St Augustine'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, ...

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. ...

, London, England. It is a

Romanesque revival style Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

church and was built in 1916. It is located on Fulham Palace Road, south of the Hammersmith Flyover. It was founded by

Augustinian Friars The Order of Saint Augustine, ( la, Ordo Fratrum Sancti Augustini) abbreviated OSA, is a religious mendicant order of the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1244 by bringing together several eremitical groups in the Tuscany region who were fo ...

from St Monica's Church in

Hoxton Hoxton is an area in the London Borough of Hackney, England. As a part of Shoreditch, it is often considered to be part of the East End – the historic core of wider East London. It was historically in the county of Middlesex until 1889. I ...

who continue to serve the church.

History

Construction

In 1903, the

Archbishop of Westminster The Archbishop of Westminster heads the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster, in England. The incumbent is the metropolitan of the Province of Westminster, chief metropolitan of England and Wales and, as a matter of custom, is elected presid ...

Herbert Vaughan Herbert Alfred Henry Vaughan, MHM (15 April 1832 – 19 June 1903) was an English prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Westminster from 1892 until his death in 1903, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1893. He was th ...

invited the

in Hoxton to come to Hammersmith and start a

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 ...

serving the local immigrant Irish Catholic community. A building was bought at 71 Comeragh Road to house a chapel and the friars. It was opened on Easter Sunday, 12 April 1903. Afterwards, the site of the current church was bought. On 16 September 1903, a temporary iron church on the site was opened. In March 1915, during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the foundation stone for St Augustine's Church was laid. The church was designed by Robert Leabon Curtis. On 14 October 1916, the church was opened.''Taking Stock''
Hammersmith – St Augustine

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 9 May 2021 The original London Irish Welfare Bureau was founded by the early friars. It was based for many years in the church's parish centre, until it was formally established as an independent charity in 1974 and relocated to its own building in Hammersmith Grove. It closed in 2013.

Developments

In 1920, a new altar was added to the chapel of

St Nicholas of Tolentino Nicholas of Tolentino ( la, S. Nicolaus de Tolentino, (c. 1246September 10, 1305), known as the ''Patron of Holy Souls'', was an Italian saint and mystic. He is particularly invoked as an advocate for the souls in Purgatory, especially during ...

. In 1933, the church 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 ...

. In 1952 a window depicting Nicholas of Tolentino was installed. The central panel in the stained glass windows above the main entrance includes a depiction of Hammersmith Bridge, conveying the founding community's commitment to the local area. In 1960, a new altar, designed by Donald Plaskett Marshall, was installed the

lady chapel A Lady chapel or lady chapel is a traditional British term for a chapel dedicated to "Our Lady", Mary, mother of Jesus, particularly those inside a cathedral or other large church. The chapels are also known as a Mary chapel or a Marian chapel, an ...

. In 1988, the church underwent a renovation with a new altar,

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 ...

and

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being installed. In 2018, the church underwent a refurbishment that included works and designs by

Julian Stair Julian Francis Stair (born 1955 in Bristol) is an English potter, academic and writer. He makes groups of work using a variety of materials, from fine glazed porcelain to coarse engineering brick clays. His work ranges in scale from hand-sized ...

and John Morgan.Edwin Heathcote
In praise of new sacred buildings
''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

'', 2 March 2020, retrieved 9 May 2021 The church has since been further added to by pieces commissioned by the Augustinian community from other craftsmen, including a new central altar and tabernacle, and gilding work on the pillars.

Parish

The church holds a Saturday Vigil

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

at 6:00pm and four Sunday Masses at 9:00am, 10:30am, 12:15pm and 6.30pm. There are weekday Masses 8:00am and 12:15pm Monday to Friday and at 12:15pm on Saturday.Catholic Directory
retrieved 9 May 2021 All services are currently live-streamed online a
churchservices.tv

Old Interior shot

St Augustine's Church interior, Hammersmith by John Salmon Geograph 2304442.jpg, Interior St Augustine's Church side alter, Hammersmith by John Salmon Geograph 2304444.jpg, Side chapel St Augustine's Church stained glass, Hammersmith by John Salmon Geograph 2304445.jpg, Stained glass

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Augustine's Church, Hammersmith Hammersmith

Roman Catholic churches completed in 1916 1903 establishments in England

Roman Catholic churches in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham