Part 3
BRIDGWATER'S
CATHOLIC PAST
by
Wilf Drum
In 1953 the Communist countries were still annexing other lands and persecuting Christians under their control. Russia was changing East Germany into a police state whilst China, having failed to take Korea, annexed North Vietnam. The visit to Britain of the Yugoslavian Premier brought protests because of his cruel administration and 300 parishioners of St Joseph's Bridgwater signed a petition, which was passed to their local Member of Parliament. About the same time the parishioners sent a protest to the President of Poland condemning the persecution of Catholics in that country. Prayers were offered before the Blessed Sacrament on Holy Thursday and the Feast of Christ the King for the relief of Catholics under Communist rule.
There was a growing spirit of friendship and cooperation between parishioners of St Joseph's and much of this was due to the Sisters of Holy Rosary. Sister Mary Carmillus arranged school concerts in the Town Hall and entered a school choir in the Highbridge Music Festival and these events helped to bring parents closer together. The Children of Mary produced several religious plays some of which were staged at the Arts Centre Castle Street, and one of the leaders in this work was Mrs Tucker. For many years Mrs Tucker took charge of the repository stall and she also taught at St Joseph's School.
The social events were useful in raising money for the parish, which was under great financial strain due to the upkeep of the school. During 1953 the income from offertory collections was £1,033; the expenses of the school alone were £614 and in addition the parish had to contribute £400 each year to the diocesan school development fund. Ordinary running costs of the parish were therefore dependent on parochial efforts and private donations and fortunately that year a legacy of £200 was received. Each Wednesday evening prayers were offered at the Perpetual Novena of the Miraculous Medal for an improvement in the situation.
During 1954, declared as "Marian Year" by Pope Pius XII, Bishop Grimshaw was appointed Archbishop of Birmingham and in the Archbishop's home parish Father Jeremia O'Brien became Father Ryan's fourth curate. The parish priest and his new curate became close friends and their spirit of comradeship and missionary zeal was reflected in the parishioners. Almost immediately the townspeople of Bridgwater were made aware of this new zeal amongst the Catholic members of the community. A series advertisements appeared for several weeks in the Bridgwater Mercury telling readers where to apply for explanatory leaflets about the Catholic Faith. Half the cost of the advertisement was paid for by the K.S.C. Weekly talks were given for non-Catholics in the parish room and special convert classes were held at the presbytery and Holy Rosary Convent. These arrangements continued for several years and many converts were received into the Church as a result. The manager of the Rex Cinema in Eastover was persuaded to screen the film "The Miracle of Fatima" and it attracted large audiences. Some time later, as the effects of television took its toll of the cinemas, the Rex was pulled down and now the Wimpey Bar and adjoining shops stand on the site.
The Parish Room was being used as an extra classroom to accommodate the children attending St Joseph's school and the upstairs rooms were used for school meals. Eventually accommodation became so difficult that a room in Unity House, Dampiet Street, and at the YMCA building at the corner of Salmon Parade had to be hired as additional classrooms. Difficulty was also being experienced in accommodating the congregation in the church for Mass and this was overcome by converting the Parish Room to act as an overflow building. The wall adjoining the church was knocked out and replaced with sliding doors whilst two large windows were fitted in the back wall of the church. Microphones and loudspeaker were installed by Mr D. Cooke so that the congregation in the Parish Room could hear as well as see the priest at the altar in church. Whist drives continued to be held in the Parish Room but the weekly socials were then held at the Co-op Hall in West Quay. About this time the parish football pool was introduced with a 6d charge for tickets.
In January 1955 a fourth Mass was introduced on Sundays at 6.30p.m. This was possible because Pope Pius XII had recently changed the laws of fasting before Holy Communion to 3 hours instead of the fast from midnight. Since then the fast has been reduced to one hour. That year a new monstrance was purchased by the parishioners at a cost of £167 and it is still used for Exposition in St Joseph's Church. Meanwhile, thanks to Father O'Brien and the Holy Rosary Sisters, particularly Sister Mary Assumpta, the Legion of Mary was so strong in the parish that there were three Praesidia. Sister Mary Assumpta had also taken over the duty of training the choir and playing the organ.
The special efforts for the school fund were increasing and the social committee began to book the Town Hall for dances on St Patrick's night and St George's night. The Sydenham Estate parishioners ran socials at the old Sydenham Community Centre and the Children of Mary organised "Bring and Buy" sales.
