Sacred Heart Church 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 let ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

and

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 o ...

in Wimbledon, South West

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

initially run by the

Jesuits , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

, that serves the Catholic community of Wimbledon and surrounding areas. It is in the Archdiocese of Southwark and is situated next to

Wimbledon College Wimbledon College is a government-maintained, voluntary-aided, Jesuit Roman Catholic secondary school and sixth form for boys aged 11 to 19 in Wimbledon, London. The college was founded in 1892 "for improvement in living and learning for the g ...

and

Donhead Preparatory School Donhead is an all-male Independent school (UK), independent, Preparatory school (UK), preparatory day school located in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, in the London Borough of Merton. The school is under the governance of the Society of Jesus, Jesu ...

. The main entrance to the church is on Edge Hill road, but the church can also be accessed from the adjacent Darlaston Road.

History

Founding

The church was founded by Edith Arendrup, a member of the wealthy Courtauld family who came to live in Wimbledon in 1877. At the time, there were few Catholics in the area, so she convinced the

Jesuits , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders = ...

Roehampton Roehampton is an area in southwest London, in the Putney SW15 postal district, and takes up a far western strip running north to south of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It contains a number of large council house estates and is home to the U ...

to start a Mass-centre at her house in Cottenham Park. Seven years later, she commissioned the construction of a large church in a prominent position on the slopes of Edge Hill. The 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 Irel ...

was designed by

Frederick Walters Frederick Arthur Walters (1849–1931) was a Scottish architect working in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, notable for his Roman Catholic churches. Life Walters was born on 5 February 1849 at 6 South Terrace, Brompton, London, the son of the ar ...

, a young architect, who designed it in the late

Decorated Gothic English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed ar ...

style.

Construction

The

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

of the newly built church opened on 17 June, the feast of the Sacred Heart, in 1887. Construction continued for fourteen years while the rest of the building was completed: first the sanctuary and south aisle in 1895, then the back chapels in 1896, the north aisle and sacristy in 1898, and finally the west front in 1901. The original plan called for a large tower on the west front, but money ran out and it was replaced by twin turrets and a massive, traceried window. A monument on the south wall of the church dedicated to Edith Arendrup is inscribed with the words: “It was through her Christian vision that this parish of the Sacred Heart came into being; it was through her generosity the church was built.” From 1898, the church had a new benefactor, Caroline Currie of Coombe Hill. She was the wealthy widow of the banker Bertram Wodehouse Currie, and paid for the north aisle, along with a chapel dedicated to the founder of the Jesuits, St. Ignatius, and the baptistery. The St. Ignatius chapel contains a medallion of Mrs. Currie who died in 1902.''History of the Church''
Sacred Heart Wimbledon
Retrieved 23 January 2013 In 1905, another church was built within the parish by the Jesuits, St Winefride Church. It was built to accommodate the congregation in

South Wimbledon South Wimbledon is an area of Wimbledon in south-west London in the London Borough of Merton, England. History Toponymy It is marked on an Ordnance Survey map of 1876 as New Wimbledon and on a 1907 map as South Wimbledon. The name is derived fr ...

. In 1913, again the parish needed to expand and a Mass centre was set up in

Wimbledon Park Wimbledon Park is the name of an urban park in Wimbledon and also of the suburb south and east of the park and the Wimbledon Park tube station. The park itself is in area. The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club is immediately to the west ...

. In 1926, a church was built in the area by the Jesuits which became Christ the King Church and was finished in 1928.

20th century

In 1990 the church was re-ordered. A new high altar was installed, designed by David John who was also responsible for the bronze reliquary underneath containing relics of Roman and English martyrs, including Saints Thomas More and Saint Edmund Campion. The tiled floor was designed by Austin Winkley. The altar was dedicated by Bishop Tripp, an Auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Southwark, at a special ceremony on the feast of the Sacred Heart, 22 June 1990.

21st century

In 2007 and 2008 the church halls were refurbished, access improved and a new youth room added. On 17 November 2012, it was announced that the Jesuits would no longer be involved in the direct administration of the church after serving the parish for over 130 years. On 10 January 2014, it was handed over to the Archdiocese of Southwark who continue to administer the parish.

Parish

The church is next door to

and Donhead School for boys (both of these schools are served by the Jesuits) and the Ursuline High School and

Ursuline Preparatory School Wimbledon () is a district and town of Southwest London, England, southwest of the centre of London at Charing Cross; it is the main commercial centre of the London Borough of Merton. Wimbledon had a population of 68,187 in 2011 which includes ...

for girls (served by the

Ursulines The Ursulines, also known as the Order of Saint Ursula (post-nominals: OSU), is an enclosed religious order of consecrated women that branched off from the Angelines, also known as the Company of Saint Ursula, in 1572. Like the Angelines, they ...

), which all enjoy a close relationship with the parish. The schools use the church for various masses throughout the school year. The parish hosts many groups within its parish centre. It has a local Christian Life Community association which ministers to the spiritual needs of the parish, by garnering interest in

Ignatian spirituality Ignatian spirituality, also known as Jesuit spirituality, is a Catholic spirituality founded on the experiences of the 16th-century Spanish saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order. The main idea of this form of spirituality comes from ...

. Also, it has a social justice group which promotes fair trade products and raises awareness of social issues.

Jesuit Missions

''Jesuit Missions'' is a development and mission-based charity of the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

in Britain. It remains on the same street as the church after the Jesuits handed the parish over to the archdiocese. In 1961, it moved from Roehampton to Wimbledon and was led by Tony Montfort for 40 years. It organises fundraising initiatives, such as through the

London Marathon The London Marathon is an annual marathon held in London, United Kingdom, and is the 2nd largest annual road race in the UK, after the Great North Run in Newcastle. Founded by athletes Chris Brasher and John Disley in 1981, it is typically he ...

, and distributes the money to developing countries. It distributes news about the activities of overseas Jesuits and other missionaries, such as the imprisonment of Stan Swamy, and the murders of La Salle laybrother Paul McAuley in Peru, and Fr Victor-Luke Odhiambo in Kenya.Peru: Environmentalist La Salle brother found dead
''Independent Catholic News'', 3 April 2019, retrieved 28 November 2022 It with other charities and networks such as Global First Responder, Educate Magis, the Xavier Network,Jesuit Missions
Xavier.Network, retrieved 28 November 2022 Justice in Mining group and within the Global Ignatian Advocacy Network.

Gallery

File:Sacred Heart RC Church Interior 1, Wimbledon, London, UK - Diliff.jpg, The nave looking north-east File:Sacred Heart RC Church Interior 2, Wimbledon, London, UK - Diliff.jpg, The sanctuary File:Sacred Heart RC Church Interior 3, Wimbledon, London, UK - Diliff.jpg, The nave looking south-west File:Sacred Heart RC Church Interior 4, Wimbledon, London, UK - Diliff.jpg, The nave from the organ gallery File:Sacred Heart Church, Wimbledon - geograph.org.uk - 1599035.jpg, View from Darlaston Road File:Sacred Heart Church, Wimbledon.JPG, View from Edge Hill

References

External links

Official website

Jesuit Missions site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wimbledon, Sacred Heart Roman Catholic churches in the London Borough of Merton Buildings and structures in Wimbledon, London Gothic Revival church buildings in London Grade II* listed buildings in the London Borough of Merton Grade II* listed churches in London Roman Catholic churches completed in 1901 Churches in the Diocese of Southwark Frederick Walters buildings Grade II* listed Roman Catholic churches in England 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom