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A former Jesuit church in Bournemouth recently celebrated its centenary. Michael Beattie SJ
tells us of its history.
The Church of the Annunciation, Charminster Road, Bournemouth, was 100 years old on 25th March, the Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord. The parish was established by the Jesuits, together with the Sacred Heart Church in the town centre, Corpus Christi in Boscombe and St Thomas Moore in Boscombe East - better known as Iford.
The church was designed by Giles Gilbert Scott when he was only 26 years of age. He had just finished designing Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral, and the Annunciation was his first attempt at designing a Catholic church. Many would say that it was self-evident that this is his first attempt, as the building - both inside and out - is notorious for its strange quirks and oddities. Today the building has a Grade II* listing.
In the early days, there was no presbytery and the Jesuit priest in charge lived in a room high above the sanctuary. The only means of access to his abode was by climbing up a rope ladder!
The church was run as a ‘chapel of ease’ from the Sacred Heart, Bournemouth, and indeed, the Superior of the Sacred Heart also had Corpus Christi and St Thomas Moore under his authority. The Annunciation became a parish in its own right in 1955, and three years later, the Society handed it over to the diocese.
The main feature of the centenary celebration was a packed church for a concelebrated Mass, with Bishop Crispian Hollis as the chief celebrant.
The bishop spoke warmly of the labours, over many years, of the Jesuits who had served the parish before it was handed over to the Diocese of Portsmouth.
The Church of the Annunciation, Charminster Road, Bournemouth, was 100 years old on 25th March, the Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord. The parish was established by the Jesuits, together with the Sacred Heart Church in the town centre, Corpus Christi in Boscombe and St Thomas Moore in Boscombe East - better known as Iford.
The church was designed by Giles Gilbert Scott when he was only 26 years of age. He had just finished designing Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral, and the Annunciation was his first attempt at designing a Catholic church. Many would say that it was self-evident that this is his first attempt, as the building - both inside and out - is notorious for its strange quirks and oddities. Today the building has a Grade II* listing.
In the early days, there was no presbytery and the Jesuit priest in charge lived in a room high above the sanctuary. The only means of access to his abode was by climbing up a rope ladder!
The church was run as a ‘chapel of ease’ from the Sacred Heart, Bournemouth, and indeed, the Superior of the Sacred Heart also had Corpus Christi and St Thomas Moore under his authority. The Annunciation became a parish in its own right in 1955, and three years later, the Society handed it over to the diocese.
The main feature of the centenary celebration was a packed church for a concelebrated Mass, with Bishop Crispian Hollis as the chief celebrant.
The bishop spoke warmly of the labours, over many years, of the Jesuits who had served the parish before it was handed over to the Diocese of Portsmouth.