Church of Our Most Holy Redeemer and St Thomas, Chelsea

Introduction

The church was consecrated on 21 June 1905 by Archbishop, later Cardinal Bourne.

History

In 1892, Canon Cornelius Keens obtained permission from Cardinal Herbert Vaughan to found a new parish in Chelsea, taken from Saint Mary’s Cadogan Street. Edward Goldie designed the church, and he also designed Saint James’s Spanish Place and the chapel at Ushaw College. On 14 September 1940, a bomb crashed through the west window and floor, exploding in the crypt and killing 19 people. During the war, the church sustained a direct hit, destroying the organ and damaging the west window and floor.

Between 1970 and 1972, a reordering was carried out following the Second Vatican Council, altering the sanctuary floor, moving the altar forward and the tabernacle to the side. A new ambo was erected in Siena marble and verde antico, matching the altar and tabernacle plinths. Following Canon de Zulueta’s death in 1980, a new baptismal font was created in the same marble as a memorial. The church was built between June 1894, when Cardinal Vaughan laid the foundation stone, and October 1895, when he opened it, on the site of William de Morgan's pottery.

Architecture and furnishings

The More coat of arms was placed above the entrance after Saint Thomas More became co-Patron in 1935. The church is a Grade II listed building, first listed on 07-Nov-1984.

The stained glass representation of the Risen Lord was a gift of Lady Hogan in 1991 in memory of her late husband, Sir Michael Hogan. A painting attributed to the school of Correggio depicts Saint Francis receiving the stigmata. An altar was commissioned by Father Philip Valentin to commemorate Saint Thomas More's canonisation, with Saint John Fisher, by Pope Pius XI in 1935. A reliquary containing a first class relic of Saint Thomas, acquired from the Belgian convent entered by More's step-daughter Alice Alington, used to stand on this altar, but was stolen in the 1960s.

A statue of the Sacred Heart is one of the statues given in memory of Diana Mary Lewis. Two statues, believed to be French in origin (the statue of Saint Peter is inscribed “Pierre”), were most likely a gift from the Mother church, Saint Mary’s Cadogan Street. A painting of Saint Ildephonsus, by an unknown artist, depicts his vision of Our Lady presenting him with a chasuble, and is thought to be a gift of the de Zulueta family. A lunette by an unknown artist depicts Christ praying in the Garden of Gethsemane.

A painting, a gift of Canon de Zulueta’s mother, the Countess of Torre Dias, is a copy believed to be from the school of Murillo. A copy of the portrait by Holbein which hangs in the Frick Museum, New York, is present. Another painting is a Murillo copy, the original of which hangs in the Museo del Prado in Madrid. A statue is believed to be Bavarian and to have been carved in the late eighteenth century. A Calvary scene was presented to the church by local artist Mr. Purnell.

Music and liturgy

The tradition of sixteenth-century polyphonic music at this church began in the early 1960s when a canon started unearthing neglected Spanish Golden Age music from dusty archives.

Parish life

The parish community is very diverse, with a high proportion of young families and young adults. The Guild of Saint Stephen for Altar Servers has been established in this parish.

The parish council is appointed by the parish priest and is responsible for counting and banking the weekly collection, overseeing income and expenditure, and preparing the annual financial return to the diocese. Twice a year there are informal gatherings between ministers and church workers representing most of the local churches. Parishioners assist with providing facilities at the Chelsea Methodist Church on the King's Road, particularly during the winter months.

Sacraments and pastoral care

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is celebrated twice for the First Communicants before their First Communion Day. Confirmation preparation for teenagers is given by the parish priest at the appropriate time of year, with a minimum age of 14 years. Adult candidates for confirmation are prepared separately, but all candidates are confirmed together in this parish. Six months' notice of intention to marry must be given in this diocese.

The Deanery offers a course of instruction for couples marrying abroad and others seeking to 'do a course'. Requests for masses to be said for the living and the dead should be referred to the Parish Office. All requests for funerals should be addressed to the Parish Priest/Parish Office. Holy Redeemer's SVP group undertakes street visits to the homeless to distribute food, clothing and sleeping bags as well as assisting in soup run van trips to Lincoln Inns Field.

Visiting

The church is fitted with the loop microphone system and the entrance is wheelchair-accessible. The church is located north of the Albert Bridge, west of Oakley Street, between the Chelsea Embankment and the King's Road. The church is served by buses 11, 19, 22, 49 and 319 to the Kings Road, 211 to Chelsea Old Town Hall, and 170 to Albert Bridge. The church is served by the District or Circle line to Sloane Square and the District, Circle or Piccadilly Line to South Kensington.

There is no off-street parking available at the church. Long stay pay-and-display parking is available daily in Battersea Park across the Albert Bridge.