St Ethelbert's Church or Our Lady Immaculate and St Ethelbert's 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 ...

Slough Slough () is a town in Berkshire, England, in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4, M40 and M25 motorways. It is part of the historic county of Buckinghamshire. In 2021, the ...

, Berkshire, England. It was built from 1908 to 1910 and designed by Benedict Williamson. It is located on the corner of Wellington Street and William Street in the centre of the town. It is in the Gothic Revival style and is a Grade II listed building.Church of Our Lady Immaculate and St Ethelbert

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 Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked with prot ...

, retrieved 15 May 2022

History

Foundation

In the early 1880s, an Italian priest, Fr Joseph Clemente, became the chaplain at St James' School in Baylis House. While her was there he worked on getting a permanent Catholic church in the town. With others, he raised funds and bought a disused warehouse and stable on Herschel House. In 1885, the former warehouse and stable became St Ethelbert's Church.

Slough - Our Lady Immaculate and St Ethelbert
''Taking Stock'', retrieved 15 May 2022

Construction

In 1888, Fr Clemente moved permanently from the school to the church. The next year, in 1889, he bought the site of the present church for £1,050. However, raising funds for the construction of the church was more difficult. In 1908, thanks to a donation from the superior of the Bernardine Cistercians of Esquermes attached to St Bernard's Catholic Grammar School in Slough, in memory of her parents. On 1 July 1908, the foundation stone of the church was laid. The architect was the priest Fr Benedict Williamson who also designed St Ignatius Church, Stamford Hill and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Fulham. He was assisted by Fr J. Francis Drake, the chaplain at the convent. The builders were Messrs. Godson & Sons. On 19 April 1910, the church was consecrated and opened the next day on 20 April 1910.

Developments

In 1912, the statue of Christ the Redeemer was bought for the church. It is situated by the side entrance facing the street. It was blessed by

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...

and was originally designed to stand at

Westminster Cathedral Westminster Cathedral, officially the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood, is the largest Catholic Church in England and Wales, Roman Catholic church in England and Wales. The shrine is dedicated to the Blood of Jesus Ch ...

. In 1980, the

rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, o ...

was moved to behind the altar, the baptismal font was moved in front of the

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 ...

and the ambo replaced the

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...

. The work was done by the architect Anthony New who worked for Seely & Paget.

Parish

The church is its own parish and has three Sunday Masses at 9:00am, 11:00am and 6:30pm.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Ethelbert's Church, Slough Buildings and structures in Slough Roman Catholic churches in Berkshire Roman Catholic Diocese of Northampton Grade II listed churches in Berkshire Grade II listed Roman Catholic churches in England Gothic Revival church buildings in England Gothic Revival architecture in Berkshire 1885 establishments in England Roman Catholic churches completed in 1910 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom