Corpus Christi 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

Boscombe Boscombe () is a suburb in Bournemouth England. Historically in Hampshire, but today in Dorset, it is located to the east of Bournemouth town centre and west of Southbourne. Originally a sparsely inhabited area of heathland, from around 1865 ...

, on the outskirts of

Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

. It was founded by Baroness Pauline von Hügel and the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

, and is currently served by the Diocese of Portsmouth. It is situated on St James' Square, on the corner of Parkwood Road and Christchurch Road. It was founded in 1895 and from its 108 ft tall bell tower, it is possible to see the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

.''Corpus Christi, Boscombe''
Jesuits in Britain
Retrieved 19 January 2013

History

Founding

The first Catholic place of worship in Boscombe was created in 1887 when the ''Religious of the Cross'' moved into the area to make a foundation there. They purchased four and a half acres of land on which

John Vertue John Vertue (or Virtue) (1826–1900) was an English prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the first Bishop of Portsmouth in England from 1882 to 1900. Life Born in London on 28 April 1826, Vertue attended King's College, London; and S ...

, the first Bishop of Portsmouth, erected a small public chapel, an iron building bought from Lord Petre. This iron chapel was formally opened on New Year's Day 1888 and was served from Bournemouth by the Jesuit priest there, Father Charles de Lapasture SJ. The building of the convent itself started on 6 September 1888. A year later, a school was built next door, Corpus Christi Primary School.''Corpus Christi History''
Boscombe Catholics
Retrieved 21 January 2013 If Corpus Christi church could be said to have had a founder, it would have to be Baroness Pauline von Hügel. She was the daughter of the Austrian nobleman, army officer and botanist

Charles von Hügel Charles von Hügel (born Carl Alexander Anselm Baron von Hügel; 25 April 1795 – 2 June 1870), sometimes spelt in English Huegel, was an Austrian nobleman, army officer, diplomat, botanist, and explorer, now primarily remembered for his tr ...

(1795–1870) and sister of the theologian

Friedrich von Hügel Friedrich von Hügel (born ''Friedrich Maria Aloys Franz Karl Freiherr von Hügel'', usually known as ''Baron von Hügel''; 5 May 1852 – 27 January 1925) was an influential Austrian Catholic layman, religious writer, and Christian apologist. A ...

(1852–1925), and anthropologist

Anatole von Hügel Anatole von Hügel (29 September 1854, in Florence – 15 August 1928, in Cambridge) was a son of an Austrian nobleman who lived in England and was curator of the Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology, 1883 – 1921. Early life Bor ...

(1854–1928). With the school being built, there arose the need for a permanent church. The Baroness resolved to build a church that would meet the needs of both parishioners and the nearby Sisters, and to this end bought a property known as 'Holyrood' and two acres of land stretching from Christchurch Road to the Convent garden.

Construction

Building work on the church started in 1885. The architect was J. William Lunn from

Malvern, Worcestershire Malvern (, locally also: ) is a spa town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Worcestershire, England. It lies at the foot of the Malvern Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The centre of Malvern, Great Malvern, is ...

who also designed

Our Lady of the Annunciation Church, King's Lynn Our Lady of the Annunciation Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in King's Lynn, Norfolk, England. It was built in 1897, but incorporates parts of the former church on the same site that was built in 1845 and designed by Augustus Pugin. It is ...

, St Catherine's Church in

Chipping Campden Chipping Campden is a market town in the Cotswold (district), Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. It is notable for its terraced High Street, dating from the 14th to the 17th centuries. A wool trading centre in the Middle Ages, Chipp ...

and St Edmund Church in Southampton. On 8 September 1896 it was opened by Bishop John Vertue. Baroness Pauline von Hügel decided to give the church to the

Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...

so that Father de Lapasture SJ became the first parish priest. The church was built to have a height of fifty metres along the nave and could accommodate a congregation of 400 people.

Enlargement

In 1926, Father Ralph Baines SJ became parish priest and he decided to enlarge the church. An extension fund was opened to be able to pay for the scheme which was estimated to cost £15,000. Work commenced in August 1932 and was completed by March 1934. The enlarged church could hold 800 people with the most prominent new feature being a tower at 108 feet high. It was blessed by Bishop Cotter on 22 April 1934.

Reordering

In 1974, to meet the requirements set down by the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

, that the congregation should all have a clear view of the altar, the sanctuary was again modified with the altar being moved forward. On completion of this work, the church was consecrated by Bishop Derek Worlock, on 18 July 1974.

Parish

In 2007, the Jesuit presence in the area expanded with the opening of the Corpus Christi Jesuit Community Care Home adjacent to the church. Corpus Christi has a number of parish groups and organisations, prayer groups, music groups and choirs. Also, next door to the church is Corpus Christi Primary School. It is a voluntary assisted school for children from the ages of 4 to 11 years. In May 2022, it was announced that the Jesuits would no longer be able to serve the parish. The parish was then handed over to the

Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church that covers the Channel Islands as well as parts of England (Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and parts of Berkshire, Dorset and Oxfordshire). The episcopal see is ...

who continue to administer it.

Interior

Corpus Christ Church interior, Boscombe.jpg, Interior Corpus Christ Church side chapel, Boscombe.jpg , Side chapel Corpus Christ Church martyrs chapel, Boscombe.jpg , Martyrs chapel Corpus Christ Church lady chapel, Boscombe.jpg, Lady chapel

References

External links

Corpus Christi Parish site
{{Jesuits in Britain , state=autocollapse Churches in Bournemouth Jesuit churches in the United Kingdom Roman Catholic churches in Dorset Grade II listed churches in Dorset Grade II listed Roman Catholic churches in England 1895 establishments in England Roman Catholic churches completed in 1934 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth