St Marie's Church is the main

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

Rugby, Warwickshire Rugby is a market town in eastern Warwickshire, England, close to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, its population was 78,117, making it the List of Warwickshire towns by population, secon ...

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 ...

, located to the south of the town centre on Dunchurch Road, one of the main roads into the town. It is one of the town's most well-known landmarks as it is quite dominant on the skyline.

History

The church came about because Captain Washington Hibbert of Bilton Grange, married Julia Tichborne, a Catholic woman in 1839. As there was no provision for Catholics in Rugby, Hibbert bought a plot of land off Dunchurch Road and commissioned

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 ...

to design a church. It was first opened in 1847, designed in the

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 ...

style. It was enlarged in 1864 by Pugin's son

Edward Welby Pugin Edward Welby Pugin (11 March 1834 – 5 June 1875) was an English architect, the eldest son of architect Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin and Louisa Barton. His father was an architect in the Gothic Revival style, and after his early death in 1 ...

, and in 1872 the current tall and slender spire was added, designed by Bernard Whelan, which is nearly 200 feet (61 metres) tall. The church has been

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

since 1949.

Today

The church is part of the

Rugby Deanery The Rugby Deanery is a Roman Catholic Deanery in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham. Comprising eight parishes (10 churches) in north and mid-Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...

in the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham The Archdiocese of Birmingham is one of the principal Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. The archdiocese covers an area of , encompassing Staffordshire, the West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and much of ...

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rugby, Saint Marie Saint Marie Grade II* listed churches in Warwickshire Roman Catholic churches in Warwickshire 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom Gothic Revival church buildings in England Augustus Pugin buildings