| Date | 22 June 2012 |
|---|---|
| Source | Slough Observer |
| Reference | VP-0031 |
| Volume | Views of the Past |
| Collection | Views of the Past |
Transcript
Building on the history of worship in the town
Email Elias with feedback and your memories on observernews@berksmedia.co.uk
ALTHOUGH Catholicism in Maidenhead goes back to the reformation there was no formal Catholic Church in Maidenhead. It is only from 1867 that we have records that Mass was celebrated in the town.
In the early days this took place in a room in the old demolished mansion of Ive’s Place (now covered by the Town Hall). The mansion was the original manor house of the parish of Bray and in the 1860s was owned by William Wilberforce who was responsible for the abolition of slavery. William Wilberforce’s son owned the nearby Old Bull Inn which stood in Maidenhead High Street. The inn had become a place of ill repute and was closed down by Wilberforce who converted it into a chapel and priest house.
Maidenhead’s first Catholic priest was Father Robertson who was appointed in 1867 by the Bishop of Southwark. At this time there was a great amount of ill-feeling against Catholics and the Bishop’s first visit to a Catholic Mass in Maidenhead was greeted with protest.
The next few years saw four priests in Maidenhead in quick succession (perhaps possibly due to this ill feeling). The last of these priests was Father Richard Davis who decided that a properly designed building was needed for the growing Catholic community. He opened a chapel and schoolroom on the corner of Forelease Road and Bridge Street in August 1872. This building was demolished for road widening in the 1960s.
John Scannell, Maidenhead’s fifth priest, was responsible for the establishment of a purpose-built Catholic Church in Maidenhead, which still stands today. He purchased land on the present site of the church. After ten years of fundraising Scannell was able to employ the architect Leonard Stokes in 1882, to build the present day church of red brick, flint and stone.
The church cost just over £3,000 to build and opened for worship on December 18, 1874. In 1891 a presbytery was added and central heating installed in 1906. The 1960s saw the sacristy enlarged, the southern end of the church extended and a new hall built in 1965. Today St Joseph’s boasts a vibrant community of approximately 1,500 people and it is William Wilberforce’s legacy which has led to the establishment of Maidenhead’s present day Catholic community.
BUILT ON FAITH: St Joseph’s Church in Maidenhead, which dates back to 1882.
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