Church of St James, Twickenham

Church of St James, Twickenham
Roman Catholic Church of St James in Twickenham

The church hall in Radnor Road
51°26′31.48″N 0°20′8.16″W / 51.4420778°N 0.3356000°W / 51.4420778; -0.3356000
Location 61 Pope's Grove, Twickenham TW1 4JZ
Country United Kingdom
Denomination Roman Catholic
Website stjamestwickenham.org.uk
History
Founder(s) Cardinal Henry Edward Manning
Dedication 25 July 1885
Architecture
Architect(s) J S Hansom and Charles George Keogh
Style gothic revival
Specifications
Materials London stock brick
Administration
Deanery Upper Thames
Diocese Diocese of Westminster
Clergy
Priest(s) Ulick Loring

The Church of St James, Twickenham is a Roman Catholic church at 61 Pope's Grove, Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is dedicated to St James the Apostle.[1] It is a building of Townscape Merit. For a few years before its opening in 1885 Roman Catholic mass was celebrated in a mass centre in Grosvenor Road in the centre of Twickenham. Alexander Pope, the Catholic satirist lived in Pope's Villa a short distance away in Cross Deep from 1718 until his death in 1744.[2]

The church ...is a relatively modest Gothic Revival building which takes its cues from thirteenth century architecture.[3] It was paid for by James de Lacey Towle, hence its dedication to St James. It was paid for by James de Lacey Towle, hence its dedication to St James. The paintings in the church include a copy of a Raphael of the Madonna and child donated by Sir Mountstuart Grant Duff in about 1900, and a representation of St James 'Matamoros' (conqueror of the Moors) executed by Vicente de Arroyabe in 1995, and donated by a parishioner, Mrs Evelyn Dunning.[4] These two paintings on either side of the high altar. In a side entrance on the west side of the church there is a painting of the church by Dutch born writer and artist, the late Hilda van Stockum.

The fleur de lys carvings on the ceiling above the sanctuary bear witness to the support given to the parish by the French Royal Family who lived in the locality for several decades.[5] The side altar dedicated to the apparition of the Sacred Heart to St Margaret Mary Alacoque also illustrate the church's association with France. Princess Marie-Amelie of Bourbon-Orleans was born in York House (now used by the London Borough of Richmond,)in 1865. She married King Carlos of Portugal and gave birth to King Manuel II, who became an important benefactor of the parish after he settled in Twickenham following his exile from Portugal in 1910.[6]

King Manuel lived in Fulwell Park. He was a prominent parishioner regularly attending Mass and was active in local affairs. During the First World War he supported the Entente powers and the entry of Portugal into the War. He was engaged in various activities to alleviate the suffering caused by the War. He and his wife Queen Augusta Victoria were the godparents to many children at their Confirmation at St James's. This is recorded in the parish registers. Two windows at the front of the church were donated by the King. One is dedicated to St Anthony, Patron Saint of Lisbon, and bears the royal crest in the bottom left hand corner. The other is dedicated to St Edmund of Abingdon, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1234 to 1240, and is in memory of Canon Edmund English, Parish Priest from 1886 TO 1924. King Manuel also opened the Parish Hall in Radnor Road in December 1927.

References

  1. ↑ "About Us". Church of St James, Twickenham. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  2. ↑ Robert Youngs, "A history of Roman Catholicism in Strawberry Hill," Strawberry Hill Residents Association Bulletin 14 December 2010, p5.
  3. ↑ Bernard W Kelly Historical Notes on English Catholic Missions (London 1907) reprinted by Michael Gandy, Catholic Family History Society, 1995, p399
  4. ↑ Youngs ibid
  5. ↑ T H R Cashman, The Orleans Family in Twickenham 1800-1932 (Twickenham 1982) passim
  6. ↑ Thomas O'Devitt, The origins of the parish of St James, Twickenham (Twickenham 2008) p 20

External links


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