Sacred Heart

Introduction

Sacred Heart church in Cobham, in the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton, was designed by Henry Stuart Goodhart-Rendel (1887-1959). The 2005 'Taking Stock' study considered that a good case could be made for the church's inclusion in the government's List of Buildings of Special Architectural and Historical Interest.

History

In 1912 Holly Lodge on the High Streets became a house for the priest and a place for celebrating Mass. A temporary church (Our Lady and St Bridget of Sweden) was built in Cedar Road in 1930. In 1937 Sisters of the 'Order of the Company of Mary Our Lady' established a Convent and a School (Notre Dame) at Burwood House. The Chapel of St Thomas of Canterbury was opened in Oxshott in 1949.

In 1954 Mrs Sanders gave £5,000 for the building fund. The church was opened on 28th October 1958. The church was consecrated on 13th September 1961. The first Parish Hall was built on the present site in 1978. The current site, Between Streets, was purchased in 1938 for £1,750.

Architecture and furnishings

The church has a typical Goodhart-Rendel plan with classical forms, Georgian Gothic windows, small-scale Doric columns, and simple barrel vaults of fibrous plaster. The two manual organ was built by Kingsgate Davidson & Co in 1961 and renovated by B.C. Shepherd and Sons in 2015. The church contains 3 statues: one of Mary, one of St Joseph, and one of St Thomas of Canterbury, the latter from the small Catholic church in Steels Lane, Oxshott. The walls of the church carry 12 'Consecration Crosses' – engraved crosses and candle sconces – indicating where the walls were anointed during consecration.

The altar stands at the centre of the church, contains the relics of a saint, and its 'mensa' shows marks where it was anointed with oil as part of the consecration. The stained glass window above the north entrance shows a traditional depiction of the Sacred Heart. It has been suggested that the stations of the cross and statues are the work of one of the sisters at Minster Abbey, Kent. On the right hand side of the church are two small rooms set aside for celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation, with pictures of the Good Shepherd and the Return of the Prodigal Son etched on the glass of the doors.

Behind the altar is the tabernacle containing the Blessed Sacrament, and near it on the right hand side of the Sanctuary burns the red Sanctuary Lamp. At the entrance to the church are small bowls, called Stoops, containing holy water, as a reminder of the font in which Christians become by baptism.

Parish life

The Sacred Heart parish supports many community groups, both Catholic and ecumenical. The parish runs a Sunday school providing Religious Education for children from four to fourteen years of age and preparation for the Sacraments of First Reconciliation, First Eucharist and Confirmation. Visitors can drop in during the day to light a candle or for quiet prayer.