St Edmund Church, Godalming facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Edmund's Church |
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| The Church of St Edmund King and Martyr | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The church viewed from the north
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St Edmund's Church is the main Roman Catholic church in Godalming, a town in Surrey, England. It is also known as The Church of St Edmund King and Martyr. The church was built in 1906 and designed by Frederick Walters. It is a special building, listed as Grade II, which means it's important for its history and architecture. You can find it on a hill at the corner of Croft Road, near the center of Godalming.
For a long time, the Catholic Church was not very active in Godalming, a town known for its Protestant churches. This changed in the late 1800s. The parish of St Edmund's has always covered a large area of southwest Surrey. Since the church started in 1899, Mass (a Catholic worship service) has also been held in other places nearby. St Edmund's still supports another church in Milford. Hospitals, convents, and Catholic schools are also part of the parish. For many years, a large Polish community has had services led by Polish-speaking priests.
The church is built from local stone and looks over the town. It's one of many churches in the area designed by Frederick Walters, a very busy architect. The inside of the church has decorations from different times in the 1900s. These include unique bas-relief Stations of the Cross, a beautiful Lady chapel, and stained glass windows made by Hardman & Co..
Contents
Catholic Faith in Godalming's Past
After the English Reformation in the 1500s, the Catholic faith almost disappeared in Surrey. In 1588, only one Catholic person was recorded in Godalming. By the 1600s, Godalming was a strong center for Protestant groups. For a long time, the only Catholic worship in west Surrey happened at Sutton Place. This was a private estate owned by a Catholic family. Later, a church was built there in 1876. There was also a private chapel in Westbrook House, Godalming.
The number of Catholic people in Godalming grew during the 1800s. By 1860, about 60 people from Godalming traveled to Guildford every Sunday for Mass. In 1899, Captain W.H. Rushbrooke bought land in Croft Road. He arranged for a temporary church, called a tin tabernacle, to be built there. This church opened on November 26, 1899. It was dedicated to Edmund the Martyr, a king from the 800s. Captain Rushbrooke was from Suffolk, where Edmund lived, which is why he chose that name. Rushbrooke was a big supporter of the Catholic Church. He also helped fund other churches in Guildford and Farnham.
Building the Current Church
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At first, priests from a friary in Chilworth and the church in Guildford served the tin tabernacle. In 1904, St Edmund's got its own parish, and the first resident priest, Father St George Kieran Hyland, was appointed. He was 29 years old and had been a curate (assistant priest) at St George's Cathedral, Southwark. Godalming was his first main job as a priest.
Father Hyland quickly saw that a bigger, permanent church was needed. He bought land on a "towering bank of undeveloped hillside" further along Croft Road. The land was bought on May 15, 1905. The first stone of the new church was laid on October 8, 1905. The building was finished on June 27, 1906. A local company, David Fry, built the church. The architect was Frederick Walters, who designed more than 50 Catholic churches, many in southeast England.
The church cost £4,700 to build. Some money was given anonymously before work started. After the church opened, fundraising began to pay off the rest of the cost. Father Hyland gave talks and organized events. Once the debt was paid, St Edmund's Church was officially consecrated by Bishop Peter Amigo on October 3, 1923.
A new High altar was put in just before the consecration, costing £1,000. Altar rails were added later in the 1920s. The Lady chapel was created in 1930 at the base of the tower. In the mid-1920s, a church hall was built where the old tin tabernacle used to be. The stained glass windows were added in stages between 1922 and 1950.
Canon Hyland (he became a canon in the early 1920s) died in 1950. He had served the parish since 1904. He was buried under the sanctuary of St Edmund's Church. During his time, he also helped at local hospitals. He was also the dean of the Guildford Deanery.
His successor was Father Denis Hawkins. During his 14 years as parish priest, a hall in Elstead began to be used for worship. Land for a church in Milford was also bought. More people came to St Edmund's Church in the late 1950s. This happened after a former army barracks in town was used for refugees from the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Many of them were Catholic. Godalming already had a large Polish population, and Mass was said in Polish at St Edmund's for many years. Later, when St Joseph's Church was built in Milford, the Polish community moved there. A Polish priest still celebrates Mass there.
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Father Hawkins was followed by Father Maurice Pledger. During his five years, St Joseph's Church at Milford and the Church of Our Lady of Assumption in Elstead opened. The parish now had three churches. Father John McSheehy served for ten years from 1969. He started the first St Edmund's Catholic Primary School. He also worked with the Anglican Diocese of Guildford. This led to Farncombe's Anglican church being used for weekly Catholic Masses. This helped people in the north of the parish.
During Father Tony Clarke's time (1980–1990), a new St Edmund's School was built. There were plans for a large new church next to it. The idea was to replace St Edmund's Church and the other churches with one central place of worship. However, this plan never happened. The land set aside for the church was sold for homes. Later, Father Bernard Rowley also tried to find a central site for worship in Godalming. He even looked at an old church building on Bridge Street, but it wasn't suitable. Father Michael Perry, who joined in 1994, decided to renovate St Edmund's and St Joseph's churches instead. The old parish hall was sold in 1997 and replaced with flats.
Church Design and Features
St Edmund King and Martyr's Church was given a Grade II listed building status on February 1, 1991. This means it is considered "nationally important and of special interest." It is one of many historic buildings in the Godalming area.
Father Hyland was the main person behind St Edmund's Church. He chose the location and might have influenced its design. Local stories say it was built on a steep hill so its spire would be higher than the tall steeple of the main parish church, St Peter and St Paul's, which is on lower ground. Frederick Walters made sure the church used its "dramatic hillside site" well.
Walters designed churches in different architectural styles. St Edmund's Church is a simple, "austere" (plain) building. It looks impressive because of its tall tower and high walls on the steeply sloping site. The walls are 21.5 feet (6.6 m) tall. Inside, the roof goes up to 40 feet (12 m). The church is 98.5 feet (30.0 m) long and 21.5 feet (6.6 m) wide.
It is built in the Early English Gothic Revival style. It uses Bargate stone, a local light-brown sandstone used in many old churches. The walls are smooth, and the roof is tiled. Buttresses (supports) hold up the walls, tower, and entrance porch. The entrance has a pointed (Gothic) arch with a carved panel. All the windows are narrow, tall lancets. The tower has similar windows and a pointed spire with a weather vane. The chancel (area around the altar) has a vaulted roof. A house for the priest (presbytery) is connected to the church. It was also built in 1906 by Frederick Walters.
When first built, the inside of the church was very plain. Most of the decorations were added later. The Lady Chapel, from 1930, is richly decorated. It has a carved reredos (screen behind the altar) and a rood screen made of stone. The ceiling and walls have Stencil patterns, and there is a Madonna statue.
The High altar and carved reredos date from 1923. The reredos shows saints like Edmund, Ambrose, Gregory the Great, Jerome, Augustine of Hippo, and Thomas of Canterbury. Most of the stained glass windows are by Hardman & Co.. The west window, from 1937, shows Jesus with St George and St Demetrius. Another window from 1922 shows St Mary Magdalene. Other windows show scenes like the Annunciation and the Nativity of Jesus. The 14 Stations of the Cross were given anonymously in 1907. They are a rare bas-relief design. The font was also given anonymously in the same year. The organ was bought in 1996.
Parish and Other Churches
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Godalming parish is one of seven within the Deanery of Guildford. This is part of the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton. The parish covers a large area of southwest Surrey, about 100 square miles (260 km2). It used to be even bigger. Now, there are three Catholic congregations in the parish. St Edmund's has a daughter church in Milford. Also, Mass is held at the Anglican church in Farncombe. As of 1999, monthly Masses were also held at Ladywell Convent and at the Hydon Hill Leonard Cheshire Disability Hospice in Busbridge. The church also serves Milford Hospital. There used to be another daughter church in Elstead until 1985. Mass has also been offered at the chapel of Barrow Hills School, a Catholic school between Godalming and Witley.
Haslemere was the first parish to be created from the original St Edmund's parish. A Mass center started there in 1908. At first, Mass was held in the back room of a pub! In 1924, Haslemere got its own parish and priest. The current Church of Our Lady of Lourdes was finished in August 1924, also designed by Frederick Walters. Bramley was part of Godalming parish until 1955. The current Church of St Thomas More there dates from 1959.
St Joseph's Church is in Milford, a village south of Godalming. A person from St Edmund's donated land for it in 1957. Fundraising began, and construction started in 1967. The same local company, David Fry, built this church as built St Edmund's. The church was designed by Henry Bingham Towner and Partners. It has a simple design with a tower and seating around a central altar. It was consecrated on St Joseph's Day, March 19, 1999.
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In Farncombe, the priest from St Edmund's says Mass for the local Catholic community at the Anglican Church of St John the Evangelist. The idea for a Mass center in the north of the parish was first discussed in 1971. After talking with the Anglican community, a trial Mass was held on March 11, 1973. It was successful, and the arrangement was made official in November 1974.
Money from a weekly building fund, started in 1964, helped build St Joseph's Church in Milford and a permanent church in Elstead. Before World War II, a resident of Elstead asked for Mass to be celebrated in the village. Canon Hyland agreed to send a curate. A barn was used as a temporary chapel until 1953. Then, a hall was converted into a chapel. In 1968, a prefabricated building became the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption. It was also used as a hall. Due to a shortage of priests in the 1980s, the church could no longer be served. The last Mass was in 1985. The building was torn down in 1992 and replaced with a house.
In 2015, no Sunday Masses were held at St Edmund's Church itself. A Vigil Mass takes place on Saturdays at 6:00 pm. There are three Masses on Holy Days of Obligation, one of which is in Polish. One Sunday Mass is at St Joseph's Church in Milford (10:15 am) and another at the Anglican church in Farncombe (8:45 am). Father Mirosław Slawicki, a Polish priest, is based at St Joseph's Church. He celebrates two Sunday Masses in Polish there each week.
St Edmund's Church is officially registered for worship and for marriages.
See also
- List of places of worship in Waverley (borough)
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton
Images for kids
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The church viewed from the north
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The north side of St Edmund's Church.
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The church, seen from Flambard Way, stands high above Godalming town center on a steep hill.
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St Joseph's Church, Milford (built 1967–68) is a daughter church within the parish.
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Catholic Mass has been celebrated at the Anglican St John the Evangelist's Church in Farncombe since 1973.
