ST ERCONWALD'S
CATHOLIC CHURCH
WEMBLEY
HISTORY OF THE PARISH
St Erconwald
The best authority for the life of St Erconwald is St Bede's Ecclesiastical History written in the seventh century. St Erconwald came to London as Bishop of London in 675 AD. He held that office for 11 years. He was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury but before taking up office died in Barking. He was buried in the old St Paul's. His feast day is celebrated on 24 April.
Brief History of the Parish
The parish was canonically established in 1932 when it was known as Wembley Park and served an area which had rapidly developed with the two estates of Preston Park and Barn Hill. Before then it had been part of St Joseph's, Wembley.
The land on which the church is built had been part of South Forty Farm and was purchased by the Diocese in 1929 from G Cloke of Neasden. Fr Andrew Arthur was appointed as the first Parish priest and celebrated the first parish Mass on 1 November 1932.
After some time it was apparent that a new church would be needed and the foundation stone laying ceremony of the current church took place on 18 October 1969 at which Bishop Patrick Casey officiated. The church was used for the first time in June 1970. The church was consecrated by Cardinal Hume on 21 January 1979.
Parish Priests
Andrew Arthur
1932 -
Hubert Mascarenhas
1939 -
William Dillon-
1940 -
Norman Fergusson
1952 -
Charles Lowe
1953 -
Peter Needham
1964 -
Brian Connaughton
1967 -
Brian Ward
1979 -
Bernard Crowe
1986 -
Alan Ashton
2001 -
Most of this information is taken from A Short Parish History published in January 1998.
There are other St Erconwald's parishes, and the following are links to some of them:
This page last updated 25th August 2009
