Our Lady of Sorrows, Peckham
| Our Lady of Sorrows, Peckham | |
|---|---|
 | |
| OS grid reference | TQ3438477425 |
| Location | Peckham, Greater London |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Tradition | Latin Rite |
| Website | catholicpeckham |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | Our Lady of Seven Delours[1] |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architect(s) | E. W. Pugin[1] |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Completed | 1866[1] |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Southwark |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Designated | 27 September 1972[2] |
| Reference no. | 1376588[2] |
Our Lady of Sorrows, Peckham is a Roman Catholic church and parish in Peckham, London. The church, which has an adjacent friary, was founded by the Capuchin Friars in 1859 and is a Grade II listed building. Since 2022 it has been the UK home of the Norbertine canons.
History
The church was founded in 1856 after the then Bishop of Southwark, Bishop Grant, invited the Capuchins to found a friary. Initially they set up a small school, and modified a stable to form a chapel.[3] The stable was replaced by a wooden structure and architect E. W. Pugin was invited to design a permanent church. The foundation stone is dated 1859, but due to lack of funds the church did not open until 1866. The adjacent friary opened in 1884 and the now derelict parish hall opened in 1937. The associated school was rebuilt in the 1880s after a fire, and was replaced with new buildings in the 1970s.[1]
The Capuchin Friars remained in Peckham until 2000[4] when the church and parish was returned to the Archdiocese of Southwark.[1] In 2014 the archdiocese invited the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians) from Nigeria[5] to run the parish and in 2022 they were replaced by the Canons Regular of Prémontré, who were previously in Chelmsford.[6] The Norbertine Priory of Our Lady of Sorrows, Peckham was formally invested by the Archbishop of Southwark, John Wilson, on 29 September 2022.[5]
Building
The church was built in a gothic architectural style made out of London stock brick with a pitched slate roof.[2] It has a large rose window at the east end with smaller rose windows in the aisles. There are two side chapels next to the sanctuary; one dedicated to St Francis with stained glass by Mayer of Munich, and one a lady chapel. Pugin's high altar is in situ, with a second forward altar allowing mass to be performed with the priest facing the congregation (versus populum).[1]
There is a chapel at the west end dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows which contains a copy of Michelangelo’s Pieta. This has marble tiling and slate panels listing the dead of the community. There is also a western gallery housing the organ.[1]
The church was made a grade II listed building on 27 September 1972, under the previous name Our Lady of Seven Delours.[2] It is on the Heritage at Risk Register due to problems with the roof tiles and the derelict church hall.[7]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Peckham - Our Lady of Sorrows". Taking Stock. Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
- ^ a b c d "CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF SEVEN DOLOURS, Non Civil Parish - 1376588 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
- ^ "New Capuchin Fellow at Durham University". Capuchin Franciscans of Great Britain. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
- ^ "The last Franciscans of Peckham call it a day". The Independent. 21 March 1999. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
- ^ a b Wilson, John (30 September 2022). "Mass for the Inauguration of the Norbertine Priory of Our Lady of Sorrows, Peckham, and the Induction of the New Parish Priest, Feast of the Archangels, 29 September 2022". The Hope Within You. Archbishop John Wilson. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
- ^ "About The Parish". Catholic Peckham. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
- ^ "Church of Our Lady of Seven Dolours, Bird in Bush Road, South Bermondsey SE15 - Southwark | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 17 August 2025.