St Begh's Priory

Introduction

St Begh's Priory in Whitehaven, within the Diocese of Lancaster, was designed by E W Pugin, son of A.W.N. Pugin, and built 1865-68. The church was opened for worship on 29 October 1868.

History

The foundation stone was laid by Bishop Dorian in 1865 during the incumbency of Dom Dominic Lynass. The church was dedicated to Saint Gregory and Saint Bega, an Irish princess.

The church was initially known as St Bees and dedicated to St Bega, the 'Apostle of Cumberland'. Bishop Chadwick, Bishop of Hexham & Newcastle, was the main celebrant at the opening ceremony on 29 October 1868. In 1934/1935, the Benedictine Abbey of Downside requested the diocese take over the parish, and Bishop Pearson successfully requested Belmont Abbey to take over St Begh's church and parish.

In 1982, over £100,000 was spent to repair, restore and re-decorate Saint Begh’s. In 1993, a permanent stone altar was erected and the Sanctuary floor was re-carpeted.

In 2006, the Tercentenary of the Benedictine Mission to Whitehaven was marked by a year-long series of events. The church celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2018 with a Mass of Thanksgiving on 16 September. In 1868 the Benedictines built a new 'Mother Church' at Coach Road dedicated to St Begh (the Apostle of Cumberland).

Architecture and furnishings

The church is built of rock-faced coursed sandstone with red sandstone ashlar dressings, with windows having alternating red and grey stone. The church has a nave and apsidal chancel under a single roof of flat clay tiles in a variegated pattern, with aisles extending as side chapels. The interior has a shallow semi-circular chancel with three stained glass windows and elaborately cusped and crocketted blind arcading in white marble with black marble shafts. The nave has a stepped scissor truss roof rising from arcade columns that are alternately round and octagonal, with angular bases and capitals.

The church has a late C20 choir in wood raised above a glass and wood panelled narthex at the west end. The side chapel to the left has original carved wooden doors reset in modern frames, a double arched opening to the chancel, a late C20 altar, a marble font, and a stained glass rose window. The former altar rail in painted wrought iron acts as the front of the foremost pews. The north aisle has a former choir above the door to the vestry, which is blocked.

Fixings for a pulpit formerly on a column on the left side of the nave remain. The church has a Miners' Chapel at the back containing the statue of Our Lady of Sorrows. The church has a Lady Chapel and a Saint Benedict’s Chapel, both with restored ceilings. The church is a Grade II listed building, first listed on 20-Jul-2005.

Parish life

In 2010, St Begh's Parish served a Catholic population of 4050, the largest in the diocese, with average Sunday Mass attendance of 574, the second highest in the Lancaster Diocese. The parish maintains a Facebook page under the name St Begh's Parish, Whitehaven. The church's centenary in 1968 was marked with civic and religious events, including a pastoral visit from the Papal Legate.

Notable people and events

Father Gregory Holden, a Benedictine priest of Downside Abbey, was Priest in Charge of the Whitehaven Benedictine Mission from 1818 to 1853 and founder of the Cleator Benedictine Mission.

Visiting

The church has a main entrance at the west front with a shallow flight of 5 steps up to a central wooden double iron-hinged door with overlight in a pointed arch doorway.