Our Ladye Star of the Sea
Our Ladye Star of the Sea | |
---|---|
Decorated Gothic | |
Years built | 1851 (present) |
Administration | |
Diocese | Southwark |
The Church of Our Ladye Star of the Sea is a
History
A Roman Catholic mission was established in Greenwich in 1793 to serve around 500 Catholic pensioners in the Royal Naval Hospital. A chapel was originally built in Park Vista but proved inadequate, and fundraising began for a new church, led by a priest, Richard Michael North. His mother had reputedly vowed to build a church dedicated to Our Lady after her two sons were rescued following a Thames boating accident, and donated the site on Croom's Hill. The church was constructed between 1846 and 1851, at a cost of over £8,000.[1][2]
Wardell designed the church in a Decorated Gothic style, with a landmark spire,
Around 1863, a Perpendicular-style marble tomb and effigy for Canon Richard North was installed between the church's northeast chapel and its sanctuary (designed by Edward Welby Pugin).[2] A chapel dedicated to the Sacred Heart was opened in September 1891. A restoration was carried out in 1901,[2] and the church was subject to a more major refurbishment in 1965 by Myles and Deirdre Dove.[1] The building was listed in 1973, and recategorised in 2015.[1]
In 1902, social reformer Charles Booth described the church's location: "The beauty of the western side of Greenwich Park, and the steep declivities in which Blackheath terminates, is quite remarkable," with the church described as "a beautiful edifice, partly old, on the completion and adornment of which much has been spent".[3]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Roman Catholic Church of Our Ladye Star of the Sea including its forecourt wall and gate piers". Historic England. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f "Greenwich – Our Ladye Star of the Sea". Taking Stock: Catholic Churches of England and Wales. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
- ^ Banerjee, Jacqueline. "Our Ladye Star of the Sea (R.C.), by William Wilkinson Wardell (1823-1899), with fittings by A. W. N. and E. W. Pugin". The Victorian Web. Retrieved 13 March 2023.