London Oratory, London
Jake Davies
The Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a Catholic church in London also known as the Brompton Oratory, and is associated with the London Oratory, a community of secular priests who live next door to the church in Oratory House.
The church was designed by Herbert Gribble who was only 29 at the time. The foundation stone was laid in 1880 and the church was consecrated in 1884. It was the biggest Catholic church in London until the opening of Westminster Cathedral.
Architecture
The original brief was for a building in Italian Renaissance style but Roman Baroque and the work of Christopher Wren also influenced the design.
The exterior is faced in Portland stone, but the vaulting and domes were constructed out of concrete. The interior is suitably ornamental with exotic marbles used for the altar and Devon marble used for columns and pilasters.
There is plenty of carvings in metal, wood, plaster, and stone. Some of the decorations for the altar and chapels was brought from Italian churches and cathedrals, and programs of adding decoration have taken place several times. The church houses a 17th century Italian Baroque sculpture, The Twelve Apostles by Giuseppe Mazzuoli.
Choirs
The Oratory is known for its three choirs, the senior one, the Choir of the London Oratory, being the top ranked professional Catholic choir in England and internationally known for its Roman Catholic choral music.
They sing at Mass and vespers every Sunday and for major feast days.
The Junior Choir which consists of boys and girls from all over London aged between 8 and 16 performed on the soundtrack to two of the Harry Potter movies, and along with the Schola (which is all boys aged from 7 up) can also be heard regularly in the Oratory.
Oratorians are the Congregation of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri. Filippo Romolo Neri (1515-1595) was known as the Second Apostle of Rome.
The London Oratory was founded in 1849 after John Henry Cardinal Newman founded the Birmingham Oratory then sent Frederick Faber and Thomas Francis Knox to London.
Access - Getting There
Brompton Rd, Knightsbridge
London SW7 2RP
Tel: 020 7808 0900
www: bromptonoratory.co.uk (For details of mass and other services)
Free entry from 6.30 am to 6.30 pm.
The London Oratory is located in the museum district of South Kensington close to the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Natural History Museum. It offers a welcome respite from the crowds of those establishments.
The nearest tube stations are South Kensington (Piccadilly, District and Circle Lines) and Knightsbridge (Piccadilly Line).
By bus the nearest stop is Victoria and Albert Museum for buses 14, 414, 74 and C1.
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