St Agatha, Kingston

Introduction

St Agatha, Kingston, in Kingston upon Thames, was built in 1899 by Caroline Louisa Curry of Coombe Warren, in memory of Bertram Woodhouse Curry who died on 29th December 1896.

Architecture and furnishings

A brass plaque with a Latin inscription gives the date as MDCCCXCIX (1899). The interior has a five bay nave with composite columns and a barrel vaulted roof with coffered gilt ceiling to chancel. The chancel has a marble altar and reredos, two semicircular marble pulpits and marble altar rail. The side chapels have marble altars, reredos and altar rails, and there is a marble font to the baptistery.

Internally the church is 32 metres long and 15 metres wide with a barrel vaulted nave and 2 side aisles, which are flat roofed with decorative panelled ceilings. The front elevation has a symmetrical façade with a statue of St Agatha in a stone niche and a stone-built porch with a semi circular pediment containing a carving of the papal crown and crossed keys. Over the entrance doors is a carving of “Christ in Glory” surrounded by the symbolic animals of the four gospels. There are only two stained glass windows, the circular ones on the front elevation: one shows St Agatha and the other shows “Christ the Shepherd”.

Attached to the church is a cloister, built in a complimentary style, which houses the disabled toilet facility. The painting in Our Lady’s altar is of Our Lady’s Assumption into heaven and is attributed to Murillo. Adjacent to the priest’s sacristy there is a shrine to Blessed William Way, a priest of Kingston who was martyred for his faith on 23 September 1588. The church has a fine pipe organ in the choir gallery over the entrance porch.

Music and liturgy

The children's Liturgy of the Word follows the same format as the one in the Church, including an introduction to the Gospel, a Gospel acclamation, a simplified version of the Gospel, a homily and an activity.

Parish life

The parish prays the Rosary in the church every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday morning after Mass. The parish runs a baptism preparation course for parents of first children, run by a catechist from the parish.