The Church of the Assumption of Our Lady is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paig ...

, Devon, England. It was built from 1853 to 1854 and designed by

Joseph Hansom Joseph Aloysius Hansom (26 October 1803 – 29 June 1882) was a British architect working principally in the Gothic Revival style. He invented the Hansom cab and founded the eminent architectural journal, '' The Builder'', in 1843. Career ...

in the

Gothic revival style Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

. It is located on the junction of Abbey Road and Warren Road in the centre of the town. It is a

Grade II listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked w ...

Church of the Assumption of Our Lady
retrieved 1 June 2022

History

Construction

Robert Shedden Sulyarde Cary of the

Cary family The Cary family (also Carey) is an English aristocratic family with a branch in Ireland. The earliest known ancestor of the family is Sir Adam de Kari who was living in 1198. Sir John Cary (died 1395) purchased the Manor of Clovelly in the 14th ce ...

at Torre Abbey gave the land on which the church was built. On 24 April 1853, the foundation stone was laid by the Bishop of Plymouth George Errington. The church was designed by

who also designed

Plymouth Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Mary and Saint Boniface in Plymouth, England, is the seat of the Bishop of Plymouth and mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Plymouth, which covers the counties of Cornwall, Devon and Dorset. The Diocese ...

and Our Lady Help of Christians and St Denis Church in St Marychurch, Torquay. On 17 February 1854, the church was opened and

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

Torquay - Our Lady of the Assumption
''Taking Stock'', retrieved 1 June 2022

Developments

In 1857, the presbytery and school were built. Both were designed by Joseph Hansom. In 1858, the south aisle and chapel were built. In the 1860s the stained glass windows were installed in the church, they were made by Hardman & Co. In 1981, the interior was reordered and redecorated.

Parish

The church is in the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

of the Assumption of Our Lady, which also includes Holy Angels Church in Torquay. The Church of the Assumption of Our Lady has two Sunday Masses at 6:00pm on Saturday and at 10:30am on Sunday. Holy Angels Church has a Sunday Mass at 8:30am.

References

External links