Patrick Comerford
Saint Catherine’s and Saint Paul’s Church on Paul’s Lane is the parish church of Hoddesdon in the Diocese of St Albans. Although Hoddesdon in Hertfordshire did not officially become a parish until the 1840s, the story of the church dates back to early 14th century, when Saint Katherine’s Chapel was built.
Until the 1840s, Hoddesdon was divided between the parishes of Broxbourne and Amwell, with the boundary roughly following the line of Lord Street, which leads to the High Leigh Conference Centre, where I spent much of last week.
William de la Marche, a parishioner, obtained permission from the King on 1336 to build a chapel. It stood in the centre of Hoddesdon, where the Clock Tower now stands. The permission specified building the chapel ‘anew’, which seems to imply it replaced an earlier building, although no record of an earlier chapel survives.
The chapel was dedicated to Saint Katherine and remained in use until the 18th century. It may have originally served as a place of worship for pilgrims on their way to the shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham, but later became a chapel of ease for the people of Hoddesdon.
The anomalous position of Hoddesdon had been noted as early as the Commonwealth period in the mid-17th century, when there were plans to form a parish, but these were shelved after the Restoration in 1660.
The chapel had become dilapidated by 1700. A decision was taken to sell one of its bells to buy a new clock. This gave rise to a local rhyme:
Parson Davis and Farmer Lock
Sold their bell to buy a clock.
This may refer to the Revd Hatton Davies, Vicar of Great Amwell, but the identity of Farmer Lock has never been established.
Robert Plomer, a prosperous local business figure, inherited Rawdon House by marrying into the Rawdon family. He built a new chapel of ease in Hoddesdon in 1732. The reason for this is unclear, but it seems to have stemmed from a quarrel with the Revd Phineas Rothwell, vicar of Broxbourne.
Plomer’s building now forms the nave of the present church building. His chapel remained in private ownership until 1820, when it was bought by the Church of England. It was consecrated in 1823 by the Bishop of London, William Howley, who later, as Archbishop of Canterbury, crowned Queen Victoria. The first priest-in-charge was the Revd Thomas Pickthall.
Meanwhile, the older Saint Katherine’s Chapel was described in the early 19th century as ‘misshapen by age.’ It was no longer in use when it was demolished in 1835 and it was replaced by the Clock Tower.
The idea of forming a parish in Hoddesdon was revived in 1843, and the first vicar was the Revd Richard William Morice. The burial ground was consecrated the following year, formally making Hoddesdon an ecclesiastical district. It officially became a parish in 1856.
From the founding of the parish until 1927Hoddesdon had only two vicars: Richard William Morice, who died in 1881, and Philip Esme Stuart Holland, who retired in 1921. Both were very popular locally, and Holland was a champion of ecumenical links long before this became acceptable or popular.
The seating capacity in the church, however, was inadequate. A parish meeting in 1860 decided to build a new church. However, sufficient subscriptions could not be raised, and instead the building was extended by adding a chancel and north and south aisles
The chancel and chapels were designed in early 13th century French Gothic style in 1864-1865 by the Gothic Revival architect Joseph Clarke (1819-1888). His other works include the chancel and tower at the Church of Saint Mary and Saint Nicholas in Littlemore, Oxford, the church founded by John Henry Newman.
Clarke’s work in Hoddesdon was completed in 1865, and the opening sermon was preached by the Bishop of Rochester.
A tower and steeple were added in 1887-1888 and are attributed to the architect Sir Arthur Blomfield (1829-1899). The campanile tower is in an unusual location on the centre of the south side of the church. It has open and blind lancets, a pyramid roof with hipped dormers, and an octagonal stair turret with a finial.
A peal of eight bells was donated in 1901 by the Christie family. At the dedication ceremony for the peal of bells, the church was formally dedicated to Saint Paul, a name perhaps influenced by the already-existing Paul’s Lane nearby.
The interior was modernised and re-ordered in 1976, when the Revd Percy Gandon was the Vicar, and the church was rededicated to Saint Catherine and Saint Paul.
The church hall is known as the Barclay Hall, recalling the Barclay family of High Leigh, where I was staying last week. It became a temporary vaccination centre during the covid pandemic, one of the first in the United Kingdom.
Apart from the works by Clarke and Blomfield, the church may not be not one the most architecturally interesting buildings in Hoddesdon But its history is tied in with the town as firmly as any mediaeval church, and it has a Grade 2* listing.
The previous vicar, the Revd Dr Rachel Pennant, is now chaplain to the Bishop of Chelmsford, the Right Revd Guli Francis-Dehqni. The Revd Mark Escott, Assistant Curate at Saint May's, Cheshunt, has been appointed the Vicar of Hoddesdon. His induction service is planned for 7 September 2024.
No comments:
Post a Comment