Founded in 1901 from the Mother Church

of St Michael's Esh Laude:

The first church to be built in 1901 was a tin building which had

previously served as a chapel at St Nicholas Asylum, Gosforth,

near Newcastle upon Tyne. The tin church served the parish well

for twenty five years, and in 1926 was replaced by the present

building at a cost of £4,500.

The church was built to the design of a German architect, Theo Korner,

and is of a typical Bavarian architectural style, and was consecrted and

opened on November 3rd 1926 by Bishop Joseph Thorman, Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle.

It is a lovely little church, and when one enters the building it is not difficult

to notice the sanctuary which is built of Italian marble which came from the

unlikely source of the Regent Hotel, The Strand, London.

The marble was purchased and presented to the church by Mr Piercy-Taylor-Smith

of Colepike Hall who was a descendant of the Taylor family who owned

land in the area during the sixxteenth century.

Next to the church a convent was built, along with the present school which

was opened in 1905 by the Bishop. The four nuns living at the convent ,

became teachers at the school, and when the convent closed the nuns

were transfered back to the mother convent at Esh Laude.

The Chuch has been well served over the last 100 years not only by it's

parishioners but by several dedicated Parrish Priests including Fr William V Smith,

who was noted for being one of the finest Catholic historians of his day,

Fr Vincent Mallaley who served the parish for over 25 years,

and our present priest, Canon Robert Spence.