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AAW - Archives of the Archbishop of Westminster
- DOW - Diocese of Westminster
  - PAR - Parishes

Repository	Archives of the Archbishop of Westminster
Ref No	AAW/DOW/PAR/130
Title	Marylebone, Our Lady of The Rosary
Level	Series
Description	The Parish of Marylebone was founded in 1855. The new church was built in 1963. 1848 Fr Hodgson came from the Chapel at the Spanish Embassy to say Mass in a hall in Cato Street for residents in the area. 1855 - The work on the Church in Homer Row was completed and dedicated to God in honour of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary by Cardinal Wiseman. From the start the church was very popular – the congregation was estimated at 2,500. 1861 - The Marylebone Mission became a separate parish from St James, Spanish Place. Early 1900’s – The parish family continued to grow and the Church grew too small for its congregation. At first, it proved impossible to purchase a new site for the Church at an affordable cost. However, in 1929, the property adjoining the present Church was purchased for £16,100 and fundraising began for the building of the new Church. 1959 – Work finally began on the new Church. The foundation stone was laid on 23rd September 1961 and the Church was opened on 7th June 1964. The construction of the original church was funded by the Count de Torre Diaz, a Spanish nobleman who was reisdent in London and had connections with the chapel of the Spanish Embassy which catered for Spanish Catholics who resided in London. In 1848, the Count de Torre Diaz hired a hall in Cato Street where the Catholic residents in the nearby slums could celebrate Mass. The hall was eventually converted for use as a chapel and the first priest to serve the congretation was Father Hodgson who preached his sermons in the hall until the building was deemed unsafe. Hodgeson continued his ministry by providing open air sermons as well as preaching in the courts behind Portland Street and also in private houses within the area. In 1849 the Count de Torre Diaz and other wealthy individuals purchased some land in Homer Row where a Catholic church and school were to be erected. The architect was Gilbert Robert Blount (1819-1877) and work was completed in 1855. The new church at numbers 15-16 Homer Row, was dedicated to God in honour of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary on the 9th August of the same year by Cardinal Wiseman. By 1870 an expanding congregation had outgrown the church building and plans were made for its enlargement. The new building opened on 29th June 1870. Over the following decades the parish continued to grow and eventually the extended church became too small for its congregation. After a few problems associated with finding a suitable site in the area, in 1929 the parish priest Rev. Roche, managed to purchase the property adjoining the current church along with the freehold. However, due to a lack of funds, work did not start on the new church until 1959. The new building was designed by architect H.S. Goodhart-Rendel (1887-1959) and after his death in 1959 the design of the church was completed by G. Broadbent and Partners. The foundation stone was laid on 23rd September 1961, while the church was opened on 17th June 1964.

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