Our Lady of Lourdes, Hungerford

Introduction

Our Lady of Lourdes in Hungerford was designed in the Arts and Crafts style for the Catholic congregation of Hungerford, alongside the fourteen houses of Lourdes Crescent.

History

The Bishop in Portsmouth was asked for permission before any new church could be considered. The old building had neither disabled access nor toilets, and it lacked a satisfactory space for the children to have their own liturgy. Worship continued until August 2012 in a temporary building provided on three acres that had been gifted. Newbury District Council passed the planning application at its first hearing.

The United Reformed Church in Hungerford High Street hosted the congregation for nearly nineteen months, and the congregation kept a presence in Hungerford. Humphries Stonemasons received a local commission for a new stone altar. Parishioners bought a seat, and that purchase funded new bespoke pews.