St Columba's is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Newton, Chester. It was built from 1964 to 1965. It is situated on the corner of Plas Newton Lane and Newhall Road in the suburbs, north of the city centre. The 'Taking Stock' project, a partnership between the Patrimony Committee of the Bishops’ Conference, English Heritage and individual catholic dioceses, described the church as 'a strikingly modern church in a distinctive style'.[2]
| St Columba's Church | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Church entrance | |
 | |
| 53°12′39″N 2°52′21″W / 53.2109°N 2.8726°W | |
| Location | Newton, Chester |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | StColumbaChester.WordPress.com |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Founder(s) | Canon Francis Murphy |
| Dedication | Saint Columba |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Architect(s) | Francis Prichard |
| Groundbreaking | 6 September 1964 |
| Completed | 19 February 1966 |
| Administration | |
| Province | Birmingham |
| Diocese | Shrewsbury |
| Deanery | North Cheshire[1] |
History
editConstruction
editIn the late 1950s, a priest from St Werburgh's Church in Chester, Canon Francis Murphy, came to Newton and started raising funds to build a new church for the local Catholic population. On 6 September 1964, he laid the foundation stone for the church. It was designed by Francis Prichard (1919 – 2008).[2][3] He was an ecclesiastical architect and was also the Mayor of Crosby.[4] The first Mass was said in the church on 19 December 1965. On 19 February 1966, the church was officially opened by William Grasar, Roman Catholic Bishop of Shrewsbury.[2]
Parish Hall
editIn 1978, the parish hall was also opened by Bishop Glaser. It was built by the Manpower Services Commission. In 2012, it hosted the Annual General Meeting of the British Heart Foundation.[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Directory from Diocese of Shrewsbury, retrieved 13 February 2015
- ^ a b c St Columba Church - Chester, accessed 2 February 2017
- ^ History from StColumbaChester.WordPress.com, retrieved 13 February 2015
- ^ Tributes paid to former Mayor of Crosby Francis Prichard who has died from Liverpool Echo, 31 December 2008, retrieved 13 February 2015
- ^ British Heart Foundation to hold AGM in St Columbas Church Hall, Chester from Chester Chronicle, 3 May 2012, retrieved 13 February 2015
External links
edit
- "St Columba's Catholic Church, Chester". www.stcolumbachester.org.uk. Retrieved 16 September 2009.