ST ERCONWALD'S

CATHOLIC CHURCH

WEMBLEY

HISTORY OF THE PARISH

St Erconwald

The best authority for the life of St Erconwald is St Bede's Ecclesiastical History written in the seventh century.  St Erconwald came to London as Bishop of London in 675 AD.  He held that office for 11 years.  He was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury but before taking up office died in Barking.  He was buried in the old St Paul's.  His feast day is celebrated on 24 April.

Brief History of the Parish

The parish was canonically established in 1932 when it was known as Wembley Park and served an area which had rapidly developed with the two estates of Preston Park and Barn Hill.  Before then it had been part of St Joseph's, Wembley.

The land on which the church is built had been part of South Forty Farm and was purchased by the Diocese in 1929 from G Cloke of Neasden.  Fr Andrew Arthur was appointed as the first Parish priest and celebrated the first parish Mass on 1 November 1932.

After some time it was apparent that a new church would be needed and the foundation stone laying ceremony  of the current church took place on 18 October 1969 at which Bishop Patrick Casey officiated.  The church was used for the first time in June 1970.  The church was consecrated by Cardinal Hume on 21 January 1979.

Parish Priests

Andrew Arthur

1932 - 1939

Hubert Mascarenhas

1939 - 1940

William Dillon-Doyle

1940 - 1952

Norman Fergusson

1952 - 1953

Charles Lowe

1953 - 1964

Peter Needham

1964 - 1967

Brian Connaughton

1967 - 1979

Brian Ward

1979 - 1986

Bernard Crowe

1986 - 2001

Alan Ashton

2001 - 2009

Most of this information is taken from A Short Parish History published in January 1998.

There are other St Erconwald's parishes, and the following are links to some of them:

St Erconwald's Walton-on-Thames

St Erconwald's Ilford

St John the Evangelist and St Erconwald Ingatestone

This page last updated 25th August 2009