Thomas John Willson [5] and Samuel Joseph Nicholl. It is architecturally in the Gothic Revival style. It is situated on The Green near the town centre. On 12 May 2016, it was designated a Grade II listed building. It is the only Catholic Church that is a listed building by Historic England in the Borough of Hillingdon. [3]

Contents

History

Foundation

After the English Reformation, during the time of recusancy, until the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829, some Catholics in West Drayton, particularly the Paget family, descendants of William Paget, 1st Baron Paget, were recorded as papists by the authorities. Anne Paget (died 1587), William's wife, was suspected of hiding Anthony Tyrrell after he escaped from prison. In 1676 and 1706, no one wrote that they were Catholic in those years' censuses. For the rest of the 18th century, there were no recorded instances of Catholic public worship. [6]

The number of Catholics in West Drayton began to increase with the arrival of Irish migrants to work in the market-gardens situated around the village. [7] [8] In 1867, West Drayton had its own Catholic parish and a resident priest, Fr Michael Wren. The priest lived at White Cottage on Money Lane. In 1868, stables and an old coachhouse were turned into a temporary chapel. It could fit 400 people, and there was a space there for 80 schoolchildren too. The Catholic congregation used these temporary premises while the current church was being built. [6]

Construction

On 26 October 1868 the foundation stone of the church was laid by the Archbishop of Westminster, Henry Manning. [9] The architects were Thomas John Willson and Samuel Joseph Nicholl. The two of them had worked on other notable Catholic churches such as St Charles Borromeo Church, Westminster and St Alban and St Stephen's Church, St Albans. The church is in the Gothic Revival style and it opened on 29 September (Michaelmas) 1869 with Henry Manning preaching its first sermon. [10] [11]

In 1886, a new high altar was installed in the church. In 1985, the organ was restored, the altar rails removed and the high altar was brought forward. That year, efforts were made to build a spire on top of the tower according to the original plan of the church. However, as not enough money was raised, a small concrete block was added to the top of the tower. [10]

Parish

St Catherine's Catholic Primary School is to the west of the church. The church has four Sunday Masses at 7:00 pm on Saturday and at 9:00 am, 11:00 am and 6:00 pm on Sunday. [4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "News from the Dioceses, England, Westminster". London: The Tablet. 7 October 1893. p. 598.
  2. ↑ Roman Catholic Church of St Catherine from British Listed Buildings, retrieved 22 October 2024
  3. 1 2 "West Drayton - St Catherine". Taking Stock. Retrieved 2024-10-22.
  4. 1 2 Directory from Archdiocese of Westminster, retrieved 21 October 2024
  5. ↑ Brodie A. (ed), (2001), Directory of British Architects, 1834–1914: 2 Vols, British Architectural Library, Royal Institute of British Architects, pg 1018.
  6. 1 2 "West Drayton: Roman catholicism and old catholics", in A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3, Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Cowley, Cranford, West Drayton, Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield and Harlington, ed. Susan Reynolds (London, 1962), British History Online, accessed 22 October 2024.
  7. ↑ The Reverend Peter Francis Elkins (8 June 1867). "The Catholic Church in Great Britain. Diocese of Westminster. St. Augustine, Apostle of England, West Drayton Middlesex - New Mission". London: The Weekly Register and Catholic Standard. p. 357.
  8. ↑ The Reverend Michael Wren (18 August 1876). "An Appeal. St. Catherine's Catholic Church, West Drayton, Uxbridge, Middlesex". Belfast: Ulster Examiner and Northern Star. p. 1.
  9. ↑ "West Drayton. Laying the Foundation Stone of the New Roman Catholic Chapel". Uxbridge: Broadwater's Buckinghamshire Advertiser, Uxbridge Journal. 2 November 1868. p. 4.
  10. 1 2 "Roman Catholic Church of St Catherine, Non Civil Parish - 1428695 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-10-22.
  11. ↑ "West Drayton". Windsor and Eton Express, Berks, Bucks and Middlesex Journal and West Surrey Gazette. 2 October 1869.

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