Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, Englefield Green

Church of Our Lady of the Assumption
West side of church West side of church
Location	Englefield Green, Surrey
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	PoEgham.wordpress.com
History
Former name(s)	St Cuthbert Church
Founder(s)	Jurgens family
Dedication	Assumption of Mary
Architecture
Status	Active
Functional status	Parish church
Architect(s)	Joseph Goldie
Style	Italian Romanesque
Groundbreaking	25 October 1930
Completed	10 September 1931
Administration
Parish	St Cuthbert, Egham
Deanery	Weybridge
Diocese	Arundel and Brighton
Province	Southwark

The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Englefield Green, Surrey. It is situated on Harvest Road in the village, just off the A30 road. It was built from 1930 to 1931 and designed by Joseph Goldie. Although the church is not a listed building, English Heritage, in two separate reports, stated "This is a thumping great church," and "many churches were being built in the Romanesque style in the 1930s ... but Goldie’s church is better composed and more competently detailed than most."

History

Foundation

In 1903, a priest came from Twickenham to serve the local Catholic community in Englefield Green. Mass was held in a small chapel made of iron within the grounds of Sandylands, a property owned by a Major General Arthur Kennedy Rideout who also arranged transport for the priest. In 1907, a larger wooden church was constructed on Harvest Road, named St Cuthbert's Church. The iron chapel in Sandylands was moved and attached to the church.

Construction

In the late 1920s, Gerard and Miriam Jurgens bought the site for a new church and paid its construction. The foundation stone was laid on 25 October 1930. On 20 September 1931, the church was opened. It is in an Italian basilica style and was designed by Joseph Goldie, son of Edward Goldie and grandson of George Goldie. He also designed the Church of Our Lady and St Peter in Leatherhead. The Jurgens family asked for the dedication to be changed to the Assumption of Our Lady. After the church was built, the old wooden church was attached to the new church and became the parish hall.

Architecture

Exterior

The church is in the form of a basilica with a polygon-shaped sanctuary. There is a tower on the southeast side of the church. There are chapels in each of the transepts. The building is painted white and has Roman tiles on the roof. There is a priest's house to the east of the church and a parish hall to the south, all painted white similar to the church.

Interior

The church has a single nave with aisles to the sides. The entire interior is painted. Above the main alter is a painting of the Assumption of Mary by the Spanish artist Antonio Palomino, painted in the seventeenth century. The organ was given to the church by David Greig, owner of the supermarket chain.

Parish

The church is in the parish of St Cuthbert, which includes the St John of Rochester Church in Egham Hythe and the Catholic chaplaincy to the nearby Royal Holloway College of the University of London.

The church has two Sunday Masses, at 6:00pm on Saturday and at 11:00am on Sunday. St John of Rochester Church in Egham Hythe has one Sunday Mass, at 6:00pm on Saturday. The chaplaincy at Royal Holloway has a Sunday Mass at 7:30pm.

Gallery

• Rear of The Assumption of our Lady, Englefield Green - geograph.org.uk - 1354836.jpg

  East side of church

• Detail above the main door at The Assumption of Our Lady, Englefield Green - geograph.org.uk - 1354722.jpg

  Above main entrance

• The organ within The Assumption of Our Lady, Englefield Green - geograph.org.uk - 1354741.jpg

  Church organ

See also

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton

External links

• Egham Parish site