St. Bartholomew's Polyphony Choir

St. Bartholomew's Catholic Church, 159 Ellison Road, Streatham, London SW16 5DE

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St Bartholomew's Catholic Church

Our church has been in existence since the beginning of the 20th century. It was built with money from Miss Frances Ellis, and her sister. They bought the land from the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway Company, and the church opened in 1908.

Frances Elizabeth Ellis was born into a wealthy family at Brighton in 1846 and raised as an Anglican. She was left a considerable fortune by her father, and devoted much of her adult life to caring for her blind mother and infirm sister. She seems to have been drawn to the Catholic faith while staying at Ramsgate in Kent. It is said that she was particularly impressed by the piety of a Mr. Leahy, whom she observed walking to Mass at St. Augustine’s abbey every day and in all weather. However that may be, Mr. Leahy does seem to have been instrumental in introducing her to prominent members of the Southwark clergy, including Canon St. John, who was closely involved in fund-raising.

During the 1890’s, Miss Ellis began to buy sites and give money to found new churches in the Southwark diocese. Although few records remain, her method seems to have been to find a core group of the faithful in a “frontier” area, and then to work with them and with the diocese to establish a new church. Miss Ellis herself generally bought the sites, as well as giving generously to the construction. The prospective parishioners also contributed, as did the diocese. Financial provision was made in every case for a presbytery, but never for a school.

Miss Ellis was instrumental in setting up at least twenty-one new churches in South London. They were:

St. Benet’s, Abbey Wood: St. Gertrude’s, South Bermondsey: Our Lady of the Rosary, Brixton: St. Helen’s, Robsart Street, Brixton (since merged with Corpus Christi, Brixton): Holy Cross, Carshalton: Holy Cross, Catford: Our Lady of Grace, Charlton: St. Vincent de Paul, Clapham Common: St. Bede’s, Clapham Park (Miss Ellis lived next door in the house that is now the presbytery): St. Gregory’s, Earlsfield (since replaced): St. William of York, Forest Hill: Ss. Philip and James, Herne Hill: St. Wilfred’s, Kennington Park: St. Bartholomew’s, Streatham/Norbury: St. Matthews, West Norwood: St. Thomas the Apostle, Nunhead: St. James the Great, Peckham Rye: St. Francis de Sales & St. Gertrude, Stockwell: Ss. Simon & Jude, Streatham Hill: Our Lady of the Assumption, Links Road, Tooting (since replaced): St. Boniface, Tooting

These churches started life as missions rather than parishes, underlining the precarious — and hopeful — circumstances of their foundation. Miss Ellis particularly favoured a Romanesque style with a single large rose window, but as money was short, they were mostly without ornament. Usually, Miss Ellis insisted on employing an architect whose normal line of work was designing railway sheds, and this utilitarian approach is in evidence at Norbury and a number of other churches in Southwark. As in all the Ellis foundations there was to be a monthly Mass for the Holy Souls, something that continues to this day at St. Bartholomew’s as the monthly 'Ellis Mass for the dead’ in their memory. Miss Ellis died at The Daughters of the Cross Home at Hayle which she had been instrumental in having built in 1930.

As with most of the Ellis churches, the original church of St. Bartholomew’s was very small, consisting of the main high altar, what is now the front portion of the nave (only as far back as the first pair of pillars), and the two corresponding side chapels, together with a small presbytery attached to the church at the east end.

Until 1918, when Fr. William Taunton took up residence, the church was served from English Martyrs, Streatham. St Bartholomew's was officially made a parish in 1920 and then included the church that is now St. Michael's, Pollards Hill.

Originally St. Michael's was a Mass Centre served from St. Bartholomew's - it became a semi-independent parish in 1964. The first resident of the new presbytery (see pictures) built at St. Michael's with the generosity of the parishioners of St. Bartholomew's, was Fr. Kenneth Palmer who was appointed as 'Priest-in-Charge', the responsibility for the administration of the parish being transferred to Fr. Terence Donovan (d. 1983), Parish Priest at Ss. Peter & Paul, Mitcham. The first to be inducted as Parish Priest at St. Michael's was Fr. William Gallagher in 1982, and it was only then that St. Michael's became a completely independent Parish.

There have been a huge number of developments and changes at St. Bartholomew's carried out by the many priests and people who have been part of our parish. The Church was first extended in 1929, back to the extant west end with a small choir loft added, when Fr. Alexander Trew was parish priest (1926-1938). While Fr. Carolin was parish priest (1963-1993) a much larger choir Gallery (1966) was built, and the Retro-Chapel and Sacristy (1967) were added.

Also dating from this time are the Organ (1972), the Rose Window and other stained glass (the Last Supper in the north transept, the Nativity in the south transept, the four Evangelists above the gallery, the scenes from the life of St. Bartholomew in the porch, among others), the revised side altars and the Repository. In 1996, while Fr. Michael Jones was parish priest (1993-2004) the Main Sanctuary was re-ordered: the new Altar, Chairs, Lectern and Baptismal Font were installed, as were the Reconciliation Room, Sacred Heart Shrine and the new Meeting Room. The original Sacristy became a parish library. Over the years the Priests' House has also undergone considerable extension and alteration (see pictures).

The Parish Centre used every evening by the various parish groups was once both a laundry and a non-drip measure factory. Fr. Charles Byrne (1944-1945) bought this building and Fr. Basil Miller (1945-1963) converted it into a Parish Centre. It first opened its doors in 1959. During the early 1970's work was started in the Upper Hall and in 1976 a Parish Social Club was opened. The Hall had a complete refurbishment in 2003 under the guidance of Fr. Michael Jones (1993-2004). The Parish Social Club closed prior to this, but new modern bar facilities for private functions were built into the refurbishment, as was a lift between the two floors.

In 2004 the parishioners raised over £15,000 as a result of Fr. Michael's encouragement to ensure the Organ received a significant enlargement and refurbishment to ensure its continued service into the decades ahead. The works were carried out in 2005.

Over the past years priests and people here have worked hard to build up the parish as a community of faith. The parishioners have been very generous in raising money for the various building works the parish has undertaken and St. Bartholomew's has a reputation for being generous to other parishes, and in supporting new parishes. We are also twinned with two Catholic parishes abroad, one in Oranienburg in eastern Germany and the other in Loyoro in northern Uganda.

At St. Bartholomew's we are fortunate to have a large congregation, many of whom play an active part in the life of the church. There are many organisations and groups in the parish as well as many ways of taking an active part in the Liturgy.

Acknowledgements:

A History of the Archdiocese of Southwark by Father Michael Clifton
The Saint Austin Press 2000 ISBN 1 9011157 12 1
St. Bartholomew’s - Welcome Booklet