Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Farm Street Church
Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street
Entrance to the church on Farm Street
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OS grid reference	TQ2854580577
Location	Mayfair, London
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Religious order	Society of Jesus
Website	farmstreet.org.uk
History
Status	Active
Founded	1849 (1849)
Founder(s)	Randal Lythgoe SJ
Dedication	Immaculate Conception of Mary
Consecrated	31 July 1849
Architecture
Functional status	Parish church
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	24 February 1958
Architect(s)	Joseph John Scoles
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1844
Completed	1849
Administration
Deanery	Marylebone
Archdiocese	Westminster
Province	Westminster

The Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street, often called Farm Street Church, is a Catholic church in Mayfair, Central London, England. It is run by the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits.

The church's main entrance is on Farm Street. You can also reach it from the nearby Mount Street Gardens. A famous writer, Sir Simon Jenkins, called the church "Gothic Revival at its most sumptuous." This means it's a beautiful example of the Gothic Revival architecture style.

Church History
- Building the Church
- Recent Changes
Church Music and Choir
London Jesuit Centre
Thinking Faith Online Journal
Interior Views
See also

Church History

View facing the altar inside the church

Building the Church

In the 1840s, the Jesuits wanted to build a church in London. They found a spot on a small back street called Farm Street. This street got its name from 'Hay Hill Farm', which used to be in this area.

In 1843, the Pope gave permission for a Jesuit church to be built in London. The original plan was for a church that could hold 900 people. However, this was too expensive. So, they decided to build a smaller church for 475 people. The cost was £5,800, which came from many people who donated money.

The first stone of the church was laid in 1844. The architect was Joseph John Scoles. He also designed other churches in England. Because the land was small, the church was built facing north-south instead of the usual east-west. The church officially opened five years later, on July 31, 1849. This date is special because it's the feast day of St Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits.

The church's style is called Decorated Gothic. The front of the church, facing Farm Street, looks like parts of Beauvais Cathedral in France. The main altar was designed by Augustus Pugin, a famous architect. Above the altar are two beautiful mosaic pictures.

In 1912, the church replaced an old stained glass window in the choir area. The old window was dirty from pollution. It was cleaned and sent to a church in Canada. In 1951, the church was repaired after being damaged during the Second World War. In 1966, it became the main parish church for the Mayfair area.

Sir Simon Jenkins wrote in his book that the church is very decorated. He said "Not an inch of wall surface is without decoration." This means every part of the church is covered in art. He also mentioned the beautiful modern stained glass window by Evie Hone from 1953.

Recent Changes

In 2013, the church became a welcoming place for all Catholics. Archbishop Vincent Nichols attended their first mass there. This showed the church's commitment to being open to everyone.

Church Music and Choir

The church organ and entrance

In the 1800s, the church choir was made up only of men and boys. They came from local Catholic schools.

From 1881 to 1916, the organist was John Francis Brewer. He was only 18 when he started. After the First World War, the choir was led by Fr John Driscoll. Later, a Belgian musician named Guy Weitz became the organist. He had studied with famous composers.

One of Weitz's best students was Nicholas Danby. He became the church organist in 1967. Danby helped make the choir a group of professional singers in the 1970s. After Nicholas Danby passed away in 1997, two of his students, Martyn Parry and David Graham, became the music directors. Later, Duncan Aspden joined to help direct the choir and play the organ.

The church has also made recordings of its music. In 2000, a CD of organ music was recorded on the church's organ. Today, the choir performs many types of music. This includes old music from the 1500s, classical music, and modern songs. They also sing Gregorian Chant.

London Jesuit Centre

Mount Street Gardens view of the church. The London Jesuit Centre is on the left.

In 2004, the Mount Street Jesuit Centre was started. It aimed to help adults learn more about Christianity. It offered prayer, worship, and lessons about faith and social justice. It also helped homeless people by providing a doctor.

In 2019, the London Jesuit Centre opened in the same place. It has a reading room with about 8,000 books. It also offers courses, spiritual retreats, and research opportunities. The centre works with the University of Roehampton. They offer a master's degree in theology, ecology, and ethics. This degree is connected to research done at the Laudato Si' Research Institute in Oxford.

Thinking Faith Online Journal

Thinking Faith is an online magazine. It publishes articles about faith, politics, philosophy, and culture.

Before Thinking Faith, there was a monthly magazine called The Month. It ran from 1864 until 2001. After it closed, the Jesuits wanted to keep publishing articles about faith. So, Thinking Faith was launched online in 2008.

The goal was to publish articles more often than a monthly magazine. It regularly posts articles about faith, social issues, and arts. It also has book and film reviews. Because it's online, other websites can share its articles. It is free for anyone to read and subscribe to.