St Joseph's Church, Aldershot

St Joseph's Church

East side of church
Coordinates: 51°14′54″N 0°46′08″W / 51.2484°N 0.7689°W / 51.2484; -0.7689
OS grid reference SU8601850634
Location Aldershot, Hampshire
Country United Kingdom
Denomination Roman Catholic
Website Aldershot-Catholics.org.uk
History
Founded 29 July 1869 (1869-07-29)
Founder(s) Fr Thomas Purcell
Dedication Saint Joseph
Architecture
Status Active
Functional status Parish church
Heritage designation Grade II listed
Designated 9 June 1982[1]
Architect(s) George Drysdale
Style Romanesque revival
Groundbreaking 19 March 1912
Completed 30 January 1913
Administration
Parish Aldershot
Deanery North Hampshire[2]
Diocese Portsmouth
Province Southwark

St Joseph's Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Aldershot, Hampshire. It was built in 1913. It is situated at the top of a ridge on Queen's Road, overlooking the town centre, between the Municipal Gardens and Princes Hall. It is a Grade II listed building.[1] Sir Nikolaus Pevsner described it as 'One of the most impressive churches of its date, brilliantly planned on a triangular site.'[3]

History

Side view of the church from Queens Road

Foundation

In 1869, the Bishop of Southwark, Thomas Grant appointed Fr Thomas Purcell to serve the local Aldershot Catholic population. He rented a building on the corner of Alexandra Road and Cambridge Road, opposite the former Franciscan Convent, to serve as a chapel and school. The chapel was opened on 29 July 1869. In 1871, before Fr Purcell's time in the area came to an end, he purchased the land, for £400, where the current church is located.[4]

In 1871, the new priest, Fr Louis Hall, who came from St Joseph Church in Southampton, bought a new plot of land for St Joseph Catholic Primary School next to the same piece of land for the church. On 24 May 1883, a temporary church made of iron was opened and replaced the rented chapel as a place of worship for the local Catholic congregation.[3]

Construction

In 1902, Fr Francis O'Farrell came to Aldershot and set about collecting funds to build a permanent church. After 10 years, enough money was collected, building work started and the foundation stone was laid by the Bishop of Portsmouth, William Cotter, on 12 March 1912. The church was designed by George Drysdale. The temporary iron church that was previously on the site was dismantled and reassembled on Belle Vue Road to become St Mary's Church. On 30 January 1913, St Joseph's Church was opened.[3]

Establishment

In 1961, the nearby Secondary school All Hallows Catholic School was built in Weybourne, Surrey. It was funded by donations from the parishioners of St Joseph's Church. That year, a new Catholic church, St Saviour Church, was opened in the town to accommodate the expanding congregation in the town. In the 1980s, St Saviour Church was sold.[4]

From 1962 to 1963, a permanent building was constructed for the nearby St Mary's Church on Belle Vue Road to replace its old temporary iron structure. In 1974, St Mary's became a parish church in its own right.[4]

In 1973, St Joseph Catholic Primary School, next to the church was demolished and moved to another part of Aldershot. It was replaced by a new parish hall.[4] On 22 June 1982, the church was consecrated.[3]

Parish

There is one Sunday Mass held at the church, at 10:30am on Sunday morning. Every weekday morning, from Monday to Friday, there is a Mass at 9:30am in the church. St Joseph's church is in the same parish as St Mary Church on Belle Vue Road in Aldershot. St Mary's Church has one Sunday Mass at 4:45pm on Saturday afternoon.

See also

Interior

References

  1. 1 2 Church of St Joseph's, Aldershot from British listed buildings, retrieved 20 January 2015
  2. ↑ Directory from Diocese of Portsmouth, retrieved 21 January 2015
  3. 1 2 3 4 St Joseph - Aldershot from English Heritage, retrieved 21 January 2015
  4. 1 2 3 4 Gerard Dwyer, Diocese of Portsmouth, Past & Present (Portsmouth Diocese Centenary Committee, 1982).

External links

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