By 1956 the population of Bridgwater had risen to 23,700 and that year the Good Friday service at Holy Rosary Convent was introduced. After many offerings of public prayers for success in the negotiations, Father Ryan was able to announce that he had purchased land at Park Avenue close to the Girls Grammar School for the building of a Catholic primary school. There were so many other calls on the diocesan fund at the time that money to start building could not be obtained from that source.
Abroad that year Britain and France took up arms against Egypt when that country annexed the Suez Canal and attacked Israel but the whole world condemned their action. Whilst this was taking place the Hungarian people rose in revolt against their Communist leaders and Russia sent in tanks and artillery to quell them but there was little or no official condemnation of Russia by other world powers. This apathy towards Communist aggression was demonstrated a few weeks later in Bridgwater when Mr Douglas Hyde, former editor of the Daily Worker who had renounced Communism to become a. Catholic, visited the Town Hall and a mere handful of people turned up to listen to him.
In March 1957 the Parish of St Joseph rejoiced at the news of the ordination in India of Robert Tarlington, son of Mrs Tarlington of Victoria Road. Mrs Tarlington was an outstanding member of the parish and an active worker with the Children of Mary and the Catholic Women's League.
About that time the first public Holy Week display in Bridgwater was erected in a shop window in King Street. This was carried out by the K.S.C. and Sisters of the Holy Rosary. The Knights were becoming a great asset to the parish and they completely redecorated the inside of the church. They and the Catholic Women's League provided most of the members of the parish social committee which Father Ryan had organised. So successful were the efforts of this committee that the parish income for 1957 increased to £4,844 but out of this nearly £2,000 had to be paid for upkeep at the parish school and contribution to the diocesan school fund.
By 1958 work had started a the widening of the old road from Cannington out to Hinkley Point in readiness for the erection of the atomic power station workmen flocked into Bridgwater at weekends for their entertainment and four parish dances held at the Town Hall each made a profit of approximately £50. The ladies who assisted with refreshments were mostly members at the C.W.L., whose president at the time was Mrs Barrington. The regular helpers included Mesdames Walter, Edwards, Green, Stagg, Tarlington, Hunt, also Misses C. Hunt and J. Stevens. Men who regularly acted as doorkeepers and stewards included Messrs R. Cudbill, T. Day, W. Drum, R. Friend, J. Letherby, P. Rainey, J. Sellick, S. Walsh, D. Welsh, B. White, and T. Winter.
House building in Bridgwater was continuing on the Sydenham and Rhode Lane estates, Westonzoyland Road and in the Willoughby Road and Alfoxton Road areas. There were so many Catholic children of school age that it became necessary for St Joseph's school to become primary only and all those over the age of eleven had to leave for other schools. An attempt by Father Ryan to borrow a loan privately to build the new school was unsuccessful.
In March 1958 Father Ryan was transferred to Bedminster and, as a farewell gift the parishioners presented him with a chalice and purse of £60 at a social gathering in the Co-operative Hall. Father Ryan left St Joseph's Bridgwater with every parish organisation enjoying record membership and working together enthusiastically for the benefit of the Church.
Plans For Expansion
The next parish priest at St Joseph's, Bridgwater was Father T.J. Morrissey (1958-1963). He arrived on March 23rd 1958, six days before the opening of Blake Bridge and the section of Broadway from Monmouth Street to Taunton Road.
Coming from a new church and presbytery, which he had built at Salisbury, Father Morrissey found the parish property at Bridgwater a drab contrast. A firm of decorators was engaged to redecorate the hall, staircase and several rooms in the presbytery whilst members of the. K.S.C. painted the woodwork and guttering outside the church. Mr J. Letherby refurbished the oak entrance door to the church porch to give it a rich appearance. Father Morrissey then had the floorboards of the parish room removed and a concrete floor laid. He took on the job of surfacing the floor with plastic tiles himself and received assistance from Messrs James and Joseph Dunbar, Bernard White and Master David White. A temporary second confessional was erected at the back of the church and used for a short time until later Mr R. Cudbill converted the space at the bottom of the choir steps for use as a confessional.
With the help of Holy Rosary Sisters Father Morrissey encouraged the Guild of St Agnes for young ladies of the parish. The novena to the Miraculous Medal on Wednesday evenings was replaced by the novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and a large statue of Our Lady was moved to a plinth on the north wall of the church to make a position for the shrine to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour.
