At a local history group meeting today someone mentioned that during the 1930s one of the buildings in the grounds of Milestone Cottage, London Road, Wickford, may have been used as a Catholic Church. Is there any truth in this?
Is there a reason St Peter’s Crescent, Wickford, was so named? Was there a church in that area before the relatively modern Catholic Church was built?
Wickford's Catholic Churches
Information requested
Milestone Cottage
Jo Cullen
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Milestone Cottage, London Road. Re Catholic Church in Milestones garden. I lived in Milestone Cottages from 1937 to 1947 and knew the owners before us. Before the church was built Catholic services took place in a room in Milestone. It was Father Loveday who took the services,mass etc) right up to the time the church closed. He used to cycle from his home in Wickford to do this. I attended the church right up to the closing of the church in 1951. I understand the church was destroyed by fire. Does anyone know when and how this came about?
There is a small book of Wickford with photos which we have somewhere. This shows a photo of our large tree and part of the Catholic meeting house in the garden. The step is still in the garden that went up to this meeting house. I’m still desperately trying to get info on the house Milestone Cottage, London Road, Wickford.
In the early 1950s the Catholic priest was Father Carhill, my spelling of his name is likely to be wrong, it may have been spelt Cahill. He had an Irish accent. As far as I can remember he was behind the building of the RC church on London Road.
Denyse Anne Hale answered this request for information on Basildon Heritage’s facebook page.
“This is my house. The Catholic meeting house was on the opposite side of the garden to the house. It was made with a corrugated metal roof and burnt down in the 1950s.
The men’s meeting night was on a Thursday. There is apparently a ghost of a nun that walks down the steps and crosses the road. I am not sure when the church opened and closed as we moved here in 1994. I have been trying to get information on this house since we moved here without success. It’s very strange as people seem to know little bits and pieces but when pushed for more information no-one wants to help. We used to have a milestone outside the house but it was stolen as it was one of the old metal ones. If anyone has any more information on the house called Milestone Cottage I would love to hear it. Thanks, Denyse.”
I think St. Peter’s Terrace was named after the farmhouse, (which is now the Co-op). The house was called St. Peter’s.
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