St Gregory's Church, Cheltenham
| St Gregory's Church | |
|---|---|
| Church of St Gregory the Great | |
| |
| 51°54′05″N 2°04′49″W / 51.9015°N 2.0803°W | |
| OS grid reference | SO 94570 22558 |
| Location | Cheltenham |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | StGregorys.org.uk |
| History | |
| Status | Parish Church |
| Founded | 1809 |
| Dedication | Pope Gregory I |
| Consecrated | 6 November 1877 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* listed[1] |
| Architect | Charles Hansom |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Years built | 1854 to May 1857 |
| Completed | 1876 |
| Administration | |
| Province | Birmingham |
| Diocese | Clifton |
| Deanery | St Kenelm[2] |
| Parish | St Gregory the Great with St Thomas More |
| Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | Church of St Gregory |
| Designated | 4 May 1972 |
| Reference no. | 1387870 |
St Gregory the Great Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. It was founded in 1809 and rebuilt from 1854 to 1857. It is situated on the corner of St James' Square and Clarence Street. It was designed by Charles Hansom and is a Grade II* listed building.
History
Foundation
In 1809, a chapel was built on the site of the present church. It was built with the guidance of its first priest, Fr Augustine Birdsall OSB from Douai Abbey.[3][4]
Construction
In the spring of 1854, the monks from Douai Abbey were still serving the church when building work started on the church. The church was designed by Charles Hansom, brother of Joseph Hansom and father of Edward Joseph Hansom. He also designed Plymouth Cathedral and St Osburg's Church in Coventry. He designed it to be a Gothic Revival church.[5]
In May 1857, the chancel was completed and the church was opened. That year, work on the tower and spire had started, but was of course not complete. In 1876, the tower and spire were completed. The next year, on 6 November 1877, the church was consecrated.[5]
The stained glass windows were designed by Hardman & Co. Inside the church, the altar and reredos were made by Farmer & Brindley. The majority of the carving was done by Messrs R. L. Boulton & Sons of Cheltenham; a firm which also worked on Cheltenham Town Hall, St John's Church in Poulton-le-Fylde, St Mary's Church and St Alban's Church in Warrington and St Cuthbert's in Earls Court.[5]
Parish
The church is in the parish of St Gregory the Great with St Thomas More. It serves the St Thomas More Catholic Centre on Princess Elizabeth Way in Cheltenham. On 30 November 2011, St Thomas More Church was demolished and the church hall was developed to accommodate a sacristy, a chapel and use by community groups.[6]
The church has three Sunday Masses: 9:30 am, 11:15 am and 5:00 pm. St Thomas More Catholic Centre has one Sunday Mass at 5:00 pm on Saturday.[7]
Organ
The church has two organs. The chancel organ was built by the Dutch organ builder Sebastian Blank and installed in 1986. The organ in the liturgical west gallery was installed in 2023; it was originally built by 'Father' Willis in 1866 for a church in Horsham, and subsequently moved to the chapel of the former Southwark diocesan seminary at Wonersh. Following the closure of the seminary, the organ was donated to St Gregory's.[8] The principal organist is August Guan.[9]
See also
References
- Back to citation Historic England. "Church of St Gregory (1387870)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
- Back to citation "Parishes". Clifton Diocese. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- Back to citation Gordon Beattie, Gregory's Angels: A History of the Abbeys, Priories, Parishes and Schools of the Monks and Nuns Following the Rule of Saint Benedict in Great Britain, Ireland and Their Overseas Foundations: to Commemorate the Arrival of Saint Augustine in Kent in 597 AD (Gracewing, 1997), 254.
- Back to citation History from StGregorys.org.uk. Retrieved 9 January 2015
- Back to citation occurrence 5.0 Back to citation occurrence 5.1 Back to citation occurrence 5.2 Church of St Gregory, Gloucestershire from British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 9 January 2016
- Back to citation Demolition of Hester's Way church marks start of new era from Gloucestershire Echo, 1 December 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2016
- Back to citation Deanery directory Archived 11 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine from Diocese of Clifton. Retrieved 17 March 2015
- Back to citation "Cheltenham – St Gregory the Great". Taking Stock: Catholic Churches of England and Wales. 19 September 2024.
- Back to citation "Events List". South West Early Music Forum.