Our Lady of Grace 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 ...

church in Charlton,

Royal Borough of Greenwich The Royal Borough of Greenwich (, , or ) is a London borough in southeast Greater London, England. The London Borough of Greenwich was formed in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963. The new borough covered the former area of the Metropolita ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Built between 1905 and 1906 in

Neo-Romanesque 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 t ...

style, it was designed by the French architect Eugène Gervais (1852–1940) for the Sisters of the Assumption as part of their international mission work in England following the French religious exile of 1901-1914.

History

Origins and establishment

In 1903, following their exile from France due to anti-clerical legislation, a group of Sisters of the Assumption established a community in Charlton, by purchasing a private residence Highcombe House. This impressive property had a distinguished history, having been home to several notable figures including

Sir William Congreve, 2nd Baronet Sir William Congreve, 2nd Baronet KCH FRS (20 May 1772 – 16 May 1828) was a British Army officer, Tory politician, publisher and inventor. A pioneer in the field of rocket artillery, he was renowned for his development and use of Congreve r ...

(1772–1828), a prolific inventor, and

William Henry Barlow William Henry Barlow (10 May 1812 – 12 November 1902) was an English civil engineer of the 19th century, particularly associated with railway engineering projects. Barlow was involved in many engineering enterprises. He was engineer ...

(1812–1902), who had designed the roof of

St Pancras station St Pancras railway station (), officially known since 2007 as London St Pancras International, is a major central London railway terminus on Euston Road in the London Borough of Camden. It is the terminus for Eurostar services from Belgium, F ...

and is commemorated with an English Heritage blue plaque. Highcombe House and its gardens, now serving as a community centre and presbytery, is a Grade II listed building. Mass was first celebrated in the house in July 1903 by Fr Benedict Caron, A.A., who became the first mission priest. The chapel was opened to local residents, gradually establishing a Catholic mission in the area. The foundation stone for the present church was laid on 27 August 1905 by Bishop Amigo. The building was opened a year later, on 8 September 1906, by Fr Darbois, Superior of the Assumptionist Mission in New York. The dedication to Our Lady of Grace was chosen because of a pre-Reformation shrine to Our Lady of Grace that had existed in the area.

Later developments

Between 1925 and 1927, new furnishings were added to the church, including a new organ, pulpit, and benches carved by Fr Gregory Chedal A.A. This coincided with the purchase of

Woodlands House Woodlands House is a Grade II* listed Georgian villa, nextdoor to Mycenae House, Mycenae Road, in the Westcombe Park area of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, in southeast London. Having previously been used as a convent, from 1972 to 2003 th ...

for use as a convent. The church underwent significant restoration and expansion in 1959 under Fr Walter Robertson A.A., the first English parish priest. This work included the addition of an outer north aisle, strengthening of the foundations, installation of a concrete floor, remodeling of the high altar, and complete redecoration. The church was consecrated by Bishop Cowderoy on 13 September 1960. The Sisters of the Assumption founded and operated the parish until 1972, when the

Assumptionists The Assumptionists, formally known as the Congregation of the Augustinians of the Assumption (; abbreviated AA), is a worldwide congregation of Catholic priests and brothers. It is active in many countries. The French branch played a major rol ...

took over its administration. The Assumptionists then served the parish until 1989, when they handed pastoral care over to diocesan clergy, while retaining ownership of the properties In 2025 the Assumptionists announced their intention to take back control of the buildings, claiming poor maintenance by the Archdiocese of Southwark.

Educational connection

The church maintains a close relationship with Our Lady of Grace Catholic Primary School, which was established by the parish in 1928. The Sisters of the Assumption (1903–1972) established a lasting educational legacy at Highcombe House, transforming the property into a spiritual and educational centre. Their dedication to Catholic education laid the foundation for the modern Our Lady of Grace Primary School that continues to serve the local community today, representing over a century of continuous educational service on the site.

Architecture

Church

The church is built in

neo-Romanesque 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 t ...

style, rare for Catholic churches in England during this period when Gothic Revival was more prevalent. The style represents one of the few examples of Continental Romanesque Revival traditions in British Catholic architecture. The building is constructed of stock brick laid in English bond, with stone dressings and a slate roof. The construction, undertaken by Jones & Sons of

Erith Erith () is an area in south-east London, England, east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the historical county of Kent. Since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Bexley. It lies north ...

, cost £5,000 in 1905 (equivalent to approximately £1.2–1.5 million in 2023 when considering relative construction costs), representing a substantial investment for a Catholic parish in Edwardian England. The west elevation features buttresses dividing the nave and aisles, blind arcading below the eaves, and an aedicule niche with a statue of the Madonna and Child. Below are a cusped circular window and the west doors within a gabled porch. The interior has a five-bay nave with a barrel vault, supported by Corinthian columns with scagliola shafts. Instead of a clerestorey with windows, there is a triforium with quatrefoils in circles containing symbols from the

Litany of Loreto The Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Marian litany originally approved in 1587 by Pope Sixtus V. It is also known as the Litany of Loreto (Latin: ''Litaniae lauretanae''), after its first-known place of origin, the Shrine of Our Lady of ...

. Originally, the sanctuary featured a dramatic statue of the Virgin and Child standing on clouds, lit by concealed windows in the apse, reportedly inspired by a similar arrangement at St Sulpice in Paris. During the 1959 restoration, this was replaced with a painting of Our Lady of Grace (a copy of an icon from the Augustinian Church of S. Patrizio in Rome) and a rood cross. Notable interior features include timber benches carved by Fr Gregory Chedal A.A. in the 1920s, Stations of the Cross carved by Virgilio Prugger and painted by Henry Farmer (c.1959), and an octagonal timber pulpit carved with the Four Evangelists and Christ.

Highcombe House and gardens

Highcombe House and its gardens serve as both a community centre and presbytery. This Grade II listed early-to-mid 19th century villa is described in the Historic England listing as a two-storey stucco house with a slate hipped roof and deep eaves. The building features a semi-circular bays on the front and rear elevations and retains many original architectural elements. Highcombe House the last surviving property of a collection of historic mansions that once formed the Eastcombe estate in Charlton, as shown in an Ordnance Survey map from 1895, offering views across London. The estate has been home to various aristocrats, military leaders and public figures throughout its history. The house is believed to have been commissioned by

, around 1824. Congreve, a Member of Parliament for Plymouth and personal friend of

King George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, h ...

, was a prolific inventor whose

Congreve Rocket The Congreve rocket was a type of rocket artillery designed by British inventor Sir William Congreve, 2nd Baronet, Sir William Congreve in 1808. The design was based upon Mysorean rockets, the rockets deployed by the Kingdom of Mysore against ...

inspired Francis Scott Key to write the phrase "the rockets' red glare" in "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the United States. After Congreve's death in 1828, the property had several occupants, including General Sir George Whitmore (1851–1862), Commandant of the

Royal Military Academy at Woolwich The Royal Military Academy (RMA) at Woolwich, in south-east London, was a British Army military academy for the training of commissioned officers of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. It later also trained officers of the Royal Corps of Si ...

, before

acquired it around 1865. Barlow was an engineer who designed London's

St Pancras Station St Pancras railway station (), officially known since 2007 as London St Pancras International, is a major central London railway terminus on Euston Road in the London Borough of Camden. It is the terminus for Eurostar services from Belgium, F ...

and the second

Tay Bridge The Tay Bridge carries rail traffic across the Firth of Tay in Scotland between Dundee and the suburb of Wormit in Fife. Its span is . It is the second bridge to occupy the site. Plans for a bridge over the Tay to replace the train ferry servi ...

. Other notable residents of the broader Eastcombe estate included: Sir Captain William Saunderson (Clockhouse/Eastcombe 1, 1710–1727) of HM Yacht William and Mary; Lieutenant General Sir William Congreve (Clockhouse/Eastcombe 1, 1780–82 and 1795–1805), who founded the gunpowder factory at

Waltham Abbey Waltham Abbey is a suburban town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex, within the London metropolitan area, metropolitan and urban area of London, England, East London, north-east of Charing Cross. It lies on the Greenwich ...

; John Hooke-Campbell (Clockhouse/Eastcombe 1, 1782–1795), Lord Lyon King of Arms, Scotland; Eleanor Agnes Hobart, Countess of Buckinghamshire (Eastcombe House 2, 1816–1851), widow of

Robert Hobart Robert Hobart may refer to: *Sir Robert Hobart, 1st Baronet (1836–1928), British politician *Robert Hobart, 4th Earl of Buckinghamshire (1760–1816), British politician * Sir Robert Hampden Hobart, 3rd Baronet (1915–1988) of the Hobart baronet ...

, Colonial Secretary and namesake of

Hobart, Tasmania Hobart ( ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent (Tasmania), River Derwent, it is the southernmo ...

; Lady Charlotte Maryon Wilson (1808–1895) (Little Combe, 1876–1895) of the Maryon Wilson Baronet family of

Charlton House Charlton House is a Jacobean building in Charlton, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich in south-east London. Originally it was a residence for a nobleman associated with the Stuart royal family. It later served as a wartime hospital, the ...

, whose ancestral estate included substantial landholdings across southeast London. A portrait of Mrs Rebecca Congreve and her children is thought to show Eastcombe House 1. Then Captain William Congreve with his elder son William can be seen central on the rear wall again by Reinagle.

William Congreve William Congreve (24 January 1670 – 19 January 1729) was an English playwright, satirist, poet, and Whig politician. He spent most of his career between London and Dublin, and was noted for his highly polished style of writing, being regard ...

the dramatist can be seen above the fire place. This painting reveals how the fashionable Georgian home was decorated with floral carpet, girandole mirrors and mantelpiece ornaments. Today, Highcombe House continues to serve the community, providing both parish administration facilities and space for community gatherings and events.

References

External links

Our Lady of Grace Church official website

Archdiocese of Southwark
{{coord, 51.47976, 0.02691, format=dms, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Charlton, London Roman Catholic churches in the Royal Borough of Greenwich Roman Catholic churches completed in 1906 Romanesque Revival church buildings in England Churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark 1906 establishments in England 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom Christian organizations established in 1906 20th-century church buildings in England