St Robert of Newminster 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 Morpeth, Northumberland, England. It was built from 1848 to 1849 in the

Early English Gothic English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed ...

style. It is located on Oldgate in the town, overlooking the

River Wansbeck The River Wansbeck runs through the county of Northumberland, England. It rises above Sweethope Lough on the edge of Fourlaws Forest in the area known locally as The Wanneys (Great Wanney Crag, Little Wanney Crag; thus the "Wanneys Beck"); runs ...

. It is a Grade II listed building.Roman Catholic Church of St Robert
''

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 26 April 2022

History

Foundation

From the mid-1600s, Catholics in Morpeth would worship in various places in the area.

Jesuits The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

would come from

Longhorsley Longhorsley is a village in Northumberland, England about northwest of Morpeth, and about south of Alnwick. The A697 road passes through the village linking it with Morpeth, Wooler and Coldstream in Scotland. There are 8 "Streets" in Longhorsl ...

to celebrate

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 ...

in Morpeth. In 1767, it was recorded that Catholics used a house in

Bullers Green Bullers Green is a part of the town of Morpeth and former civil parish, Northumberland, England. In 1881 the parish had a population of 346. Governance Bullers Green is in the parliamentary constituency of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Bul ...

as 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 ...

. In 1778, a house that was situated opposite the current church was bought to be used as a chapel. It became St Bede's Chapel and had a presbytery next to it. Construction of the chapel and presbytery was £850 and it was paid by a Thomas Riddell from Swinburne. In 1779,

Benedictines , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

from

Douai Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, Dou ...

came to Morpeth and started to serve 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 and around Morpeth.

Morpeth – St Robert of Newminster
''Taking Stock'', retrieved 26 April 2022

Construction

In 1848, plans were drawn up by the priest, a Fr Lowe, for the construction of St Robert of Newminster Church. Fundraising started and on 20 August 1848 the foundation stone of the church was laid. On 13 September 1849, the church was opened and on 1 August 1850 the church was consecrated by

William Hogarth William Hogarth (; 10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, engraver, pictorial satirist, social critic, editorial cartoonist and occasional writer on art. His work ranges from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like s ...

, the Apostolic Vicar of the Northern District. Decoration of the church took three years to do after its opening. The stained glass was done by

William Wailes William Wailes (1808–1881) was the proprietor of one of England's largest and most prolific stained glass workshops. Life and career Wailes was born and grew up in Newcastle on Tyne, England's centre of domestic glass and bottle manufacturing. ...

. The decorating was done by a Mr Gill. The rood screen was made by a local workman, Mr Manners. The

church organ Carol Williams performing at the United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel.">West_Point_Cadet_Chapel.html" ;"title="United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel">United States Military Academy West Point Cadet Chapel. ...

came from an old local chapel in Newcastle and was brought over by a Mr Davies. The total cost of the church came to £2,400, of which £1004 was contributed by Fr Lowe. As there is no clear record,

suggests four possible people as the architect of the church. There are original drawings of the church by a Mr C. Brown. A history of the

Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle The Roman Catholic Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church, centred on St Mary's Cathedral in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in England. The diocese is one of the six suffragan sees in the ecclesiastic ...

, ''Down Your Aisles'' (published 2000), credits Thomas Gibson who also designed St Wilfrid's Church in

Bishop Auckland Bishop Auckland () is a market town and civil parish at the confluence of the River Wear and the River Gaunless in County Durham, northern England. It is northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham. Much of the town's early history surro ...

and St Osmund's Church in Gainford. The parish priest at the time of construction, Fr Lowe, credits a surveyor, Mr White, for designing the original interior furnishings. Also, according to

Nikolaus Pevsner Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (1 ...

it is likely that Fr Lowe helped the design.

Developments

In 1857, the stations of the cross were added to the church. They were replaced in 1948. In 1860, statues of the apostles were placed above the stations of the cross. In 1864, the flooring was replaced and a heating system was installed. In 1869, a statue of Fr Lowe was added. In 1895, the church was redecorated by the Atkinson Brothers of Newcastle and was reopened after the redecoration by Thomas Wilkinson, the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle. In 1898, a new baptismal font and

high altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paganis ...

were given to the church by John Hedley, Bishop of Newport and Menevia who was born in Morpeth and lived in Collingswood House, which would become the presbytery. In 1904, electric lights were installed. Around 1920, altar rails designed by

Sir Giles Gilbert Scott Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (9 November 1880 – 8 February 1960) was a British architect known for his work on the New Bodleian Library, Cambridge University Library, Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, Battersea Power Station, Liverpool Cathedral, and ...

were added to the church. In 1965, a pulpit was installed and the church was again redecorated. In 1969, the Benedictines left the parish and the priests from the diocese came to serve the community and continue to do so.

Parish

The parish is in a partnership with St Bede's Church in

Bedlington Bedlington is a town and former civil parish in Northumberland, England, with a population of 18,470 measured at the 2011 Census. Bedlington is an ancient market town, with a rich history of industry and innovative residents. Located roughly 1 ...

. There are two Sunday Masses in St Robert's Church, at 9:00am and 11:00am.

Interior

St Robert of Newminster Church interior, Morpeth by Steve Ellwood.jpg, Interior St Robert of Newminster Church organ, Morpeth by Steve Ellwood.jpg, Organ

References

External links

*
Diocesan site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Robert of Newminster Church, Morpeth Morpeth, Northumberland Roman Catholic churches completed in 1849 Roman Catholic churches in Northumberland Religious organizations established in 1849 Grade II listed churches in Northumberland Grade II listed Roman Catholic churches in England English Gothic architecture in Northumberland 1849 establishments in England 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom