Church of St Etheldreda, Farringdon

Introduction

St Etheldreda's Church in Farringdon served as the town chapel of the Bishops of Ely from about 1250 to 1570. It is the oldest Catholic church in England and one of only two remaining buildings in London from the reign of Edward I.

History

John De Kirkeby, Bishop of Ely and Treasurer of England under Edward I, built the church in 1290. An Act of Parliament in 1772 allowed the Bishop to sell the property to the Crown; Charles Cole demolished every building but the Chapel and in 1775 built the present Ely Place. Five years after the auction, Father Lockhart completed the restoration of the Upper Church and on June 23rd 1878 Solemn High Mass was celebrated for the first time for over 200 years. In 1925, the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments recommended St Etheldreda's especially worthy of preservation and it was scheduled as an ancient monument.

Seven years were needed to repair the bomb damage; the great East window made by Joseph Edward Nuttgens was completed in 1952. In the early 1990s, £300,000 had to be spent on restoration when parts of the ancient stonework were found to be crumbling; archaeologists uncovered the original thirteenth century cloister.

Architecture and furnishings

John Francis Bentley, architect of Westminster Cathedral, designed the choir screen with wrought iron grilles and gate, incorporating a confessional, organ and choir gallery. A gallery was built on each side of the church for the poor, to separate them from the well-to-do residents of Ely Place. Layers of plaster were scraped away in the interior to reveal delicate sculptures and mouldings. The royal coat of arms, which had been hanging over the main altar since the reign of Charles I, was removed and placed in the cloister.

The second coat of arms at the bottom of a window in the Upper Church is of Simon Langham, Abbot of Westminster, Bishop of Ely, Archbishop of Canterbury. Statues along each side of the Upper Church testify to the men and women of the district who stayed loyal to their ancient faith and became martyrs.

Music and liturgy

In 1620, the Spanish Ambassador Count of Gondomar moved into Ely Place and mass was again allowed to be said in St Etheldreda's. After Gondomar was recalled, his successor was refused permission to take over his residence and no more masses were allowed to be said in St Etheldreda's. The Blessing of Throats is an important annual event at St Etheldreda's.

Parish life

The parish runs groups for prayer, social action, Sacramental preparation, youth work and support of others. St Etheldreda's is a busy parish, much used for baptisms, weddings and funerals. During the First World War, because the Catholic Chapel of America's West Point Military Academy was modelled on St Etheldreda's, the latter found a special place in the hearts of American servicemen on their way to and from the battlefront.