St Augustine's Church is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

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. It ...

, London, England. It is a

Romanesque revival style Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a Architectural style, 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 Reviv ...

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

Hammersmith Flyover The Hammersmith flyover is an elevated roadway in West London which carries the A4 arterial road over and to one side of the central Hammersmith gyratory system, and it links together the Cromwell Road extension ( Talgarth Road) with the st ...

. It was founded by

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

from St Monica's Church in

Hoxton Hoxton is an area in the London Borough of Hackney, England. It was Historic counties of England, historically in the county of Middlesex until 1889. Hoxton lies north-east of the City of London, is considered to be a part of London's East End ...

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 Joseph Thomas Vaughan (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. ...

invited the

in Hoxton to come to Hammersmith and start a

mission Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada *Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality * Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * ...

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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, 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 Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked with prot ...

, 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. In 1933, the church was

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

. 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 English, British term for a chapel dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus, particularly those inside a cathedral or other large church (building), church. The chapels are also known as a Mary chape ...

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

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and

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being installed. In 2018, the church underwent a refurbishment that included works and designs by Julian Stair and John Morgan.Edwin Heathcote
In praise of new sacred buildings
''

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'', 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 and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

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