St Joseph'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 ...

Weston-super-Mare Weston-super-Mare ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the North Somerset unitary district, in the county of Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. Its population ...

, Somerset, England. It was built in 1858, and was designed by

Charles Francis Hansom Charles Francis Hansom (27 July 1817 – 30 November 1888) was a prominent Roman Catholic Victorian architect who primarily designed in the Gothic Revival style. Career He was born to a Roman Catholic family in York. He was the brother of Jo ...

and extended by

Alexander Scoles Alexander Joseph Cory Scoles (30 November 1844 – 29 December 1920) was an architect and Roman Catholic priest.Directory of British Architects, 1834–1914: Vol. 2 (L-Z)' ed. Brodie, Antonia (London, 2001), p. 552 He designed many lancet styl ...

in 1893. It is located on Camp Road to the north of the town centre. It was first Catholic

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

to be built in Weston-super-Mare since the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

and it is in the

Gothic Revival style Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an 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 of the 19th century ...

History

Construction

In 1806, 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 * ...

was started in

. The priest was a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

Fr Pascal O'Farrell. He bought Greenfield Cottage so that

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

could be celebrated there. Around 1858, a local convert to

Catholicism 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 ...

and lawyer to the

Bishop of Clifton The Bishop of Clifton is the Ordinary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton in the Province of Birmingham, England. The see is in the suburb of Clifton in the city of Bristol where the bishop's seat is located at the Cathedral Church of SS ...

, William Clifford, Joseph Ruscombe Poole, bought Westgate House, the current site of the church. He commissioned the architect Charles F. Hansom to design the church, paid for its construction and provided an annual

stipend A stipend is a regular fixed sum of money paid for services or to defray expenses, such as for scholarship, internship, or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from an income or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work pe ...

of £50 for the priest. The stone that was used to build the church was donated by the owner of the

Worlebury Hill Worlebury Hill is the name given to an upland area lying between the flatlands of Weston-super-Mare and the Kewstoke area of North Somerset, England. Worlebury Hill's rises from sea level to its highest point of , and the western end of the hil ...

quarry,

John Hugh Smyth-Pigott The Agapemonites or Community of The Son of Man was a Christian religious group or sect that existed in England from 1846 to 1956. It was named from the meaning "abode of love". The Agapemone community was founded by the Reverend Henry Prince ...

. On 8 July 1858, the foundation stone was laid by Ruscombe Poole's son. The church was designed so that it could be later extended. It was opened before Christmas 1858.

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 ...

Weston-super-Mare
''Taking Stock'', retrieved 3 June 2022

Extension

In 1893, the church was extended. The architect who was behind the extensions was

. Side chapels, a

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...

, and a loft for the

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

were added. The side chapels were donated by the Smyth-Pigott family. In 1901, the current presbytery was built next to the church. On 26 October 1958, the church was

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

. In the late 1990s, the old parish hall was demolished and replaced with housing. In February 1999, a current parish hall was opened. In 2007, the last resident priest at the church left, he was the retired

, Mervyn Alexander.

Parish

After the construction of the church, it served as a centre from which missions were started in other parts of Weston-super-Mare. These missions eventually grew to become

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 ...

churches in their own right. In 1921, a mission was started in the centre of Weston-super-Mare. It would become Corpus Christi Church. The church was built from 1928 to 1929 in the

Romanesque Revival style Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a Architectural style, 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 Reviv ...

and cost a total of £16,000. In 1923, the mission for Our Lady of Lourdes Church was started in Milton in the east of the town. Our Lady of Lourdes Church was built in 1938 in the

and cost £4,000.

Weston-super-Mare - Our Lady of Lourdes
''Taking Stock'', retrieved 3 June 2022 Each church remains a

in the town, with the same parish priest. St Joseph's Church has one Sunday

at 6:00pm. Corpus Christi Church has Sunday Masses at 6:00pm on Saturday and at 11:00am on Sunday, with a Mass in Polish at 9:00am and a

Syro-Malabar The Syro-Malabar Church, also known as the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, is an Eastern Catholic church based in Kerala, India. It is a '' sui iuris'' (autonomous) particular church in full communion with the Holy See and the worldwide Cathol ...

Mass at 3:00pm. Our Lady of Lourdes Church has a Sunday Mass at 9:15am.Weston-super-Mare deanery
from

Diocese of Clifton The Diocese of Clifton is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church centred at the Cathedral Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Clifton, England. The diocese covers the City and County of Bristol and the ceremonial counties of Gloucester ...

, retrieved 3 June 2022 Corpus Christi Catholic Church, Weston-super-Mare (geograph 3386705).jpg, Corpus Christi Church Our Lady of Lourdes, Catholic Church, Milton (geograph 5667240).jpg, Our Lady of Lourdes Church

References

External links

St Joseph's Church site

Corpus Christi Church site

Our Lady of Lourdes Church site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Joseph's Church, Weston-super-Mare Buildings and structures in Weston-super-Mare Roman Catholic churches in Somerset Gothic Revival architecture in Somerset Gothic Revival church buildings in England 1858 establishments in England Roman Catholic churches completed in 1858