St Joseph and St Etheldreda

Introduction

St Joseph and St Etheldreda in Rugeley, within the Archdiocese of Birmingham, was built in 1849-50 by Charles Hansom. The church was opened in 1851. Architect Charles Francis Hansom is considered to have made St Joseph's one of his chief works.

History

The chief founders were Joseph Whitgreave and his sister, who later became a Benedictine nun named Etheldreda. The spire was added to the church tower in 1868. In 1972 the first stage in fresh restoration work began, with treatment to the tower.

Architecture and furnishings

The church has a 6-bay nave with aisles, chancel, Lady chapel, vestry, porches and west tower in Decorated style. The tower is about 75 feet high with a circular stairway of 99 steps. The spire brought the total height to about 160 feet.

The interior is intact, with original roofs and painted chancel and Lady Chapel roofs unaltered. The church has a 5-light east window with four lights by Hardman and centre by Wailes. The church has a Hardman window of 1860 in the Lady Chapel and a 1860 wrought-iron memorial screen.

The High Altar is of carved stone, formerly richly gilded, with panels of the Annunciation, Crucifixion and Ascension. The Lady Chapel has a Caen stone and alabaster altar, the gift of Miss Gulson. The present Stations were carved by Ferdinando Stuflesser of Ortisei, Italy, and erected on 2 September 1951. The present light-stained open benches were introduced in the 1950s.

A pulpit was provided around 1930 as a war memorial, made by local craftsmen of Moores. The weathercock is 32 inches from beak to tip of tail. The organ was improved in 1886 with fresh stops by Nicholson and Lord of Walsall, paid for by Josiah Spode of Hawksyard. The Sanctuary was formerly rich with fresco work done by Hopkins of Abergavenny in 1885.

In 1938 Father Walshe had the reredos throne removed. The change to a simple style of plain walls was made by Father Walshe in 1939. The original fresco over the chancel arch was of two angels swinging censers before God, with green background. The church is built of sandstone ashlar with plain tile roofs and stone coped gable-ends.

Music and liturgy

Father Walshe, parish priest from 1937 to 1945, developed a fine Sanctuary choir for special occasions and was a keen musician. The organ is a two-manual instrument with 15 stops, a swell pedal and three other pedals, originally costing £280. The bell is a 17cwt pre-reformation bell that for more than a century regularly called the people to Mass and Benediction. A forgotten small bell was found in the turret during the 1930s restoration and installed in the tower for ringing the Angelus thrice daily.

The reredos formerly had a pinnacled throne over the tabernacle, occupied by a wooden cross, and the monstrance was placed in it during Benediction services and Exposition. A parishioner made a portable throne of wood to take the place of the removed reredos throne, and it is still in use. The weathercock came down to earth in 1948 when the apex of the spire was being renewed, and was regilded and fitted with new bearings. The east window was the gift of Sir Charles Wolseley, the 9th baronet, and was made by G Hardman and Powell of Birmingham.

Parish life

The parish has a luncheon club for the elderly. The parish has a prison visiting ministry. The parish has a piety shop in the side porch, developed from the weekly study group.

Visiting

The parish has a St Vincent de Paul Society group. The parish has a Home and Away group. The parish has a Children's Liturgy group. The parish has Altar Servers.

The parish has Eucharist Ministers. The church has a Community Centre that can be booked for baptism parties. The church is a listed building.