St Mary's Church, Great Yarmouth

St Mary's church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. It is situated on Regent Road in the centre of the town. It was originally built by the Society of Jesus in the late 1840s and it is now administered by the Diocese of East Anglia.[2] The architect was Joseph John Scoles who also designed the Anglican St Mary's church in the Southtown area of Great Yarmouth and it is a Grade II* listed building.[1]

St Mary Church
Exterior
St Mary Church
Location in Great Yarmouth
LocationGreat Yarmouth
CountryUnited Kingdom
DenominationRoman Catholic
WebsiteStMarysGY.org.uk
History
StatusParish church
Founder(s)Society of Jesus
DedicationSt Mary
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationGrade II* listed[1]
Architect(s)Joseph John Scoles
StyleGothic Revival
Groundbreaking1848
CompletedSeptember 1850
Construction cost£10,000
Administration
DeaneryCoastal
DioceseEast Anglia
ProvinceWestminster
Clergy
Bishop(s)Rt. Rev. Alan Hopes
Priest(s)Fr David Jennings
Deacon(s)Rev Peter Glanville

History

Foundation

In 1824, the Jesuits started a mission in the town for the Catholics of the area. It began under a Fr Tate. Originally, he purchased a house and warehouse in the town for the congregation to worship in. However, by 1841, the congregation had become too numerous and a new larger location had to be sought. Fr Tate's replacement, Fr Lopez, bought the land for St Mary's and construction started in 1848.

Construction

The church was completed two years later and it was opened by the Bishop of Northampton, William Wareing on 24 September 1850.[3] The architect was Joseph John Scoles who designed numerous churches for the Jesuits, such as Immaculate Conception Church, Farm Street in London, St Francis Xavier Church in Liverpool, St Ignatius Church in Preston and Holy Cross Church in St Helens. In Great Yarmouth, he also designed the Bure Bridge in 1829 and the Anglican church in Southtown in 1831, which is also dedicated to St Mary.[4] Despite the Bure Bridge collapsing on 2 May 1845 (because construction workers made the bridge wider than specified), Joseph Scoles was still invited back to the town to design St Mary's church.[5] At some point in the 20th-century, the Jesuits left Great Yarmouth and handed the church over to the Diocese of East Anglia, who continue to serve the parish.

Interior

The church has stained glass windows from Franz Mayer & Co. installed in 1860 and 1890 as well as glass by Hardman & Co. in Birmingham, installed in the 1850s. The church organ was installed in the 19th-century and has 1032 pipes.[3]

News

On Tuesday during holy week, 29 March 2018, the church was a victim of a hate crime when an arsonist started several small fires in the church and left a picture of the devil on the altar. The church remained open for the Easter weekend and the altar was rededicated on 31 May 2018.[6][7]

Parish

The parish has a close relationship with the nearby St Mary's Primary School. The school was founded for the children of local Catholic families, and now it accepts children from all faiths and communities.[8]

The parish is the main Catholic church for Great Yarmouth and has Masses at 10:00 on Saturday and at 11:00 on Sunday.[9]

See also

References
  1. Heritage Lottery Fund retrieved 16 December 2013
  2. Parishes from Diocese of East Anglia retrieved 16 December 2013
  3. Historic England, "Church of St Mary (1245910)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 16 December 2013
  4. British listed buildings retrieved 16 December 2013
  5. Norfolk Churches retrieved 20 October 2013
  6. Arsonist leaves devil on altar in hate crime attack from Great Yarmouth Mercury, 29 March 2018, retrieved 30 March 2018
  7. News, Independent Catholic. "Great Yarmouth church altar re-dedicated after arson attack | ICN". www.indcatholicnews.com. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
  8. About from StMarys-Primary.co.uk retrieved 16 December 2013
  9. Mass Times at StMarysGY.org.uk retrieved 16 December 2013
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