A short record of the origin and progress of the Catholic Church, Bournemouth, will not prove uninteresting to the mass of our fellow townsmen. To the Catholic portion, no doubt, the interest will be mainly one of a religious kind. Yet even for those who do not share our beliefs the subject may still have its attractions, inasmuch as the history of the Catholic Mission will be found closely interwoven with that of the rapid development of our winter resort itself.

The story, then, as far as could be discovered by long and careful search, and wide-spread inquiry runs as follows.

Till the winter 1861- 62 there was no such thing as a Catholic place of worship in the immediate vicinity - indeed, there was little demand for one, since, at that date, there was as far as can be ascertained but one known Catholic in the place, Mr. Maurice O'Connell, a venerable octogenarian still residing in Bournemouth.

He came to Bournemouth in 1860 to act as a staff drill-sergeant to the 4th Hants Volunteers, at the beginning of that Volunteer movement which has produced such magnificent results in connection with the present South African war. At that time this was little more than a large fishing village of some five thousand to six thousand souls, as against our present population of some fifty to sixty thousand.

In those early days the nearest Catholic mission was St. Mary's, Poole, Dorset, established as far back as 1839 for the Christchurch mission was only started in 1866. The first opportunity granted to Catholics of worshiping in Bournemouth occurred in the winter 1861 - 62, when Mrs. Washington Hibbert, of Dover street, London, took up a temporary residence at the Belle Vue Hotel, and there formed a private oratory, to which any stray fellow Catholics who happened to come into the neighborhood, were admitted.

Thenceforward - that is until the winter 1868 - 69 - Catholics were largely dependent for the aids of their religion upon the hospitality of members of their nobility and gentry who chanced to select Bournemouth for their winter abode.

Thus, for two successive winters (1863-61, 64-65) the late Lady Catherine Petre continued the Catholic Oratory in the Belle Vue Assembly Rooms, and during the first of these winters Mr. Thomas Long, then a youth, was the sole known Catholic resident - the above mentioned M. O'Connell having, for the time, left the neighborhood.

Again the late Thomas Weld Blundell, Esq. of Ince, kept a private oratory and domestic chaplain at Walton House, Richmond Hill, during the winter 1865 - 66, and the late Lord Edward Fitzalan Howard (of Glossop) did the same: at 'Brunstath, on the East Cliff, for the winter 1866-67.

This run of spiritual good fortune ceased in the winter 1867-68; but, as part compensation, an Irish gentleman visitor and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Harnett, co. Kerry, then provided a Sunday bus at their own expense for conveying their fellow Catholics to St. Mary's, Poole, their usual resource in other seasons of the year.

There are still members of the congregation who recollect hearing a Church notice announced on Sundays at the Poole Church to the effect that " Each Sunday, till further notice, a 'bus will start from the Square, Bournemouth, for this church, at 9.30 a.m."

It was not until the autumn of 1869 that any permanent provision was made for the religious needs of Bournemouth Catholics. In October of that year two Fathers of the Society of Jesus, Revs. Jas. Brownbill and Jas. Eccles, the latter previously rector of Beaumont College, Old Windsor, came down from Farm street, London, and settled at Astney Lodge, St. Stephen's road, which became the first public chapel and presbytery.

Thence the mission was shortly transferred to its present site, purchased from the late Dr. Falls, whose house had, in 1868, been burnt down on that spot. Father Maurice Mann, S.J., was assisted in finding a site by Lady Herbert of Lea, and by Mr O. O'Connell, previously mentioned.

He became tile first priest in charge of the small wooden chapel erected on Richmond Hill in 1870, to which the first of the Windsor Cottages - demolished in 1896 to make room for the new building - served as a Presbytery. He was much beloved by his parishioners for his amiability, child-like simplicity of heart, and religious earnestness.

His death occurred at Stonyhurst College, near Blackburn, February 7th 1877, after he had in the interval, left Bournemouth and filled a responsible office at Mount St. Mary's College near Chesterfield.

The Old Oratory of the Sacred Heart, now replaced by the New Church, was begun by Father A. Dignam, S.J., and the previous wooden chapel, built under Father Mann was abandoned for the nave of the Oratory in the summer of 1873; - apparently without any solemn opening ceremony.

The right-hand portion of the Oratory, or "south side" abutting on Richmond Hill, and consisting of two lateral aisles at right angles to the nave - did not form part of Mr. Henry Clutton's original plan. in fact, a small tower, intended to complete the Orator' building, had actually been started at the south-west corner of the nave near to the present Albert Road entrance.



But it had already become so evident that Catholics were on the increase, that the tower was speedily counter-ordered, and the aisles and present belfry immediately put in hand. The entire Oratory was solemnly opened, under Father James Bateman, by Dr. Dannell, Bishop of Southwark, Feb. 5th, 1875, the preachers on that occasion being Fathers Peter Gallwey and James Clare, S.J. So matters stood till 1885.

By that time the still larger growth of Catholicity in the town made the building of a practically new Church, With double the old accommodation, an absolute need. The need still remained in spite of a beautiful new church being opened at Boscombe, Sept. 8th, 1896, mainly through the magnificence of the Baroness Pauline de Hugel, and under the care of Father C. de Lapasture, S. J. (pictured left)