St Mary Immaculate Church, Falmouth
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St Mary's Church or St Mary Immaculate 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, ...
in
Falmouth, Cornwall Falmouth ( ; kw, Aberfala) is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,797 (2011 census). Etymology The name Falmouth is of English or ...
, England, United Kingdom. It was built from 1868 to 1869 and designed by
Joseph Hansom Joseph Aloysius Hansom (26 October 1803 – 29 June 1882) was a British architect working principally in the Gothic Revival style. He invented the Hansom cab and founded the eminent architectural journal, ''The Builder'', in 1843. Career Ha ...
. The architecture of the church, according to
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 ...
is a blend of "Gothic and Burgundian Romanesque styles". It is located on the corner of Kimberley Place and Killigrew Street. It was extended by Hansom's son
Joseph Stanislaus Hansom Joseph Stanislaus Hansom, FRIBA (1845–1931) was a British architect. He was the son and partner of the better known Joseph Aloysius Hansom, inventor of the Hansom cab. He trained with his father, becoming his partner in 1869, and taking over ...
in 1881 and it is a Grade II listed building.
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 ...

Church of St Mary Immaculate
retrieved 31 May 2022


History


Foundation

By 1800, a Catholic oratory existed in Falmouth, inside a warehouse, by the port. In 1803, the oratory was replaced by a
chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...
after it was burnt down. Next to the chapel was a house for the priest. The priest that served 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 ...
in Falmouth was a
Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...
, Fr Ignatius Casemore. In 1814, a new customs house was built and the chapel and the house had to move. In 1818, the priest was French, Abbé Jean Baptiste de la Grésille. He received funds for a new church from French aristocrats. On 24 October 1821, the new church was opened. It could accommodate 150 people and it was built to be indiscreet, resembling two
semi-detached A semi-detached house (often abbreviated to semi) is a single family duplex dwelling house that shares one common wall with the next house. The name distinguishes this style of house from detached houses, with no shared walls, and terraced house ...
houses.
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 ...

Falmouth - St Mary Immaculate
''Taking Stock'', retrieved 31 May 2022


Construction

By the 1860s, with the local Catholic population increasing, a new larger church needed to be built. The site for the current church was bought from
John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley (7 January 18268 April 1902), known as The Lord Wodehouse from 1846 to 1866, was a British Liberal politician. He held office in every Liberal administration from 1852 to 1895, notably as Secretary of Stat ...
. The priest at the time was Canon William Casey. He commissioned
Joseph Hansom Joseph Aloysius Hansom (26 October 1803 – 29 June 1882) was a British architect working principally in the Gothic Revival style. He invented the Hansom cab and founded the eminent architectural journal, ''The Builder'', in 1843. Career Ha ...
to design the church. Building work started in 1868. On 26 August 1869, the church was opened in a ceremony presided by William Vaughan, Bishop of Plymouth, with William Ullathorne,
Bishop of Birmingham A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
. In 1881, the
sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...
and tower and spire were completed by
Joseph Stanislaus Hansom Joseph Stanislaus Hansom, FRIBA (1845–1931) was a British architect. He was the son and partner of the better known Joseph Aloysius Hansom, inventor of the Hansom cab. He trained with his father, becoming his partner in 1869, and taking over ...
. In 1886, a parish hall was built. A school room was established in the hall. It has previously been in the church crypt.


Developments

In 1908, the
baptistery In Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptisterium''; Greek , 'bathing-place, baptistery', from , baptízein, 'to baptize') is the separate centrally planned structure surrounding the baptismal ...
and
porch A porch (from Old French ''porche'', from Latin ''porticus'' "colonnade", from ''porta'' "passage") is a room or gallery located in front of an entrance of a building. A porch is placed in front of the facade of a building it commands, and form ...
were added, according to the original design of the church by Joseph Hansom. They were added by the priest at the time, Canon James Burns. He did it in the memory of Canon Casey. Around this time, an organ was also installed. In 1926, a Lourdes grotto was built off the north aisle. During World War II, Falmouth was a target of bombing. One bomb fell close to the church, damaging the roof and windows. In 1946 Canon George Cantell prepared the church for its
consecration 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 ...
. On 8 September 1948, the church was consecrated by the Bishop of Plymouth Francis Grimshaw.


Parish

The
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 ...
of St Mary Immaculate Church also includes St Edward’s Church in
Mawnan Smith Mawnan Smith ( kw, Mownan an Gov) is a village in the civil parish of Mawnan in south Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and i ...
. The priest at St Mary Immaculate Church is also the parish priest of St Mary's Church in
Heston Heston is a suburban area and part of the Hounslow district in the London Borough of Hounslow. The residential settlement covers a slightly smaller area than its predecessor farming village, 10.8 miles (17.4 km) west south-west of Charing ...
that also serves St Michael the Archangel Church in
Mullion A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid supp ...
. St Mary Immaculate Church has two Sunday Masses at 6:00pm on Saturday and at 10:30am on Sunday. St Edward’s Church in Mawnan Smith has one Sunday Mass at 9:00am.Churches
from
Diocese of Plymouth The Roman Catholic Diocese of Plymouth is a Latin Church Roman Catholic diocese in England. The episcopal see is in the city of Plymouth, Devon, where the bishop's seat ( cathedra) is located at the Cathedral Church of St Mary and St Boniface. ...
, retrieved 31 May 2022


See also

*
Diocese of Plymouth The Roman Catholic Diocese of Plymouth is a Latin Church Roman Catholic diocese in England. The episcopal see is in the city of Plymouth, Devon, where the bishop's seat ( cathedra) is located at the Cathedral Church of St Mary and St Boniface. ...
*


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary Immaculate Church, Falmouth Buildings and structures in Falmouth, Cornwall Buildings by Joseph Hansom Roman Catholic churches in Cornwall Grade II listed churches in Cornwall Grade II listed Roman Catholic churches in England Roman Catholic churches completed in 1869 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom Gothic Revival architecture in Cornwall Gothic Revival church buildings in England Romanesque Revival church buildings in England 1868 establishments in England Religious organizations established in 1803