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St Edmund's Church, Beckenham

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Coordinates: 51°24′22″N 0°01′46″W / 51.40599°N 0.02958°W / 51.40599; -0.02958
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St Edmund's Church
St Edmund of Canterbury Church
Map
51°24′22″N 0°01′46″W / 51.40599°N 0.02958°W / 51.40599; -0.02958
OS grid referenceTQ37146928
LocationBeckenham
CountryEngland
DenominationCatholic
WebsiteSaintEdmunds.net
History
StatusParish church
Founded24 April 1927
DedicationEdmund of Canterbury
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)James O’Hanlon Hughes
StyleGothic Revival
Groundbreaking3 July 1937
Completed1938
Construction cost£16,500
Administration
ProvinceSouthwark
ArchdioceseSouthwark
DeaneryBromley[1]
ParishSt Edmund's

St Edmund's Church or St Edmund of Canterbury Church is a Catholic parish church in Beckenham, the Borough of Bromley, London. It was built from 1937 to 1938 and designed by James O’Hanlon Hughes who also designed St George's Church, Polegate. Built in the late Gothic Revival style, it is situated close to the town centre, on Village Way near the junction with the High Street. According to Nikolaus Pevsner's The Buildings of England, the church is "worthy of Sir Giles Scott himself".[2]

History

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Foundation

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In 1891, a mission was started in Beckenham to serve the Catholics there. From that mission, a parish was started, and two churches were built before the current one was opened. The first church, on Overbury Avenue, was called the Church of the Transfiguration and St Benedict. The foundation stone was laid on 27 October 1891 by the Archbishop of Southwark, John Butt. The church was designed by R. A. Boase in the classical style. It had stained glass windows designed by Nathaniel Westlake. It was quite small, cost £1,500, and a planned second part of the church was never built,[3] and the church has since been demolished.[4]

Construction

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In 1920, the church got its own parish. A new larger church was needed to accommodate the growing congregation. The site of the current church was purchased and a temporary church was built on the same street. On 24 April 1927, the temporary church was opened. Like the current church, it was named after St Edmund of Canterbury.[3]

While the temporary church was being used, plans were made and fundraising was done for the construction of the current church. On 3 July 1937, the foundation stone for the current church was laid by the Archbishop of Southwark Peter Amigo. The church was designed by James O'Hanlon Hughes. He also designed St George's Church, Polegate and St Thomas More Church in Seaford.[5] He designed the church in a Gothic Revival style reminiscent of Giles Gilbert Scott. The total cost of the church and its furnishings was £16,500. In 1938, the church was opened.[3]

Developments

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In 1938, 1946, 1965, 1969 and 1971, stained glass windows were added to the church. They were made by Hardman & Co. In 1975, the parish hall was built opposite the church. Throughout the 1970s, the altar was moved forward, the canopy and the altar rails removed, and the tabernacle stand was moved to the southeast chapel.[3]

Parish

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The church is in the deanery of Bromley, and has four Sunday Masses at 6:00 pm on Saturday, and at 9:30 am, 11:00 am, and 5:30 pm on Sunday.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Deaneries from Archdiocese of Southwark, retrieved 9 October 2024
  2. ^ Newman, John (1963). Pevsner, Nikolaus (ed.). The Buildings of England. Vol. Kent: North East and East. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-18506-5.
  3. ^ a b c d "Beckenham - St Edmund of Canterbury". Taking Stock. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  4. ^ The Indicator from Beckenham Methodist Church, Autumn 2024
  5. ^ Twentieth-Century Roman Catholic Church Architecture in England: A Characterisation Study by Architectural History Practice, July 2014
  6. ^ "Digital Diocesan Directory - Archdiocese of Southwark". www.rcsouthwark.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
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Media related to Church of Saint Edmund, Beckenham at Wikimedia Commons

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