100 years of Shirley's tin church
In this section
- Foundry Lane and before
- Building the church
- A view inside
- Opening of the Iron Church
- From Foundry Lane to Shirley Road
In 1830 St. Joseph's church was built in Bugle St, Southampton. Before that, French priests escaping the Revolution, had served French Catholic refugees and the small number of South Hampshire's Catholics from a room in the White's Court slum, near St Michael's church in the centre of the city.
By the late 1800s however, there was a Mass Centre located in a cottage in Stratton Road, Shirley. But on 17 August 1902 Bishop Cahill celebrated the first Mass of 'The Shirley Mission' in a house bought for £900, called 'Wilton Lodge' on Foundry Lane. An 'Tin church' was added to the house in 1908 to accommodate the increasing congregation.
Right The site of the tin church today, at the junction of Kingsley Road and Foundry Lane
The sale advert for Wilton Lodge described it as:-
THE EXCELLENT DETACHED RESIDENCE
Standing 30 feet back from the high road and known as "WILTON LODGE, FOUNDRY LANE" SHIRLEY
Having Good Rooms, Stabling, Conservatory and Gardens with Frontage of 90 feet and depth of 153 feet, Good water and not far from Millbrook Railway Station
In this section
- Foundry Lane and before
- Building the church
- A view inside
- Opening of the Iron Church
- From Foundry Lane to Shirley Road