All the above changes were made within seven months of Father Morrissey's arrival and during that time the Church got a new pope. On March 29th 1958 Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament was held in almost every Catholic church throughout the world to celebrate the election Pope John XXIII. This pope by his humility and kindness brought Christians of many denominations into closer communion with Catholics. During the four years of his reign he launched the Second Vatican Council, which brought many reforms in the ritual of the Church..
On December 15th 1958 a temporary Catholic chapel was opened at Hinkley Point by Bishop Rudderham for workers erecting the power station there. At first the chapel was served by the priests from St Joseph's but later a resident chaplain was appointed and the Mass centre continued in existence for several years.
Meanwhile with the continuing of council house building at Sydenham Estate and private house building at Bridge Estate, the number of Catholics on that side of the town was increasing. Father Morrissey was keen to build another church on the site at Fairfax Road reserved for the purpose by the borough Council six years earlier. The new church fund started by Father Ryan stood at only £1,258 and to speed up the growth Father Morrissey introduced a weekly house to house collection from Catholics of the Sydenham Estate. For some time the church project seemed to take priority over the new school plan and the fund grew rapidly. During 1959 the site at Fairfax Road was purchased for the sum of £100.l6.0. leaving £1,121 in the fund. The estimated cost of the new church at that time was £15,000 but the bishop refused permission to borrow £14,000 for a church when the new school was so urgently needed. The bishop insisted that building of the church should not commence until £10,000 was in the building fund. A request by Father Morrissey to the borough council for permission to erect a temporary building for use as a Mass centre and social hall was refused.
About that time, on October 18th 1959, Father O'Brien after five years as curate was transferred from St Joseph's parish. Throughout those five years he had worked closely with the Sisters particularly in the Legion of Mary activities and as a parting gift he presented Holy Rosary Convent with a statue of Our Lady of the Universe. The statue was erected in the centre at the lawns fronting the convent by Messrs R. Cudbill, J.Deolan, W. Drum, J. Letherby and B. Wills and as the statue was raised on to the plinth the whole community came outside to cheer. Father O'Brien was presented with a cheque for £54 by parishioners at a gathering in the Co-operative Hall and the presentation was preceded by the showing of local interest films taken by Father Morrissey.
The new curate, Father F. Daly, arrived just before the Silver Jubilee celebrations of Mother Mary Patrick and Sister Mary Assumpta of Holy Rosary who were both presented with a spiritual bouquet by Mr J. Nation on behalf of all parish organisations.
Shortly after this, during a two week mission, Mrs C. Cuzner of Wembdon, who was then over eighty years of age, attended St Joseph's church every evening and attended Mass every morning except one when she could not leave her house because a heavy rainstorm flooded the district.
The game of bingo had by then become a national a craze and a profitable proposition for those who organised it. Father Daly persuaded Mr and Mrs Rainey to promote the game for church funds in the Parish Room and in the British Legion, Castle Street. During one particular period over several months they realised a profit of £55 per month. Amongst those who helped with the bingo were Messrs Palmer, J. Letherby, T. Winter, B. Wills and
R. Sperring whilst the C.W.L. members provided refreshments.
At Christmas that year when the K.S.C. erected three public cribs in the town Mr R. Cudbill made a new crib for the church. The crib, which fits on St Joseph's altar, has been used each Christmas up to the time of writing.
Building of St Joseph's School At Park Avenue
During the year 1960 the leader of the Church of England visited the Pope for the first time in history when Dr Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury, travelled to Rome for an audience with Pope John XXIII. The visit was a private one and there was no official reception for the Archbishop but his charitable and courageous act won him great admiration from most Catholics in this country.
Bigotry between lay people of the two denominations was rapidly declining and in Bridgwater more non-Catholics were attending Catholic social functions than ever before. In the Town Hall dances organised by St Joseph's social committee were packed and stewards had difficulty in controlling the crowds trying to gain admittance. The dance on St Valentine's night made a profit of £84 at 4/- admission charge. The youth club, under the control of Mr B. Russ, raised £25 at a dance in Dr Morgan's School and they also entertained a party of young visitors from La Ciotat at a social evening in the Co-op Hall.
Meanwhile, as preparations were going ahead for development of Bridgwater as we know it today, the Borough looked as though it had suffered from air attack. Cottages in West Street and Albert Street were being demolished, several shops in Eastover and St John Street were being re-built and gardens of houses on both sides of Monmouth Street were being removed to make the dual carriageway. The borough council purchased a 30 acre site at Colley Lane which is now industrially developed.
Changes were also being made to property of St Joseph's parish by the members of the K.S.G. under their Grand Knight, Mr John Packer. The latter was a teacher at Dr Morgan's School and through his efforts the priests of St Joseph's were given facilities to attend the school each morning to give instruction to Catholic pupils.
The work of the K.S.C. included an unusual job which was appreciated by the ladies of the parish who up to that time were liable to lose the heel off a shoe in the metal grating in the aisle just inside the door of St Joseph's church. The grating covered a pit which housed the old central heating boiler and this was filled in with rubble carted from the Monmouth Street workings. The filling was topped with a layer of concrete and the tiles which cover this are a slightly different pattern from the rest of the aisle.
A new tabernacle, purchased for £52 by the parishioners, was fitted on the high altar, fluorescent lighting was installed in the church and all the kneelers were re-padded and re-upholstered. Workers on some or all of these jobs were Messrs S. Beasley, R. Carter, R. Cudbill, W. Drum, J. Higgs, W. Irwin, D. Welsh and T. Winter. Unfortunately, that year Mr B. White was prevented by illness from acting as secretary for the Sale of Work but Mr B. Wills took over and continued to assist Mr White as secretary for the next five years.
By 1961 the population of Bridgwater had risen to 25,582 and the borough had built its 2,000th post-war house. Work of building four-storey flats at West Street and Sydenham Estate was under way whilst widening of the road at North Street and Durleigh Road was being carried out. The first traffic lights in Bridgwater were installed at the Monmouth Street and Broadway Junction.
Amongst all this progress there were still people in need and Father Morrissey re-introduced the Society of St Vincent de Paul to the parish. Those who volunteered for the work were Messrs J.C.D. (Colin) Smith (president), Paul Smith (secretary), John Sellick (treasurer), Frank Clarke, John Holman and Terry Seagrave.
It was at this time that Father Morrissey decided that a determined effort must be made to get a new primary school for St Joseph's parish. He explained that this would relieve the parish of the upkeep of the old school and making contributions to the diocesan school fund and that the saving would be approximately £2,000 per year which would pay most of the interest on a £50,000 loan. This sum could not be borrowed until the bank had assurance that St Joseph's parish had a regular weekly income of £80. At that time he Offertory collection averaged only £60 per week and there had been a loss of income from dances. A new style of dancing to music by groups playing guitars was sweeping the country and this type of dance was being organised in the Town Hall by professional promoters. Efforts by the parish social committee to revive ballroon dancing; at the Town Hall were unsuccessful. Father Morrissey launched a scheme to persuade parishioners to use special envelopes for their offertory donations and to donate regularly 2/6 or 5/- per week in an effort to increase the weekly offertory collection to £80. This target was never reached by him and the highest collection was one of £78.
Because of Father Morrissey's activity, his vigorous sermons and his regular talks for non-Catholics few of his parishioners realised that his health was declining. To save work he stopped publishing his own weekly parish bulletin and he introduced the Redemptorist bulletin with parish notes which is still the practice. Eventually Father Morrissey was forced to take a short break but he was soon back and he was
given a great tonic by a group of workmen engaged in the town who completely re-decorated the inside of the church. Throughout his stay in the parish he kept the church in good order and he appealed every Sunday for flowers to decorate the altars.
Christmas 1961 saw the introduction of official street lighting decorations by the borough council around the Cornhill and in High Street. In the midst of this the K.S.C. erected a crib outside the Town Hall and another in a shop window next to the Royal Clarence Hotel. A few months later, in May 1962, Father Morrissey successfully negotiated a loan to build thc school at Park Avenue and Messrs Higgs of Highbridge were appointed building contractors.
As the building work progressed Father Morrissey made a film record at various stages.
On October 3rd 1962, when the walls were a few feet high, the foundation stone was laid by Mgnr. Provost Canon Iles. Present at the ceremony were members of the Diocesan School Commission, clergy of the Taunton Deanery, Rev. Mother Mary Anthony and the Sisters of Holy Rosary, several hundred parishioners and many school children including St Joseph's Brownies trained by Miss J. McKenna.
