Priests at the English Martyrs Chard

The remodeling of the church for the post Vatican II rite was undertaken, at a cost of £1,473 (£35,108.15 in today’s money 2023), by C Turner and Son, Chard to the design of Peter Ware, Dowy square, Bristol. The church was then consecrated on 27th September 1966 by the then Bishop of Clifton, the Rt Rev Joseph Rudderham.

One requirement before a church building can be consecrated is usually that its building debt is cleared, so the debt must have been met very promptly. The carved crosses on the plaques on the wall, and the candle holders by them are a reminder of that day of consecration which is remembered annually by the Special Mass on that day. The east window depicts the Adoration, commemorating the diamond anniversary in 2004 of Canon James O’Brien.

The foundation stone for he present Church of the English Martyrs was laid by Canon Lee on 24th September 1925. The completed church was opened and solemnly blessed, less than a year later by Bishop Burton on the Feast of St Alban, the first of all the English Martyrs, 22 June 1926. From that date Chard became a Parish in it’s own right, having been until then a part of the Taunton Parish of |st George. A high Mass was celebrated on that occassion bt Canon Cashman, with the (later to become) Rt Rev Mgr ProvostIles as Deacon and Canon McEnery as sub-Deacon. ProvostIles later preached at the opening of St Joeseph’s Ilminster (22 April 1953), which along with St Peter’s in Crewkerne (Opened 1935), is a daughter church of the Chard parish. The Congregation os St Peter’s Crewkerne moved to \methodist Church in Crewkerne in 2006.

The Church itself was built by WJ Harris, Furnham Road Chard, in the design of Sir Frank Wills of Bristol . It is a Victorian Gothic in style, and built of local flint stone with freestone dressing. The structure is spanned by Oregon pine beams. The present nave and Choir loft are original to that design. Together with the Presbytery, built at the same time, it Cost £4,537 (£352,898.48 in todays Money 2023) of which only £919 (£71,481.97) was left to the parish as a debt, the rest being covered by a single substantial donation

Over the main door of the church is a carved statue of the Blessed Richard Whiting, the last Abbot of Glastonbury who with two of his monks, was hanged for his faith in the sixteenth century. He is one of the English Martyrs to whom the Church is dedicated.

The original sanctuary had an altar of carved oak with the tabernacle, above which was an arched window matching that behind the choir loft. In 1966, a new altar of Portland stone was installed for Mass to be said facing the people. At that time, the tabernacle was moved to the right of the sanctuary, where the original confessional had been. The Canopy over the altar was made of ash and afrormosia with brass ribs and corners. The sanctuary furniture (lecterns,sedilia and acolytes’ stools) as well the 1966 altar rail was made of oak.

The present Church grounds also contain a church hall opened in 1993 at a cost including a debt to the Diocese of Clifton of £15,00 (£357,516.85 in todays money 2023). The Hal itself is composed of two classrooms brought from Langport. It stands on the site of the old tin hut Church of the English Martyrs which was another relocated building from St Joseph’s Fishponds.

Renovation of Parish Hall

Between 2013 - 2016, extensive restoration work was carried out under the direction of Fr Basil Postlethwaite

click here to see before, during and after pictures of our Parish Hall.