St Ethelbert's Church or Our Lady Immaculate and St Ethelbert's 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 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, ...

Slough Slough () is a town and unparished area in the unitary authority of the same name in Berkshire, England, bordering west London. It lies in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4 ...

, Berkshire, England. It was built from 1908 to 1910 and designed by

Benedict Williamson Benedict Williamson (1868–1948) was an architect who designed many Romanesque Revival churches in the United Kingdom who later became a Roman Catholic priest. Early life He was born in 1868 as William Edward Williamson in London. He studied ...

. It is located on the corner of Wellington Street and William Street in the centre of the town. It is 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 ...

and is a Grade II listed building.Church of Our Lady Immaculate and St Ethelbert

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 wit ...

, retrieved 15 May 2022

History

Foundation

In the early 1880s, an Italian priest, Fr Joseph Clemente, became the

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

at St James' School in

Baylis House Baylis House is a Grade I listed building currently operating as a hotel and business centre in Slough, Berkshire, England. It is representative of the plain Dutch style that was popular in England after post-Civil war restoration of the English ...

. While her was there he worked on getting a permanent Catholic church in the town. With others, he raised funds and bought a disused warehouse and stable on Herschel House. In 1885, the former warehouse and stable became St Ethelbert's Church.

Slough - Our Lady Immaculate and St Ethelbert
''Taking Stock'', retrieved 15 May 2022

Construction

In 1888, Fr Clemente moved permanently from the school to the church. The next year, in 1889, he bought the site of the present church for £1,050. However, raising funds for the construction of the church was more difficult. In 1908, thanks to a donation from the

superior Superior may refer to: *Superior (hierarchy), something which is higher in a hierarchical structure of any kind Places *Superior (proposed U.S. state), an unsuccessful proposal for the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to form a separate state *Lake ...

of the

Bernardine Cistercians of Esquermes The Bernardine Cistercians of Esquermes are a small branch of the Cistercian Order. They follow the Rule of St Benedict, and co-operate with the apostolic mission of the Catholic Church through educational activities and hospitality. There are eig ...

attached to

St Bernard's Catholic Grammar School St Bernard's Catholic Grammar School (formerly St Bernard's Convent School) is an academically selective Roman Catholic state grammar school on Langley Road, Slough. It was previously designated as a Humanities College. The student body is div ...

in Slough, in memory of her parents. On 1 July 1908, the foundation stone of the church was laid. The architect was the priest Fr Benedict Williamson who also designed

St Ignatius Church, Stamford Hill St Ignatius Church, Stamford Hill, is a large, listed Roman Catholic parish church in the Archdiocese of Westminster ministered by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) who founded it in 1894. It is on the corner of Stamford Hill and St. Ann's Road, a ...

and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Fulham. He was assisted by Fr J. Francis Drake, the chaplain at the convent. The builders were Messrs. Godson & Sons. On 19 April 1910, the church was consecrated and opened the next day on 20 April 1910.

Developments

In 1912, the statue of Christ the Redeemer was bought for the church. It is situated by the side entrance facing the street. It was blessed by

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...

and originally designed to stand at

Westminster Cathedral Westminster Cathedral is the mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It is the largest Catholic church in the UK and the seat of the Archbishop of Westminster. The site on which the cathedral stands in the City of ...

. In 1980, the

rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or ...

was moved to behind the altar, the baptismal font was moved in front of the

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...

and the

ambo Ambo may refer to: Places * Ambo, Kiribati * Ambo Province, Huanuco Region, Peru ** Ambo District ** Ambo, Peru, capital of Ambo District * Ambo Town, a town in Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia ** Ambo, Ethiopia, a capital of West Shewa Zone ...

replaced the

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...

. The work was done by the architect Anthony New who worked for

Seely & Paget Seely & Paget was the architectural partnership of John Seely, 2nd Baron Mottistone (1899–1963) and Paul Edward Paget (1901–1985). Their work included the construction of Eltham Palace in the Art Deco style, and the post-World War II restorati ...

Parish

The church is its own parish and has three Sunday Masses at 9:00am, 11:00am and 6:30pm.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Ethelbert's Church, Slough Buildings and structures in Slough Roman Catholic churches in Berkshire Roman Catholic Diocese of Northampton Grade II listed churches in Berkshire Grade II listed Roman Catholic churches in England Gothic Revival church buildings in England Gothic Revival architecture in Berkshire 1885 establishments in England Roman Catholic churches completed in 1910 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom