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St Gregory's Church, Cheltenham facts for kids

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St Gregory's Church
Church of St Gregory the Great
St Gregory's Church, Cheltenham by Collin West.jpg
St Gregory's Church is located in Gloucestershire
St Gregory's Church
St Gregory's Church
Location in Gloucestershire
St Gregory's Church is located in England
St Gregory's Church
St Gregory's Church
Location in England
51°54′05″N 2°04′49″W / 51.9015°N 2.0803°W / 51.9015; -2.0803
OS grid reference SO9457022558
Location Cheltenham
Country United Kingdom
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
Architect(s) Charles Hansom
Style Gothic Revival
Years built 1854 to May 1857
Completed 1876
Administration
Parish St Gregory the Great with St Thomas More
Deanery St Kenelm
Diocese Clifton
Province Birmingham

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

The organ in St Gregory's Church, Cheltenham
Church organ

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.

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.

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.

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.

Parish

St Thomas More Catholic Church - geograph.org.uk - 880969
St Thomas More Church, before its demolition in 2011; the Catholic Centre is behind and to the right of the church.

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.

The church has four Sunday Masses: 8:00 am, 9:30 am, 11:15 am and 6:00 pm. St Thomas More Catholic Centre has one Sunday Mass at 5:00 pm on Saturday.

The church is currently undergoing a restoration to the roof and the walls . Also replacing the lighting inside the church. This should be finished by the end of November 2018. See the parish website for a weekly blog of how the work is going.

See also

  • Cheltenham Deanery
  • Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton
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