Our Lady of Sorrows 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 ...

Parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

Bognor Regis Bognor Regis (), also known as Bognor, is a town and seaside resort in West Sussex on the south coast of England, south-west of London, west of Brighton, south-east of Chichester and east of Portsmouth. Other nearby towns include Littleham ...

, West Sussex, England. It was built from 1881 to 1882 and designed 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 ...

. It is situated on the corner of the High Street and Clarence Road, backing on to Albert Road, in the centre of the town. It was founded by the

Servite Order The Servite Order, officially known as the Order of Servants of Mary (; abbreviation: OSM), is one of the five original mendicant orders in the Roman Catholic Church. It includes several branches of friars (priests and brothers), contemplative nu ...

and is a Grade II listed building.

History

Construction

In 1880, the

Servites The Servite Order, officially known as the Order of Servants of Mary (; abbreviation: OSM), is one of the five original mendicant orders in the Roman Catholic Church. It includes several branches of friars (priests and brothers), contemplative nun ...

founded a

mission Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada *Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality * Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * ...

in Bognor Regis. On 26 October 1881, the foundation stone of the church was laid.Bognor Regis - Our Lady of Sorrows
from

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...

, retrieved 1 March 2016 The architect of the church was

. He was the son of

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 ''Building (magazine), The Builder'' i ...

and also designed, with his father, Our Lady of Dolours Church in Fulham, London for the Servites. On 16 August 1882, the church was opened by Canon John Butt, who later became Bishop of Southwark in 1885. However, the church was not fully built, because the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

Lady Chapel A Lady chapel or lady chapel is a traditional British English, British term for a chapel dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus, particularly those inside a cathedral or other large church (building), church. The chapels are also known as a Mary chape ...

and

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

were not completed. As the church was still in use, a temporary wall was built on the east side of the church.

Completion

From 1955 to 1957, the church was completed. The architect who carried out Hansom's plans was Wilfrid Clarence Mangan. He was originally commissioned to finish the church in 1939, but World War Two prevented any work being done. Hansom also designed a Servite priory next door to the church. In the 1980s, the priory was demolished and a block of flats was built in its place. In 1985, the church was reordered by the firm, Messrs Ormsby of Scarisbrick. In 1994, the Servites handed administration of the church over to the

Diocese of Arundel and Brighton The Roman Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton () is a diocese in southern England covering the counties of Sussex and Surrey (excluding Spelthorne, which is part of the Diocese of Westminster). The diocese was erected on 28 May 1965 by Pop ...

who continue to serve the parish.

Parish

The

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

of Our Lady of Sorrows in Bognor Regis also has two other churches: St Richard of Chichester Church in

Slindon Slindon is a mostly rural village and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, containing a developed nucleus amid woodland. Much of Slindon's woodland belongs to the National Trust on the southern edge of the escarpment of t ...

and St Anthony of Viareggio Church in Rose Green,

Aldwick Aldwick is a seaside village and civil parish in the Arun district of West Sussex, England. Bognor Regis is to the east of the village. The ecclesiastical parish, formerly part of Pagham includes the smaller settlement of Rose Green. There ar ...

St Richard of Chichester Church

St Richard of Chichester Church in Slindon is situated on Top Road, opposite the junction with Church Hill. It was made a Grade II listed building by

on 20 April 2005. In 1814, the Anthony Radclyffe, 5th Earl of Newburgh, died and his legacy provided for the cost of constructing a church for the Catholic congregation in Slindon. However, his widow wanted to maintain the family chapel as the centre of worship and it was not until after her death that construction on St Richard’s Church started. It was built in 1865 and designed by Charles Alban Buckler (1824-1905). He was the son of

John Chessell Buckler John Chessell Buckler (8 December 1793 – 10 January 1894) was a British architect, the eldest son of the architect John Buckler. J. C. Buckler initially worked with his father before taking over his practice. His work included restorations o ...

and designed numerous churches including St Thomas of Canterbury Chapel in Exton Hall, St Peter's Church in

Shoreham-by-Sea Shoreham-by-Sea (often shortened to Shoreham) is a coastal town and port in the Adur District, Adur district, in the county of West Sussex, England. In 2011 it had a population of 20,547. The town is bordered to its north by the South Downs, to ...

, the Church of St Thomas of Canterbury and English Martyrs in

St Leonards-on-Sea St Leonards-on-Sea (commonly known as St Leonards) is a town and seaside resort in the borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England. It has been part of the borough since the late 19th century and lies to the west of central Hastings. The origin ...

, St Edward the Confessor Church in

Sutton Place, Surrey Sutton Place, north-east of Guildford in Surrey, is a large Grade I listed Tudor architecture, Tudor prodigy house built c. 1525 by Sir Richard Weston of Sutton Place, Sir Richard Weston (d. 1541), a courtier of Henry VIII. It is of importanc ...

, and St Dominic's Priory Church near

Hampstead Heath Hampstead Heath is an ancient heath in London, spanning . This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band of London Clay. The heath is rambling ...

. Between 1890 and 1903 he worked on

Arundel Castle Arundel Castle is a restored and remodelled medieval castle in Arundel, West Sussex, England. It was established by Roger de Montgomery in the 11th century. The castle was damaged in the English Civil War and then restored in the 18th and earl ...

and is buried in Sutton Place.

St Anthony of Viareggio Church

In 1961, St Anthony of Viareggio Church was bequeathed to the Servite Friars by a Mr Brown. It was originally a bungalow and was renovated when it became a church. A Fr Anselm Hislop OSM was in charge of the renovation and added the church tower. On 6 May 1963, St Anthony of Viareggio's Church was opened by the

Archbishop of Southwark The Archbishop of Southwark (''Br'' �sʌðɨk is the ordinary of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark. As such, he is the Metropolitan of the Province of Southwark. The archdiocese has an area of and covers the London Boroughs south o ...

Cyril Cowderoy Cyril Conrad Cowderoy (5 May 1905 – 10 October 1976) was a priest for over 45 years and a bishop for over 26 years in the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales. Cowderoy was born in Sidcup, Kent, on 5 May 1905 and ordained a priest in ...

.History
from BognorCatholicParish.co.uk, retrieved 2 March 2016

Times

Our Lady of Sorrows Church has three Sunday Masses: 5:15pm on Saturday,9:00am and 11:00am on Sunday File:St Richard's RC Church, Slindon (NHLE Code 1391695).JPG, St Richard of Chichester Church in Slindon File:St Anthony of Viareggio's RC Church, Gossamer Road, Aldwick.JPG, St Anthony of Viareggio's Church, Aldwick

References

External links

*
Bognor Regis Catholic Parish site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bognor Regis, Our Lady of Sorrows

Our Lady of Sorrows Our Lady of Sorrows (), Our Lady of Dolours, the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows (), and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are Titles of Mary, names by which Mary, mother of Jesus, is referr ...

Arun District Roman Catholic churches in West Sussex Grade II listed churches in West Sussex 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom Gothic Revival church buildings in England Gothic Revival architecture in West Sussex 1881 establishments in England