PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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The Roman Catholic Church of Our Most Holy Redeemer is located in Ocean Street, Keyham, Devonport The church began as a hulk named "Hotspur", later "Monmouth" which was moored in the Hamoaze to enable sailors and priests to observe Mass. As the Dockyard expanded so the hulk was moved upstream towards Saltash. It became a long way for the sailors to row so the Admiralty approached Bishop Vaughan. The Lord St Levan offered land and the Admiralty gave £500 towards the building. A Miss Ellis, who had come to Plymouth from Hayle for health reasons, gave £5,000. Bishop Graham, Coadjutor Bishop of the Plymouth Diocese, laid the foundation stone in February 1901 and he also took the first service to be held there on the morning of Sunday July 6th 1902. The Church was designed by the Reverend Canon A J C Scoles and was built of limestone, in the Gothic style, dressed with Bath stone. There were seats of pitch pine for some 550 people and an oak altar. Mr R G Jenkin erected the building at a cost of £5,000. A Presbytery was due to be ready in time for the formal opening of the Church in September 1902. It was expected to cost £1,200. The priest was the Reverend Patrick Kent, the brother of the Reverend T P Kent, the priest at the Roman Catholic Church of Saints Michael and Joseph at Devonport. Most Holy Redeemer was reduced to a burnt out shell during the night raid of April 22md-23rd 1941 and two of the classrooms on the ground floor of the school were turned in to a temporary chapel. It was rebuilt on 1954 and re-consecrated on April 10th 1957. Attached to the Church is a house for the Sisters of Charity of St Paul.
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