Sacred Heart Church

Sacred Heart Church stands on Edge Hill in Wimbledon, South West London. It is a Catholic parish church run first by the Jesuits and now by the Archdiocese of Southwark. The Grade II* listed building sits beside Wimbledon College and Donhead Preparatory School. Its main entrance opens onto Edge Hill Road, with a second access from Darlaston Road. The church was designed by Frederick Walters in late Decorated Gothic style. Edith Arendrup, a member of the Courtauld family, founded the church in 1877. She persuaded the Jesuits at Roehampton to begin Mass in her Cottenham Park home before commissioning the present church. The church is worth the journey for its long history and generous patrons. Edith Arendrup laid the foundation for the parish and funded its construction. Caroline Currie, a wealthy widow, paid for the north aisle, St Ignatius chapel and the baptistery. The church’s interior was re-ordered in 1990 with a new high altar and bronze reliquary. Relics of Saints Thomas More and Edmund Campion rest beneath the altar. The tiled floor was designed by Austin Winkley. After more than 130 years, the Jesuits handed the parish to the Archdiocese of Southwark in 2014. Inside, visitors find a spacious nave opened in 1887. The sanctuary and south aisle were completed in 1895, followed by back chapels in 1896. The north aisle and sacristy were added in 1898, with the west front finished in 1901. A monument on the south wall honours Edith Arendrup. The St Ignatius chapel contains a medallion of Caroline Currie. The church halls were refurbished in 2007 and 2008, with improved access and a new youth room. Jesuit Missions, a charity on the same street, continues its work after the Jesuits left the parish.