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The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Lampeter)

Our Lady of Mount Carmel
The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Lampeter
Front of the Church
LocationPontfaen Road, Lampeter, Ceredigion
CountryWales
DenominationRoman Catholic
Websitehttp://catholicchurchlampeter.org/
History
Founded1940
Founder(s)Carmelite community of Aberystwyth
Architecture
Functional statusWorking
Architect(s)T.H.B. Scott
Architectural typeneo-Georgian
Years built1939-1940
Administration
ArchdioceseCardiff
DioceseMenevia
ParishOur Lady of Mount Carmel
Clergy
Priest(s)Fr. David Keith Evans

The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a Roman Catholic church located in the university town of Lampeter[1]. Constructed by London architect Thomas Henry Birchall Scott in the late 1930s for the Carmelite Order of the Roman Catholic Church, and opened in 1940[2], it is Grade II listed, and considered one of the best example of church architecture in the mid-20th century, in west Wales[3]. It is named after, and dedicated to, the Virgin Mary, and the religious community she, supposedly, visited on Mount Carmel[4], it was the first church in Wales to be so dedicated[5].

History

Background

Historically, since the Reformation, Anti-Catholic sentiments have been common throughout Great Britain[6], and perhaps more so in Wales due to the addition of the strong Nonconformist elements in Welsh Christianity[7]. Certainly more so in Lampeter which, since the establishment of St. David's College in 1822[8], had been a centre for Anglicanism in Wales. It is needless to say that the native Catholic population of the parish, and the diocese as whole was small at the time[9][10]. Nonetheless, in the late 1930s the Carmelite community of Aberystwyth, under the auspices of Fr. Malachy Lynch, founded the church, primarily for the growing number of Irish, Italian, and Polish immigrants who were coming to west Wales looking for work, who's nearest Catholic church had been 60 miles away[10].

Construction

Construction started in 1939, and finished in 1940[3]. The church was designed by Thomas Henry Birchall Scott, who had previously designed a number of London Catholic churches, and was built by local builder Glyn Davies[3]. Local craftsmen, and women, also worked on elements of the church, including Mary Malburn who did the three painted lunettes, and Philip J. Lindsay Clarke who did the carved stone reredos panel[2][3]. According to the founding Priest, Fr. Malachy Lynch the proportions were inspired by those of the theatre at Garthewin, in Llanfair Talhaearn, Clwyd, work of architect T. S. Tait, which boasted similar lunettes[3][10]. The construction was funded by donations from both the local community, and from Catholic schools, and churches in Dublin, totalling £5000, with funds being raised by Fr. Malachy Lynch[10][11].

1940 — Present

In 1940 the church was within the parish of Aberystwyth, from which it was founded, it became the principal church of its own parish in 1947, Our Lady of Mount Carmel[2].

In 1965 the diocese of Menevia established the 'Charity for the Benefit of the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel at Lampeter', and registered it with the Charity Commission for England and Wales[12]. Its stated aim, as of 1976, was furthering religious, educational, and other charitable purposes of the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel[12][13]. The church in Lampeter is still supported by this charity, although donations are at an all-time low, totalling only £172 in 2021[14].

In 2019 it hosted the 50th Anniversary celebrations of the restoration of the British province of Carmelites with a Mass celebrated by Fr. Fernando Millán Romeral, the then Prior General of the Carmelite Order[10][11]. It was chosen in honour of its Carmelite origins, and the significance of Wales in the re-establishment of the Carmelite Order in Britain[11].

Architecture

The Architect

In 1939 the church and attached presbytery were designed by architect T. B. H. Scott[3]. This London architect had previously worked on a number of Catholic churches, mostly in London, including; the original St. Bede's Church at Chadwell Heath[15], The Church of Our Lady of Muswell at Muswell Hill[16], The Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception and St Joseph in Waltham Cross[17], and the original Church of St. John Fisher in Shepperton[18]. Prolific as he was, The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, as a Grade II listed building, would seem to be amongst the best examples of his work[3][15][16][17][18].

The Church

Exterior, The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Lampeter

With whitewashed walls, and a steep slate roofs, the outsides of both church and presbytery are considered to be exemplar of elegant simplicity, set off by a few addition; the slightly advanced slate centrepiece, the iron cross finial, arched doorway - elevated three-steps - surrounded with a slightly raised arched hood mould, a Della Robbia style ceramic plaque in the lunette, and above the two glazed loops each side of the wrought iron keys of St Peter[3].

Interior, The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Lampeter

The inside, meanwhile, contrasts complex divisions of space with simple materials; the chancel and apse are divided by identical cross walls which give a view of the roof timbers. The walls are a sandy coloured brick with grey brick elements seen in; the lunette surrounds,the inner surrounds of the nave windows, the chancel and sanctuary arches, and the sanctuary wall which is semi-circular and entirely grey brick[3].

This all culminates in a well designed, harmonious, complex of buildings, traditional in inspiration and materials, and significance as as one of the best examples of mid-twentieth century churches in west Wales which earn it its Grade II listing[3].

The Parish

The Parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, of which The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the principle, and only church, serves not just Lampeter, but also surrounding villages, farms, and tourist centres[10]. Outside of religious holiday season, in which there may be more Masses, it offers four Masses a week, including Sunday Mass, in English, and a Mass every fortnight in Polish, serving multi-lingual congregations[19]. In addition it serves the parish with 'CAMEO', a gathering of congregants after Sunday Mass for Tea and Coffee, a Readers Group, for those who read from the Bible, to the congregation, during Mass, and Club 100, it's fundraising initiative[10].

References

  1. ^ Directory, Catholic. "Our Lady Of Mount Carmel Catholic Church - Lampeter". CatholicDirectory.org. Retrieved 2022-11-23. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  2. ^ a b c "Lampeter - Our Lady of Mount Carmel". Taking Stock. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Stuff, Good. "Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Attached Presbytery (RC), Lampeter, Ceredigion". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  4. ^ CNA. "Our Lady of Mount Carmel". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  5. ^ "Celebration in Lampeter – Diocese of Menevia". Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  6. ^ "Anti-Catholicism in Early Modern England". History is Now Magazine, Podcasts, Blog and Books | Modern International and American history. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  7. ^ Hughes, Trystan Owain (April 2005). "When Was Anti-Catholicism? A Response". The Journal of Ecclesiastical History. 56 (2). Cambridge University Press: 326–333.
  8. ^ Price, D. T. W. (1977–1990). A history of Saint David's University College Lampeter. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 0-7083-0606-3. OCLC 3742391.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
  9. ^ Hughes, Trystan Owain (June 2000). "Roman Catholicism, the Welsh Language and Welsh National Identity in the Twentieth Century". In Morgan, Kenneth O.; Griffiths, Ralph A. (eds.). The Welsh History Review [Cylchgrawn Hanes Cymru]. Vol. 20. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. pp. 337–365. ISBN 0083-792X. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: length (help)
  10. ^ a b c d e f g "Our Parish – Our Lady of Mount Carmel". catholicchurchlampeter.org. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  11. ^ a b c admin_ocarm (2018-07-17). "Province 50th Anniversary Celebration in Lampeter, Wales". The British Province of Carmelites. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  12. ^ a b "CHARITY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL AT LAMPETER - Charity 237595". register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  13. ^ "CHARITY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL AT LAMPETER - Charity 237595". register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  14. ^ "CHARITY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL AT LAMPETER - Charity 237595". register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  15. ^ a b "Chadwell Heath - St Bede". Taking Stock. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  16. ^ a b "Our Lady of Muswell – The Twentieth Century Society". c20society.org.uk. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  17. ^ a b "Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception and St Joseph – The Twentieth Century Society". c20society.org.uk. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  18. ^ a b "About the Parish – Roman Catholic Parish of Shepperton". Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  19. ^ "Notices – Our Lady of Mount Carmel". Retrieved 2022-11-24.

The Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel website: http://catholicchurchlampeter.org/

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