Our Lady Immaculate Church (formerly the Church of the Immaculate Conception) 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, ...

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It is located north-east of London a ...

, Essex, England. It was founded in 1845, opened in 1847 and designed by

Joseph John Scoles Joseph John Scoles (1798–1863) was an English Gothic Revival architect, who designed many Roman Catholic churches. Early life and education Scoles was born in London on 27 June 1798, the son of Roman Catholic parents Matthew Scoles, a joiner, ...

. It is situated on New London Road, next to Our Lady Immaculate Primary School, close to the junction with Anchor Street, in the city centre. It is served by the

Premonstratensians The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...

(also known as the Norbertines) from their only community in the UK, St. Philip's Priory.

History

Foundation

In 1840, the site for the church was bought. It was purchased from Charles King, the father of the first mission priest to the area. In 1845, the

mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

to Catholic population in Chelmsford was founded.Chelmsford - Our Lady Immaculate
from

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

, retrieved 24 January 2016

Construction

In October 1847, the church was opened by the then

Vicar Apostolic of the London District The Apostolic Vicariate of the London District was an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales. It was led by a vicar apostolic who was a titular bishop. The apostolic vicariate was created in 1688 and was dis ...

Nicholas Wiseman Nicholas Patrick Stephen Wiseman (3 August 1802 – 15 February 1865) was a Cardinal of the Catholic Church who became the first Archbishop of Westminster upon the re-establishment of the Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales in 1850. Born ...

. In 1850, he became Archbishop of Westminster and a cardinal. The church was originally dedicated to the

Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...

. The architect was

. The main benefactors of the church were Charles King and William Petre, 12th Baron Petre. It was Lord Petre who chose Scoles to design the church. The church was built in the

Gothic Revival 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 ...

style by the builders, Messrs Curtis of Stratford. The Lady altar in the church was originally in

Thorndon Hall Thorndon Hall is a Georgian Palladian country house within Thorndon Park, Ingrave, Essex, England, approximately two miles south of Brentwood and from central London. Formerly the country seat of the Petre family who now reside at nearby In ...

, home of Lord Petre. The east window in the church was made in Newcastle upon Tyne by Thomas Dunn and inspired by a design of

Augustus Pugin Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin ( ; 1 March 181214 September 1852) was an English architect, designer, artist and critic with French and, ultimately, Swiss origins. He is principally remembered for his pioneering role in the Gothic Revival st ...

Developments

In 1973, the church was reordered and extended. A new altar was

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 ...

by the Bishop of Brentwood, Patrick Casey. In 1982, the church's dedication was changed the Immaculate Conception to Our Lady Immaculate. In 1985, the present organ was installed. It was brought from a United Reformed Church in Felsted. In 1988, the crucifix hanging over the altar in front of 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 ...

was installed, it was designed by William Gordon.

Parish

Since 2008, the church has been served by the

Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in United Kingdom, Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their religious habit, habit), is a religious order of canon ...

, also known as the Premonstratensians or Norbertines, from St. Philip's Priory. They also serve another

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 ...

, Holy Name Church in Chelmsford. Holy Name Church was built in 1965 and is on the corner of Lucas Avenue and Gloucester Avenue in the Moulsham Lodge area of Chelmsford.Chelmsford - the Holy Name
from

, retrieved 24 January 2016 Holy Name Church has two Sunday Masses: 6:00pm on Saturday and 10:30am on Sunday.Mass times
from ChelmsfordCatholic.co.uk, retrieved 24 January 2016 Our Lady Immaculate Church has three Sunday Masses: 9:00am, 12:00pm and 7:00pm.

Interior

File:Our Lady Immaculate Church interior, Chelmsford.jpg, Church

File:Our Lady Immaculate Church sanctuary, Chelmsford.jpg, Altar File:Our Lady Immaculate Church Benedict XVI arms on organ, Chelmsford.jpg, Pope Benedict XVI's coat of arms on the organ

References

External links

Chelmsford Catholic Parishes site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chelmsford, Our Lady Immaculate

Our Lady Immaculate The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth wh ...

Roman Catholic churches in Essex Gothic Revival architecture in Essex Gothic Revival church buildings in England Roman Catholic churches completed in 1847 1845 establishments in England Premonstratensian Order 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom