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St Teresa of Avila Church, Chiddingfold facts for kids

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St Teresa of Avila
Saint Teresa of Avila Catholic Church, Chiddingfold - geograph.org.uk - 1042242.jpg
South side of church
51°06′52″N 0°37′41″W / 51.114429°N 0.627919°W / 51.114429; -0.627919
Location Chiddingfold, Surrey
Country England
Denomination Roman Catholic
Website CatholicHaslemere.com
History
Status Active
Dedication Teresa of Ávila
Architecture
Functional status Parish church
Architect(s) Henry Bingham Towner
Completed 15 October 1959
Administration
Parish Haslemere, Hindhead and Chiddingfold
Deanery Guildford
Diocese Arundel and Brighton
Province Southwark

St Teresa of Avila Church is a Roman Catholic church located in Chiddingfold, Surrey, England. It's a special place of worship for the local community. You can find it right in the middle of the village, on the corner of Petworth Road and Woodside Road, next to the cricket green. This church was built in 1959 and designed by an architect named Henry Bingham Towner. Even though it's not officially a "listed building" (which means it doesn't have special protection for its history), experts from English Heritage have said it's a very important and beautiful building in Chiddingfold. They even called it the best church designed by Bingham Towner that they had seen!

History of St Teresa's Church

How the Church Started

In 1953, priests from the Josephite order, who were based at Barrow Hills School in Witley, started visiting Chiddingfold. They came to serve the local Catholic people. At first, they held their church services, called Mass, in a small hut in the village.

Building the Church

The construction of the church began in 1959. The architect, Henry Bingham Towner, designed the new church to fit exactly where an older building used to be. The church officially opened its doors on October 15, 1959.

Church Design and Look

Inside the Church

The church has a cruciform shape, which means it looks like a cross from above. There is a main walkway, called an aisle, that goes down the center of the nave (the main part of the church where people sit). There's also another aisle on the north side. The sanctuary, which is the area around the altar, is shaped like a half-circle. The ceiling is open and continuous, meaning there are no walls or divides between the nave, the transepts (the arms of the cross shape), and the sanctuary.

The south transept has a porch on one side and a small chapel on the other. The north transept is connected to the vestry, which is a room where priests prepare for services. The church walls are made of stone, and the roof is covered with slate tiles.

Exterior Views of the Church

  • Recreation Ground, Chiddingfold by Dave Spicer Geograph 2669632

    View across the cricket green

  • St Teresa of Avila's Church, Woodside Road, Chiddingfold (May 2014) (3)

    West side of the church

  • St Teresa of Avila's Church, Woodside Road, Chiddingfold (May 2014) (5)

    Back of the church

  • Geograph-3817674-by-Basher-Eyre

    East side of the church

The Parish Community

St Teresa's Church is part of a larger parish that includes two other churches: Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Haslemere and St Anselm Church in Hindhead. The same priest serves all three churches and also holds Mass at Holy Cross Hospital in Haslemere.

Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Haslemere

Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Haslemere was designed by Frederick Walters. It was built between 1923 and 1925. In 1937, beautiful stained-glass windows created by Geoffrey Webb were added to the church.

St Anselm Church, Hindhead

St Anselm Church is located in the Beacon Hill area of Hindhead. The land for this church was bought in 1950. The church opened in 1954 and became its own parish. Later, in the 2000s, the parishes of Haslemere, Hindhead, and Chiddingfold joined together to form one larger parish.

Mass Times

  • St Teresa's Church in Chiddingfold has one Sunday Mass at 9:00 AM. It also has a weekday Mass at 10:00 AM on Wednesday.
  • Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Haslemere has its Sunday Mass at 11:00 AM. Its weekday Masses are at 10:00 AM on Monday, 12 noon on Thursday, and 10:00 AM on Saturday.
  • St Anselm Church in Hindhead has its Sunday Mass at 6:00 PM on Saturday evening and a weekday Mass at 10:00 AM on Tuesday.
  • St. Anselm's church, Beacon Hill, Surrey.

    St Anselm's Church, Hindhead

  • Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Weydon Road, Haslemere (June 2015) (2)

    Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Haslemere

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