Our Parish
History
A Deeper Look at Our Parish History
Part One: Origins and Context
The decisive moment came in 1861 when the Society of Jesus purchased Manresa House, formerly known as Bessborough or Parkstead House, a substantial Georgian mansion set within 42 acres of land in Roehampton. Originally part of Roehampton Park, the estate was granted to the Earl of Portland by Charles I in 1633. The current mansion was built around 1762 and designed by the renowned architect Sir William Chambers, who also designed Somerset House. It was sold to the Conservative Land Society in 1860 before passing to the Jesuits, who intended to use it as a novitiate to train new members of the Society.
From the outset, the Jesuits recognised the pastoral needs of the surrounding community. In 1865, the private chapel at Manresa House was opened to the public, providing a regular setting for Catholic worship in Roehampton for the first time. However, these early arrangements were not without friction; the parish priest of Mortlake initially objected to the Jesuits admitting his parishioners, reflecting the territorial sensitivities that often accompanied the rapid expansion of Catholic provision in Victorian England.
By 1869, the local Catholic population had continued to grow and the Jesuits had formally established a mission at Roehampton. The initial mission area was extensive, stretching northwards as far as Wimbledon and Raynes Park. Services were held in the Manresa chapel and in a temporary iron structure erected in the grounds by Vavasseur of Hammersmith. This served as a makeshift church until regulatory permissions for its use expired in 1872.
Part Two: Building the Church (1878–1881)
The Garcia Benefaction
The construction of the permanent church was made possible, above all, by the generosity of Henry James Garcia and his wife, Anna Gertrude. This devout Catholic couple had emigrated from Brazil to Roehampton in 1865. Born in Brazil and educated in Portugal, Anna had been received into the Catholic Church in Lisbon. In Roehampton, she devoted herself to charitable work, visiting the sick and helping those in need. She died in 1875 and was initially buried at St Thomas of Canterbury's in Fulham. It was her estate and subsequently that of her husband that provided the principal funding for the new church.
Henry Garcia's commitment to the project was profound and personal. Following her death, he joined the Jesuit Order as a novice and was ordained as a priest in the church his family had founded in 1881. He died in 1885. Anna's tomb was later moved to the church sanctuary and, in 1886, memorial stained-glass windows commemorating the couple were installed by Hardman of Birmingham. Their story remains one of the most remarkable in the church's history.
Additional donations came from a number of other benefactors. Mrs Lyne-Stephens contributed towards the tabernacle and altar candlesticks, while other parishioners and patrons funded features including the iron rood screen and the Stations of the Cross.
Design and Construction
The design of the church is the result of a productive collaboration between Jesuit in-house expertise and emerging professional talent. Brother Michael Fearn SJ prepared the preliminary plans in 1876 and oversaw the construction work, while Mr Peter Cooke was the builder. Frederick Arthur Walters (1849–1931) was responsible for the interior design and architectural supervision. He had recently established his independent practice following training with Goldie & Child. Recommended for the project by Fr Francis Goldie SJ, this commission marked Walters' first major work in the Diocese of Southwark a relationship that continued throughout his career.
The foundation stone was laid on 16 July 1878 by Bishop Danell of Southwark in the grounds of Manresa House. The building that was constructed over the following three years is a fine example of Early English Gothic Revival architecture. Built using grey stock brick with Bath stone dressings and a slate roof, the building follows a cruciform plan and comprises a five-bay nave, short transepts, a long chancel and a southeast bell tower with a distinctive saddleback roof and spirelet. The seating capacity at opening was approximately 200.
Notable features installed at the outset included scissor-beam roofing in the nave, an octagonal granite font dating from around 1878 and murals of the Stations of the Cross, which were painted in 1881 by the distinguished artist Nathaniel Hubert Joseph Westlake. Thirteen bells were cast in 1879 at the Brixton foundry of T. C. Lewis, who also supplied the organ. An oak lychgate designed by Walters completed the ensemble.
Opening and Consecration
The church was officially opened on 18 March 1881 by Fr John Morris SJ. In a ceremony rich with symbolic meaning, the Blessed Sacrament was carried in procession from Manresa House to the new building, marking the first time that public services had been held in a dedicated church in Roehampton. Later accounts also cite 8 May 1881 as the public opening date, which may reflect a subsequent celebration to mark the completion of the building.
The building was formally consecrated on 24 July 1883 by Dr John Vertue, the Bishop of Portsmouth. Significant furnishings from this early period included stained-glass windows by Hardman & Co., a wrought-iron rood screen and high altar designed by Fr Ignatius Scoles SJ, and oak stalls carved by Thomas Earp.
The opening of St Joseph's transformed Catholic life in Roehampton. Instead of makeshift chapels and borrowed rooms, the community now had a building worthy of its aspirations, and the Jesuit mission entered a new, more settled phase. Between 1871 and 1963, thirty-one Jesuits served as parish priests at St Joseph's, with an average tenure of less than three years, reflecting the Society's pattern of mobile ministry.
Fr George Porter SJ, one of the first priests to serve at the Roehampton mission, stands out among the early missionaries. His later appointment as Archbishop of Bombay in 1884 is a reminder of the wider significance that this modest south London mission held within the global network of the Society of Jesus.
