St Raphael's Church, Surbiton

St Raphael's Church, Surbiton is the Roman Catholic parish church of Surbiton. It is dedicated to Saint Raphael and located on Portsmouth Road. It is Grade II* listed.[1]

St Raphael
Surbiton's Roman Catholic church of Saint Raphael
LocationPortsmouth Road, Kingston, Surrey
CountryUnited Kingdom
DenominationRoman Catholic
WebsiteSt Raphael's Church
History
Founded1846–1848
Consecrated28 September 2012 (2012-09-28)
Administration
ParishKingston
DioceseArchdiocese of Southwark
Clergy
Priest(s)Fr. Michael Lovell
Deacon(s)Dn. Peter Sebastian
Listed Building – Grade II*
Designated24 December 1968
Reference no.1080045

History

It was designed by the eminent architect Charles Parker in an Italianate style, with early Christian and Renaissance influences. The entire cost was met by Alexander Raphael, a Catholic Armenian whose family came from India. He became the first Roman Catholic to be elected Sheriff of London after the passing of the Catholic Emancipation Act in 1829. Raphael built the Church in 1846 as a family chapel and named it after St Raphael. It was completed in 1848. But soon after, in November 1850, he died. His nephew, Edward, inherited the property and opened it to the public as the first Roman Catholic church in Kingston.[2]

Through successive bequests, the Church and land became the property of Captain Hon. George Savile, brother to the Sixth Earl of Mexborough, a Yorkshire family. Lady Anne Savile, daughter of the fourth Earl, lived nearby in Thames Ditton and a plaque is to be seen inside the Church commemorating her death. Unlike many other members of the Savile family buried in the vault under the High Altar, she has no known grave.[2]

The church was sold to the Diocese of Southwark after the Second World War and is now on the Registered List of Buildings of historical and architectural interest.[2]. The church was officially consecrated on St Raphael's Day (28 September) 2012.[3]

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References
  1. Historic England. "Church of St Raphael (1080045)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  2. "Saint Raphael - Our Church and its History". Official website. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  3. "Mass of Dedication and Consecration". Official website. Retrieved 18 March 2019.

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