Church of Our Lady and St Peter, Leatherhead

The Church of Our Lady and St Peter stands in Leatherhead, Surrey, between Copthorne Road and Garlands Road at the junction with St John’s Avenue. It is the only Catholic church in the town and belongs to the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton. The building began as a local chapel during the First World War and later became a parish church. Its foundation stone was laid in July 1922 after land was purchased for the purpose. The architect was Joseph Goldie, whose father and grandfather were also noted church architects. The church is worth the journey for its early 20th-century origins and the figures behind its creation. The mission started in 1915 when Fr Lippens began Catholic worship in Leatherhead. Fr Bernard Kelly followed and named the mission St Peter, renting rooms for a chapel. Sir Edward Hulton, a local businessman, helped finance the new church after the war. The disagreement between Sir Edward and Bishop Peter Amigo led to the joint dedication to Our Lady and St Peter. The architect Joseph Goldie designed the building, continuing a family tradition of church architecture. Inside, visitors find stained glass windows by Paul Woodroffe and Stations of the Cross by Eric Gill, similar to his work at Westminster Cathedral. The baptismal font was made by John Skelton, Gill’s nephew, in 1928. The church has three Sunday Masses and Sunday Vespers with Benediction at 4 pm. It maintains close ties with St Andrew’s Catholic School and St Peter’s Primary School in the parish.