Sacred Heart Church, Caterham
Construction
In 1879, after a request from Francis Parson, a local Catholic, the Bishop of Southwark, James Danell, sent Fr Francis Roe to Caterham to serve as priest there. Hs first Mass was on 24 August 1879 in a local depot, where army officers built a temporary chapel. Before this, a priest from Croydon travelled to Caterham to celebrate Mass for soldiers and local Catholics.
On 24 June 1880, the foundation stone of the church was laid by Bishop Danell. Most of the construction was paid for by Fr Roe's father, Captain William Harriott Roe. The architect for the church was Ingress Bell, who also designed St Joseph Church in Guildford (demolished in the 1980s) in 1881. He adopted the Early English Gothic Revival style and a cruciform plan.
On 11 August 1881 the church was opened. The first Mass was celebrated by the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Manning.
Interior
Joseph Aloysius Pippet designed murals which illustrate the life of Jesus; they were painted around the apse, and windows built, by Hardman & Co.; the central apse window dates from 1881 and the murals and other windows from 1889. In 1907 it was stated that "[t]he sanctuary has been recently adorned with elegant mosaic pictures".
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Church of the Sacred Heart
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Chancel
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South chapel
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Angels in the Apse
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Altar
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Apse window
Parish
The parish covers the Catholic population of Caterham, Whyteleafe and Godstone. The church celebrates a Mass every day, and three on Sundays. Services are livestreamed and recorded. The Pippet murals were badly damaged by water ingress and attempts at repair; they were conserved and restored from 2015. The church is a member of the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales.
See also
References
- ^ Historic England. "Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (1294941)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- ^ "Deaneries of the Diocese". Roman Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton. 2013. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013.
- ^ "Caterham – The Sacred Heart of Jesus". Taking Stock Catholic Churches of England and Wales. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
- ^ Lardeur, Ann (2016). "Church History". The Sacred Heart Church. Archived from the original on 19 August 2016.
- ^ Kelly 1907, p. 119.
- ^ "Mass schedule, Sacred Heart, Caterham". Latin Mass Society Of England and Wales. Updated as required.
- ^ "Caterham, Sacred Heart Parish - service schedule and link to recordings". ChurchServices.tv. Kept up to date to show coming week.
- ^ "Mural conservation - Caterham CHURCH OF THE SACRED HEART". Hirst Conservation. 2016.
Bibliography
- Kelly, Bernard W. (1907). Historical Notes on English Catholic Missions (PDF). London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
- Sladen, Teresa; Antram, Nicholas (11 November 2005). Architectural and Historic Review of Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton (PDF) (Report). English Heritage. Retrieved 28 April 2015.