St Edmund Church, Southampton

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St Edmund Church
Front entrance
Front entrance
Location in Southampton
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OS grid reference SU4205613006
Location Southampton
Country United Kingdom
Denomination Roman Catholic
Website Southampton-City-Catholics.org.uk
History
Founded 1884 (1884)
Dedication Edmund of Abingdon
Architecture
Status Active
Functional status Parish church
Heritage designation Grade II listed
Designated 30 March 1999[1]
Architect(s) J. William Lunn
Style Gothic revival
Groundbreaking 21 June 1888
Completed 20 November 1889
Administration
Parish St Joseph and St Edmund[2]
Deanery Southampton
Diocese Portsmouth
Province Southwark

St Edmund Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Southampton, Hampshire. It is situated on the corner of The Avenue and Rockstone Place. It was built in 1889 and is a Grade II listed building.[1]

History

Foundation

The first Roman Catholic church that was built in Southampton after the Reformation was St Joseph Church. In 1867, the priest there decided that a new church was needed in Southampton to the serve the growing Catholic population in the city. In 1884, two years after the Diocese of Portsmouth was created, St Edmund Church was built. It was temporary, made of iron and was named after Saint Edmund of Abingdon, co-patron of the diocese.[3]

Construction

On 21 June 1888, construction began on a larger and permanent St Edmund Church. The architect was J. William Lunn, who also designed Corpus Christi Church in Boscombe, Corpus Christi Church in Portsmouth and St Catherine Church in Chipping Camden. It was opened on 20 November 1889, the birth date of Saint Edmund of Abingdon. Present at the church's opening was the Bishop of Portsmouth, John Vertue, and Canon Alexander Scoles, who was an architect himself.[3]

Renovations and Restorations

In 1918, the sanctuary was redecorated. The walls were repainted and stained-glass windows by Lavers, Barraud and Westlake were made. Two paintings were added and communion rails by Hardman & Powell were installed. From 1967 to 1969, the church was renovated. A small spire or flèche at the west end of the church was removed. The porch inside the church was enlarged and a new organ, from St Mark's Church in Portmouth, was installed.[3]

In 1988, a fire broke out and severely damaged the building. By 1989, restoration of the church was complete and it was reopened.[3]

Parish

In 2006, the diocese reorganised its parishes. St Edmund's parish was merged with the neighbouring St Joseph's parish to form the Parish of St Joseph and St Edmund, which is sometimes referred to as the Southampton City Centre Parish.[2]

St Edmund Church has four Sunday Masses. They are at 9:00am, 11:00am and 7:00pm on Sunday and there is a Mass in Polish at 7:00pm on Saturday evening. St Joseph Church has two Sunday Masses, one at 6:15pm on Saturday evening and the other at 10:00am on Sunday morning.[2]

Interior

  • St Edmund's Church windows, Southampton by Basher Eyre Geograph 3205353.jpg

    Stained-glass windows

  • St Edmund's Church organ, Southampton by Basher Eyre Geograph 3205350.jpg

    Church organ

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Church of St Edmund - Roman Catholic from British listed buildings, retrieved 14 December 2014
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Directory from Diocese of Portsmouth, retrieved 13 December 2014
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 St Edmund Southampton from English Heritage, retrieved 15 December 2014

External links

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