The Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street, also known as Farm Street Church, is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

parish church run by 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 ...

Mayfair Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...

Central London Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning the City of London and several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local gove ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. Its main entrance is in Farm Street, though it can also be accessed from the adjacent

Mount Street Gardens With its very own and UK first Nature Sacred Garden, Landscaper Alessandro McMillan and driving force Lady Anne Gray. The grand ceremony was held with dignitaries from local Mayfair and the surrounding London City. Mount Street Gardens is ...

. Sir

Simon Jenkins Sir Simon David Jenkins FLSW (born 10 June 1943) is a British author, a newspaper columnist and editor. He was editor of the ''Evening Standard'' from 1976 to 1978 and of ''The Times'' from 1990 to 1992. Jenkins chaired the National Trust f ...

, in his book ''England's Thousand Best Churches'', describes the church as "

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

at its most sumptuous".

History

Foundation

In the 1840s, when 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 ...

first began looking for a location for their London church, they found the site in the

mews A mews is a row or courtyard of stables and carriage houses with living quarters above them, built behind large city houses before motor vehicles replaced horses in the early twentieth century. Mews are usually located in desirable residential ...

of a back street. The name 'Farm Street' derives from 'Hay Hill Farm' which, in the eighteenth century, extended from Hill Street eastward beyond

Berkeley Square Berkeley Square is a garden square in the West End of London. It is one of the best known of the many squares in London, located in Mayfair in the City of Westminster. It was laid out in the mid 18th century by the architect William Kent, ...

.''History''
Farm Street site
Retrieved 22 January 2013 In 1843,

Pope Gregory XVI Pope Gregory XVI (; ; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in June 1846. He had adopted the name Mauro upon enteri ...

received a petition from English Catholics for permission to erect a Jesuit Church in London and plans were accepted.''160 Years of Farm Street''
Thinking Faith
Retrieved 23 January 2013

Construction

The original intention of the Superior of the English Jesuits, Fr Randal Lythgoe, was for the church to have a capacity for 900 people. When this was found too expensive the church was built for a capacity of 475. The cost was £5,800 which came from multiple private benefactors. In 1844 the foundation stone was laid by Fr Lythgoe. Because of the limited size of the plot, the church was orientated north-south. The architect was

Joseph John Scoles Joseph John Scoles (1798–1863) was an English Gothic Revival architect, who designed many Roman Catholic churches. Early life and education Scoles was born in London on 27 June 1798, the son of Roman Catholic parents Matthew Scoles, a joiner, ...

, who also designed the Church of St Francis Xavier in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, St Ignatius Church in Preston, and was father of

Ignatius Scoles Ignatius Scoles SJ (1 December 1834 – 15 July 1896) was a Roman Catholic Jesuit priest, architect and writer. He designed churches and civic buildings and was the son of Joseph John Scoles.Guyana Times International' accessed 26 March 2013 Earl ...

SJ, another architect, who designed St Wilfrid's Church also in Preston. Five years later on 31 July 1849, the feast of the Jesuit founder St Ignatius, the church was officially opened. The style is

decorated 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 a ...

and the front of the church, towards Farm Street, is inspired by that of

Beauvais Cathedral Beauvais Cathedral otherwise the Cathedral of Saint Peter of Beauvais () is a Catholic church in the northern town of Beauvais, Oise, France. It is the seat of the Bishop of Beauvais, Noyon and Senlis. The cathedral is in the High Gothic style, ...

. The high altar was designed by

Augustus Pugin Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin ( ; 1 March 1812 – 14 September 1852) was an English architect, designer, artist and critic with French and Swiss origins. He is principally remembered for his pioneering role in the Gothic Revival architecture ...

, with an inscription requesting

prayers File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)'' rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...

for the altar’s benefactress, Monica Tempest. Above Pugin's high altar are two mosaic panels depicting the

Annunciation The Annunciation (; ; also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord; ) is, according to the Gospel of Luke, the announcement made by the archangel Gabriel to Ma ...

and the

Coronation of the Virgin A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special ...

by Salviati. In 1912, the original

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

window of the choir, which was the tarnished by pollution, was replaced a new one from the John Hardman Trading Company of Birmingham. The old window was cleaned, repaired and then sold to St Agnes Church in Lac-Mégantic, in

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada. The church was remodelled in 1951 by

Adrian Gilbert Scott Adrian Gilbert Scott CBE (6 August 1882 – 23 April 1963) was an English ecclesiastical architect. Early life Scott was the grandson of Sir Gilbert Scott (George Gilbert Scott), son of George Gilbert Scott, Jr. (founder of Watts & Company ...

, following damage sustained by the building during the Second World War. In 1966, it became the parish church of Mayfair. In his 1999 book ''England's Thousand Best Churches'', Sir

awards the church two stars but says "Not an inch of wall surface is without decoration, and this in the austere 1840s, not the colourful late-Victorian era. The right aisle carries large panels portraying the Stations of the Cross. The left aisle has side chapels and confessionals, ingeniously carved within the piers. In the west window above the gallery is excellent modern glass by

Evie Hone Eva Sydney Hone RHA (22 April 1894 – 13 March 1955), usually known as Evie, was an Irish painter and stained glass artist.Nicola Gordon Bowe (May 2009)Hone, Eva Sydney (1894–1955) ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', online editi ...

of 1953, with the richness of colour of a

Burne-Jones The Burne-Jones Baronetcy, of Rottingdean in the County of Sussex, and of The Grange in the Parish of Fulham in the County of London, was a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 4 May 1894 for the artist and designer ...

Developments

In March 2013 the church opened its doors to LGBT Catholics in response to the "Soho Masses" at the nearby

Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory is a Catholic Church, Catholic church on Warwick Street, Westminster, in central London. It is the oldest Catholic Church in England and Wales, Catholic church in England (excluding those u ...

coming to an end after six years. Archbishop

Vincent Nichols Vincent Gerard Nichols (born 8 November 1945) is an English Catholic prelate who has served as Archbishop of Westminster since 2009. He was the Archbishop of Birmingham from 2000 to 2009 and is president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference ...

attended their first mass there in 2013. Commentators noted that the church had previously declined to accommodate

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

when, in 1897, on his release from prison after serving a two-year sentence for

gross indecency Gross indecency is a crime in some parts of the English-speaking world, originally used to criminalize sexual activity between men that fell short of sodomy, which required penetration. The term was first used in British law in a statute of the ...

, he had petitioned Farm Street to request a six-month retreat.

Choir

In the nineteenth century, the choir consisted only of men and boys drawn from the local Roman Catholic schools. Between 1881 and 1916, the organist was

John Francis Brewer John Francis Brewer (November 25, 1864–June 15, 1921) was a late Victorian and Edwardian English novelist, journalist and organist. Family and early life Brewer was born in Kensington, London, on 25 November 1864. He was the eldest son of t ...

, son of the architectural illustrator

Henry William Brewer Henry William Brewer (7 August 1836 – 6 October 1903) was a British illustrator, notable for his detailed city panoramas, held to be one of the most outstanding architectural draughtsmen of his day. Family and early life Brewer was born in ...

, who was just 18 when appointed. Brewer was also a novelist and journalist, best known today for his 1888 thriller, 'The Curse Upon Mitre Square', inspired by the

Whitechapel Murders The Whitechapel murders were committed in or near the impoverished Whitechapel District (Metropolis), Whitechapel district in the East End of London between 3 April 1888 and 13 February 1891. At various points some or all of these eleven unso ...

. After 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 choir came under the direction of Fr John Driscoll SJ, who was later succeeded by Fernand Laloux, and the organist was Guy Weitz, a Belgian who had been a pupil of

Charles-Marie Widor Charles-Marie-Jean-Albert Widor (21 February 1844 – 12 March 1937) was a French organist, composer and teacher of the late Romantic era. As a composer he is known for his ten organ symphonies, especially the toccata of his fifth organ sympho ...

and

Alexandre Guilmant Félix-Alexandre Guilmant (; 12 March 1837 – 29 March 1911) was a French organist and composer. He was the organist of La Trinité from 1871 until 1901. A noted pedagogue, performer, and improviser, Guilmant helped found the Schola Canto ...

. One of Weitz's most notable students was

Nicholas Danby Nicholas Danby (19 July 1935 – 15 June 1997) was a British organist, recitalist and teacher. He was a great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens and nephew of Monica Dickens. Danby was an Organ Professor at both the Royal College of Music and th ...

(1935–1997) who succeeded him as the church organist in 1967. Danby was also a tutor and taught John Keys, Paul Hale, and Robert Costin. His main achievement at Farm Street was re-establishing the choir in the early 1970s, following a period of change in the late 1960s, as a fully professional ensemble. Following Nicholas Danby's death in 1997, two of his students, Martyn Parry and David Graham, were appointed Joint Directors of Music. Martyn Parry was formerly Director of Music at the Sacred Heart Church in Wimbledon. David Graham had studied music with Nicholas Danby at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music (RCM) is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including pe ...

. In December 2004 and following the death of Martyn Parry earlier that year, the music was reorganised and Duncan Aspden was appointed Associate Director of Music, to assist David Graham in directing the professional choir and playing the organ. During the 1990s a number of recordings were made of the music at the Farm Street church. In 2000 a CD of organ music, recorded by David Graham and including the music of Guy Weitz, was recorded on the church organ in Farm Street.''Music''
Farm Street Site
Retrieved 22 January 2013 In the twenty-first century, the repertoire consists of sixteenth century polyphony, the Viennese classical composers, nineteenth century romantics, twentieth century and contemporary music as well as

Gregorian chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainsong, plainchant, a form of monophony, monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek language, Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed main ...

London Jesuit Centre

In September 2004, the Mount Street Jesuit Centre was launched. Its intention was to provide adult Christian formation through prayer, worship, theological education and social justice. To do this it gave non-residential retreats and courses in spirituality as well as providing a full-time General Practitioner for homeless people at the Doctor Hickey Surgery in central London, and working with the London Jesuit Volunteers programme. In 2019,

Heythrop College Heythrop College, University of London, was a constituent college of the University of London between 1971 and 2018, last located in Kensington Square, London. It comprised the university's specialist faculties of philosophy and theology with soc ...

formally closed. The London Jesuit Centre was launched the same year in the same location as the Mount Street Jesuit Centre. It includes a reading room of the Heythrop Library, which provides access to about 8,000 books, plus indirect access (via off-site requests) to most of the collection of the Heythrop College, making it available again after its closure. The London Jesuit Centre provides teaching courses, spirituality, retreats and research. Until 2022, in conjunction with the

University of Roehampton The University of Roehampton, London, formerly Roehampton Institute of Higher Education, is a public university in the United Kingdom, situated on three major sites in Roehampton, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. The University traces its r ...

, a master's degree in theology, ecology and ethics, was taught in the Centre. The degree was also linked to the research done in the Laudato Si' Research Institute in

Campion Hall, Oxford Campion Hall is one of the four permanent private halls of the University of Oxford in England. A Catholic hall, it is run by the Society of Jesus and named after Edmund Campion, a martyr and fellow of St John's College, Oxford. The hall is lo ...

. The Centre continues the work of the Mount Street Jesuit Centre by offering spirituality courses as well as residential and non-residential retreats.

''Thinking Faith''

''Thinking Faith'' is an online journal that publishes theological articles as well as perspectives on politics, philosophy, spirituality, poetry and culture. In 2001, ''

The Month ''The Month'' was a monthly review, published from 1864 to 2001, which, for almost all of its history, was owned by the English Province of the Society of Jesus and was edited by its members. History ''The Month'', founded and edited by Frances ...

'', a monthly review publication, was closed. It had run from 1864 and was founded by

Frances Margaret Taylor Frances Margaret Taylor, religious name ''Mary Magdalen of the Sacred Heart'' (20 January 1832 – 9 June 1900) was an English religious sister and founder of the congregation of the Poor Servants of the Mother of God. Early life Frances Tay ...

. It was owned by the Jesuits and edited by its members. After its closure a new effort was made to publish articles on matters of faith. On 18 January 2008, ''Thinking Faith'' was launched. It was founded with the aim to publish its articles online, and more frequently than the monthly schedule of its predecessor. It regularly posts articles on matters of faith that go through an editorial board. It covers topics such as biblical analysis, spirituality, political and social issues as well as the current trends and recents works in the arts, poetry and culture, including regular book and film reviews. Its online format allows its articles to be distributed by other sites such as ''

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

'', and ''Catholic Outlook'', the journal of the Diocese of Parramatta. It is free to access and subscribe.

Visit of King Charles III

For the first time His Majesty King Charles III has attended a special Advent service at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Mayfair, central London, co-hosted by the Catholic Charity that supports persecuted Christians, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

Interior

File:Church of the Immaculate Conception, St Francis Xavier Chapel.jpg,

St. Francis Xavier Francis Xavier, SJ (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; ; ; ; ; ; 7 April 15063 December 1552), venerated as Saint Francis Xavier, was a Navarrese cleric and missionary. He co-founded the Society of Jesus and, as a representative o ...

Chapel File:Immaculate Conception Church Altar, Farm Street, London, UK - Diliff.jpg, High Altar at the north end File:Church of the Immaculate Conception, Chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes.jpg, Chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes File:Church of the Immaculate Conception, The English Martyrs Chapel.jpg, The English Martyrs Chapel File:Church of the Immaculate Conception, statue of Our Lady of Dolours.jpg, Our Lady of Dolours File:Church of the Immaculate Conception, Caen stone high altar.jpg, Pugin's high altar File:Church of the Immaculate Conception, Calvary Chapel, the Mother of Sorrows.jpg, A white carrara statue of the Mother of Sorrows (by

Swynnerton Swynnerton is a village and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. It lies in the Borough of Stafford, and at the 2001 census had a population of 4,233, increasing to 4,453 at the 2011 Census. Swynnerton is listed in the Domesday Book identify ...

) in the Calvary Chapel.

References

External links

Farm Street Church

London Jesuit CentreThinking Faith
{{Diocese of Westminster Roman Catholic churches in the City of Westminster Jesuit churches in the United Kingdom Roman Catholic churches completed in 1849 Gothic Revival church buildings in London Grade II* listed churches in the City of Westminster

Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the doctrine that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Mariology, Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Debated by medieval theologians, it was not def ...

Grade II* listed Roman Catholic churches in England Churches in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster 1849 establishments in England 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom