Record

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/224
Title	West Drayton and Yiewsley, St Catherine the Martyr (of Alexandria)
Level	Series
Description	The Parish of St Catherine's, West Drayton, comprises Yiewsley and West Drayton, Harmondsworth, Longford and Sipson. It was founded in 1867, serving a largely Irish immigrant population who came to work on the local brickfields, market gardens and railways. Before the arrival of parish priest, Fr Michael Aloysius Wren, the local Catholic congregation had to travel over 4 miles to North Hyde to hear Mass. Fr Wren established a temporary chapel in stables and a coach-house for his congregation of 400, and a school in a cottage in Money Lane to educate local Catholic children. A Gothic Revival church, designed by T J Willson & S J Nicholl, was built in 1869 and consecrated by Cardinal Vaughan on 29th September 1893. The spire from the original design was never completed, the present top stage (designed by B D Kaye) being added in 1985. The presbytery was built in the 1950s and the parish centre in 2010-11. The church is now Grade 2 listed. Fr Wren left the parish in 1892 to found the new parish of Uxbridge, together with his nephew, Fr John Joseph Wren. Following the construction of the new church, Fr Michael Wren built a small schoolroom behind and formally established St Catherine School. Originally children from 3 – 13 years old were all taught in the same room, until 1886 when the schoolroom was split into and infant and juniors. Fr Wren was a regular visitor in the school and was constantly looking out for the welfare of the children, such as arranging outings to places like Burnham Beeches for them. The school building underwent alterations and upgrades in 1925 as it had been deemed ‘unsuitable for purpose’ by H.M. Inspectors. Whilst the renovations took place, children were educated in the church itself. The school continued to expand and by 1931 there were 70 children on roll. Expansion meant that the school building was becoming increasingly crowded, and so on 25th March 1939 a new school building was officially opened by Bishop Aeliae. On April 3rd the building was used for the first time and pupils were divided into three classes. The outbreak of war meant that teaching sessions were reduced and cloakrooms converted into air-raid shelters. After the War, overcrowding became an increasing problem, and in 1953 the infant children were moved back into the old schoolhouse building. By 1955 there were a total of 250 children on roll. Then in 1959, 20 years after the original plans had been made, the school was expanded again, with 4 new classrooms being built. In 1963, the senior children in St Catherine's School were transferred to the newly opened Douay Martyrs school. The last major changes were made in 1986 when the school nursery was opened and further improvements were made to the building.

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