The start of work on the new school spurred many parishioners to work with greater enthusiasm but there was none more outstanding than Mr J. Sellick. For many years he had been associated with almost every parish activity and in August 1962 he completed 25 years as an altar server at St Joseph's, Bridgwater. At a gathering in the parish room Father Morrissey presented him with an illuminated address with the Papal Blessing and said, Mr Sellick has a distinction unequalled by any other parishioner and, as a devoted worker for the Guild of St Stephen, the Society of St Vincent de Paul and the Knights of St Columba, he is an inspiration to us all.
On St Stephen's day 1962 snow began to fall in Bridgwater and with many heavy falls shortly afterwards the district was covered with a thick layer of snow for the next nine weeks. Amongst Father Morrissey's film recordings there are pictures of the partially built school covered with snow. Shortly after those pictures were taken Father Morrissey's health further deteriorated and the Bishop decided to send him for an immediate rest before transferring him to a less arduous parish. Though the school was not quite completed his task was accomplished and the long hoped for school stands as a monument to his courage and sense of purpose.
Father Morrissey and his curate, Father Daly both left St Joseph's, Bridgwater, on April 23rd 1963.
Preparing For The Future
After meeting the Archbishop of Canterbury Pope Paul VI sent a message to Cardinal Heenan expressing joy at the efforts being made in Britain to foster understanding between Catholics and members of the Church of England. A few weeks later the Catholics in Bridgwater were invited by Prebendary Sholl of Stogursey to spend a social evening with his parishioners. In May 1966 a party of 50 accompanied Father Dee to Stogursey where they had tea in the schoolroom. At the suggestion of Prebendary Sholl they visited the pre-Reformation Church of St Andrew where they recited a decade of the Rosary. St Joseph's parish repaid the compliment at Christmas by inviting Prebendary Sholl and his parishioners to attend a service of carols in the school at Park Avenue and more than a hundred people joined together in this ecumenical act of worship.
During 1966 it was difficult to accommodate all the people attending the four Masses at St Joseph's church and a Mass at Sydenham Community Centre every Sunday. Father McReynolds and the Sisters of the Holy Rosary agreed to discontinue the special Mass at the convent on Sunday mornings so that an additional Sunday Mass could be celebrated. This gave Father McReynolds the opportunity to open a Mass centre at Cannington where many new houses had been erected since the opening of Hinkley Point Power Station.
In earlier times the Cannington Mission regularly supplied a priest to celebrate Mass for Catholics in Bridgwater but nowadays the situation is reversed. On 5th June 1966 the Mass returned to Cannington after a lapse of nearly half a century when at 9.30 a.m. Father McReynolds celebrated the first Mass in Cannington Village Hall. The altar boys who served that Mass were brothers Terry and Anthony McCaul, the stewards were Messrs A.J. Ambridge and T. Moran. Eighty people were present in the congregation. A rough trestle table standing on two blocks of wood and suitably draped served as an altar. The brocade curtain screening the stage formed a backcloth for the altar whilst two long wooden benches were used as altar rails for the congregation to receive Holy Communion. These conditions still exist and the congregation still averages about 80 at the time of writing. Every Saturday evening, Mr Ambridge prepares the hall in readiness for Mass the following day. Floral decorations are prepared by Mrs Barnard and, until recently, Mrs Pearce. Since the latter became ill Mrs Gutteridge has assisted with the flowers. Mr Gutteridge and Mr Collins meet the priest when he arrives from Bridgwater. The simplicity of the altars at both Cannington and Sydenhan have made it possible to introduce the modern practice of the priest facing the congregation whilst celebrating Mass at these two Mass centres.
When the parish magazine was introduced at Easter 1966 the first issue was published just in time to report the historic return of the Mass to Cannington. The editor, Mr Colin Smith, had the assistance of Mrs Edwards and Miss Clare Hunt to type the stencils and Messrs J. Holman and J. Sellick to duplicate and prepare the copies for publication. The 1966 Christmas Bazaar and Sale of work in the Town Hall with Mr R. Cornell as secretary made a record profit of nearly £500. The event was also notable for the number of school children who gave their services throughout the day. These include :-
Angelina Carullo, Anthony Higgs, Rita Kelly
Ann Crossman, Christopher Higgs, Rosaline Kenny
Sarah Dunbar, John Houlihan, Patrick Letherby
Stephen Golby, Anne-Marie Irwin, Shane Martin
Sharon Haysham, Gerard Irwin, Joseph Maestropietro
Carol Murphy, Anne Marie Russ, Barbara Waloch
Elizabeth Murphy, Teresa Russ, Susan Waloch
Marie Murphy, Elizabeth Sperring, Catherine Welsh
Nora Netto, Judith Sperring, Helen Welsh
Trevor Netto, David Treanor, Peter Welsh
Christine Peacy, Margaret Treanor, Teresa Woulfe
A list of outstanding families in St Joseph's parish would certainly include all the surnames mentioned above.
The year 1967 opened with Britain still in economic difficulties and unemployment rose to 600,000. The purchasing power of the pound continued to fall and the Government postponed major road building just when the extension of the extension of the M5 motorway from Gloucestershire to Devon was due to commence. Local road improvements continued with the building of a dual carriageway on the A38 from Dunball to Bridgwater and widening of the A39 near Bradney Lane and at Wembdon turning.
Building of the block of shops and flats began at Binford Place where old property had been cleared between Fore Street and the old St Joseph's School. On the other side of the river the long awaited Bridgwater bus station at East Quay was completed and the appearance of the riverside nearby was improved by planting trees and laying lawns.
During that year events arranged by St Joseph's parish organisations included a St Valentine's dance for the Italian Relief Fund in the Town Hall (K.S.C.), coffee mornings in the homes of members of the C.W.L., and a cheese and wine party in
the new school. Events which made a contribution towards the parish income were very welcome because the pound was officially devalued in November 1967 but the average Offertory collection for 1967 was little more than £90 a week. As these recordings come to an end in the autumn 1968 the average is still about the same and it compares very unfavourably with that of four years earlier. Fortunately, the parish is blessed with many workers willing to sacrifice their spare time for the Church and, during the past 12 months, approximately £4,000 was paid off the school debt leaving less than £24,000 dept (mostly interest free) which must be paid off within the next six years. Special mention must be made of the 1968 parish garden fete at the Holy Rosary Convent when heavy rain fell throughout the day. Instead of a loss the result showed a profit of £275, which many other organisers of summer fetes in the district would consider a great success even on a fine day.
This year began with a great change for Catholics when, in January, they were released from the obligation to abstain from eating meat on Fridays. Old customs, however, are not easily discarded and after a lifetime of "fish on Fridays" many of the older members still maintain the Friday abstinence. The following month St Joseph's mourned the death of Mr Frank Loxston whose memoirs were so helpful in the compiling of this historical record.
Three months Father Dee, who after five years as curate at St Joseph's, had become extremely popular, was transferred to Wellington as priest in charge. Father Dee was replaced at Bridgwater by Father E. Gordon who, on account of ill health, stayed only a few weeks before being transferred to Warminster. On 23rd June 1968 Father Carpenter became curate and he is still with Father McReynolds at the time of writing.
Science progresses so rapidly these days that in the short time since these changes were made there have been two scientific achievements which a few years ago would have seemed impossible. Television pictures in colour were relayed by satellite from the Olympic Games in Mexico and the Americans launched a three-manned spaceship in preparation for a lunar landing next year. Yet despite the conquest of space the nations had still not learned to keep peace on earth. Communist Russia and China continue to expand their empires by the use of threat or military might whilst they brand as aggressors those who take up arms to resist them. In the few remaining overseas territories of her once great empire. Britain has trouble over racial discrimination in Rhodesia and religious discrimination in Northern Ireland. Fortunately religious discrimination is a thing of the past in Bridgwater. Dr Morgan's School and the Sydenham, Westover and Chilton Trinity secondary modern schools all provide facilities for the priests of St Joseph's to give religious instruction to their Catholic pupils.
As these recordings come to an end the population of Bridgwater has reached 26,000 and house building continues at the Durleigh and Westonzoyland Road ends of the town. The re-building of Albert Street nears completion and the re-development of West Street is completed from St Matthews Field to Milton Place. From there to Penel Orlieu few of the old buildings remain to be cleared and erection of the old people's home, the Mariners Arms Hotel and the flats opposite has commenced.
The site reserved at Sydenham Estate for a second Catholic Church in Bridgwater is still unoccupied and as we finish recording Bridgwater's Catholic Past a second Catholic Church in Bridgwater remains an objective for the future.
Foreword Part I Part II Part III Parish History page