St George's Roman Catholic Church, Taunton

St George’s Roman Catholic Church stands in Taunton, Somerset, a town church built in the mid-19th century. It replaced a smaller chapel and was the second Catholic church in Taunton after the Reformation. The main building is listed Grade II* and the rectory Grade II by Historic England. Gothic Revival in style, it resembles the Somerset towers though with softer detailing. A tower was planned but never finished, leaving the entrance through the tower base on Billet Street. The church was opened in 1860 and consecrated in 1912 after decades of work. The church’s growth reflects Taunton’s 19th-century Catholic revival. Funds were raised by Rev John Mitchell and land donated by the Franciscan Convent. In 1860 Bishop William Vaughan led the opening Mass with three bishops preaching. A school opened in 1870 and the rectory soon after. Work on the tower continued until a builder fell in 1876. A memorial window was added in 1928 for Canon James O’Shaughnessy, rector from 1911 to 1927. Inside, the nave has a clerestory and Decorated Gothic windows. The chancel is flanked by two side chapels at the ends of the aisles. The attached rectory is a two-storey white-brick building in late medieval style, with a steep patterned slate roof. The church remains one of Taunton’s two Catholic parishes, serving a congregation that numbered around five thousand by 2010.