Part Three: The Victorian and Edwardian Parish
A Growing Community
In the decades following its opening, St Joseph's established itself as the centre of a substantial and active parish. The Jesuits at Manresa House continued to provide the clergy, and, from 1877, the mission's apostolate extended to Wimbledon in response to the growth of Catholic communities throughout south-west London.
During this period, the church's links with other religious institutions in Roehampton deepened. In 1850, the Society of the Sacred Heart (RSCJ) established a convent in the area on the Elm Grove Estate. In 1872, they founded Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School to educate local Catholic children. Initially, it was a girls-only elementary school. In 1874, the RSCJ also founded Digby Stuart College, a women's teacher training institution named after Mabel Digby, the convent superior. These institutions and the Jesuit parish developed alongside one another, sharing resources and pastoral responsibilities across a growing Catholic quarter of Roehampton.
Manresa House itself was a centre of activity well beyond the novitiate. Manresa Press, a Jesuit publishing enterprise, employed local people and established the community's presence in the area's commercial and religious life.
Notable Interior Changes: The Rood Screen
One of the most significant changes to the interior during the early twentieth century was the removal of the wrought-iron rood screen designed by Fr Ignatius Scoles SJ in 1931–32. This elegant structure had divided the nave from the chancel since the church's consecration, but was dismantled in line with evolving liturgical preferences. However, its central crucifix was not lost; it was suspended from the sanctuary's roof, where it remains to this day a tangible link with the Victorian vision of the church's founders.
Part Four: Post-War Growth and Transformation
The most dramatic transformation in Roehampton's history occurred in the mid-twentieth century, when the London County Council undertook extensive housing developments in the area. While the Dover House Estate had led the way, it was the construction of the Alton Estates comprising Alton East and Alton West, as well as subsequent phases in the 1950s that fundamentally altered the neighbourhood's character. These developments attracted thousands of new residents to Roehampton, many of whom were Irish Catholics, resulting in a significant increase in the congregation at St Joseph's.
uHowever, the Jesuit novitiate at Manresa House itself fell victim to these changes. By the 1950s, the estate had been absorbed into the new residential developments and the Society of Jesus withdrew. However, the church remained indeed, it became the spiritual anchor of a transformed and enlarged community.
Expansion
To accommodate the increase in worshippers, the church underwent a period of significant physical expansion. In 1951, a presbytery was purchased next to the church, closer to Wimbledon Common, to provide improved accommodation for the parish clergy. In 1958, the church was extended at the eastern end, with a new wall being built further back and the altar and sanctuary being repositioned to give the church its current appearance. This work included temporarily opening and resealing the tomb of Anna Garcia, whose remains were respectfully disturbed for the duration of the construction.
uFurther work followed in 1963 when architects Tomei & Maxwell rebuilt the presbytery, adding porches and a polygonal baptistery to the west end of the church. This enhanced accessibility and provided improved facilities for the sacraments.
The reorganisation of liturgy
Like many Catholic churches, St Joseph's was affected by the liturgical reforms that followed the Second Vatican Council. In 1973, the interior was rearranged and a new altar was installed. This required the removal of the original high altar, which had been designed by Fr Ignatius Scoles SJ, and the oak stalls that had been carved by Thomas Earp. Although these changes were controversial, they reflected the spirit of the age and the desire to bring the priest and congregation closer together during Mass.
uFurther reordering of the sanctuary took place in 1998 with the installation of a new altar incorporating fragments from earlier high altars, providing continuity with the church's Victorian furnishings. Around the year 2000, a new community hall was built to the south of the church, completing a significant programme of development that had modernised the building.
Part Five: The Church Building Today
Architecture and Exterior
The church that visitors see today retains the essential character of Walters's original design, with additions and alterations made by successive generations overlaid on top. Features belonging to the original Victorian conception include the cruciform plan, the grey stock brickwork with Bath stone dressings, the five-bay nave, the short transepts and long chancel, and the southeast bell tower with its saddleback roof and spirelet. The building is located within a conservation area, although it is not listed itself.
uThe west end, remodelled by Tomei & Maxwell in 1963, incorporates the polygonal baptistery and entrance porches which greet visitors today. The lychgate, designed by Walters and installed at the opening in 1881, completes the approach to the building.
The Interior
uInside, the church boasts a number of exceptional historic features. The nave is covered by an elegant and practical scissor-beam roof. The octagonal granite font, dating from around 1878, is located near the baptistery at the west end. Painted in 1881 by Westlake, the murals of the Stations of the Cross line the nave's walls and represent one of the finest Victorian decorative schemes to survive in any south London church.
The chancel contains a wheel window by Hardman of Birmingham depicting Christ, the saints and the Instruments of the Passion a work of considerable beauty and iconographic richness. The memorial windows dedicated to Henry James Garcia and his wife, Anna Gertrude, also by Hardman, were installed in 1886 and remain among the church's most cherished furnishings. Anna's tomb, relocated to the sanctuary during the extension works of 1958, serves as a permanent reminder of the couple whose generosity made the building possible.
The crucifix that once formed the centrepiece of the Scoles rood screen and was removed in 1931–1932 now hangs suspended in the sanctuary. The 1998 altar, which incorporates fragments of earlier high altars, completes a sanctuary that weaves together elements from across the church's history.
