Brixham, Devon
Our Lady, Star of the Sea – Brixham
A Parish Rooted in Faith and Community
For more than 140 years, Catholics in Brixham have gathered to pray and celebrate Mass: first in private houses, then in a small church on Cavern Hill, and since 1967 in our church on New Road, above the harbour.
- Address 43 New Road, Brixham TQ5 8NB
- Sunday Mass 10.00am. Weekdays: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 10.00am
- Confession Saturdays, 10.30 to 11.00am
Temporary photo: “Church of Our Lady” by Lindsey Coates, CC BY-SA 2.0
Our Journey of Faith in Brixham
The History of Our Church
Introduction
The Catholic community in Brixham grew from Mass said in private houses and the work of visiting missionary priests around 1883 and 1884. It moved on to a house in Drew Street and then to a small church on Cavern Hill, which became known as Our Lady, Star of the Sea.
As the town grew, so did the parish. On 26 May 1966 Bishop Restieaux laid the foundation stone for a new church on New Road, and the church was blessed on 8 March 1967. It has been the home of the parish ever since.
Milestones
1883 – 1884
Early Catholic presence
According to the archives of the monastery at Paignton, Mass was first said in Brixham in 1883, in a private house in Bolton Street. Bishop Graham’s notes in the diocesan records of 1921 record Mass celebrated in a private house in Brixham in 1884.
1885 – 1890
A mission at Rockland Terrace
In 1885 a mission was established at 3 Rockland Terrace, where Mass was celebrated for eight adults and a few children. The mission closed in 1890, and the faithful began to walk to Paignton for Mass.
1912
Drew Street
A retired schoolteacher from Bovey School settled in Brixham with his two daughters, and Mass began to be said in their house on Drew Street.
1925
Cavern Hill: Our Lady, Star of the Sea
Fr Paul O’Brien, a Marist priest, bought a building on Cavern Hill for £208 to be converted into a church, and it was named Our Lady, Star of the Sea. Bishop Keily sent a gift of £200. Vestments from Canon Barrett of Liskeard, altar rails from Fr Gaynor of Keyham, an altar from Totnes, a font from Buckfast and gifts from many benefactors helped with the repairs. The church was looked after by the Marist priests from Paignton.
The old church on Cavern Hill, from the parish archive.
1954
Our first Parish Priest
Bishop Grimshaw appointed Fr Ronald Walker to Brixham as its first Parish Priest.
43 New Road
A new home for a growing parish
As Brixham grew from a fishing village into a town, the old church became too small. Edward James, a solicitor’s clerk, learned that the house at 43 New Road and its garden were for sale and told Fr Walker. In due course the Diocese bought the property to build a new church, and the house became the presbytery.
The house on New Road that became the presbytery.
26 May 1966
The foundation stone
Bishop Restieaux laid the foundation stone of the new church on New Road in the presence of sixteen priests from Torbay. With them were the Chairman of the Urban Council, the Town Clerk, eight members of the Council and very many parishioners.
8 March 1967
The church is blessed
Bishop Restieaux blessed the new church in the presence of Canon Boer, Canon O’Malley, over 60 priests of the diocese and nearly 300 people. In his homily the Bishop recalled Fr Walker’s initiative in buying the property, and thanked the parishioners who had worked tirelessly to make their dream come true. At the meal that followed, Fr Robertson, then Parish Priest, thanked everyone whose hard work and sacrifice had made the church a reality.
2004
Renewing the sanctuary
A suspended ceiling was installed and the old stone altar was reordered. The present altar and reredos were a gift from the Daughters of the Cross. They were made for Cardinal Bernard Griffin while he stayed with the Sisters at Stoodley Knowle in the early 1950s.
2010 – today
The parish today
Fr Sunny Paul, MSFS, has served as Parish Priest since 2010, caring for the communities of both Brixham and St John the Baptist, Dartmouth.
The Church Building
The church was designed by Evans, Powell and Powell Associates of Paignton. The site on New Road was small, so the car park was built on the roof to make up for the lack of space. The tower was intended to hold a lift to bring people up to the body of the church, but it was not completed for lack of funds.
The church was completed for a little over £40,000.
- Lady Chapel window
- Stained glass by Moira Forsyth, A.R.I.B.A.
- Original altar and rails
- A gift from Julia Bond, a Cornish lady
- Stations of the Cross
- Designed by Miss Agatha Walker and cast in bronzed fibreglass
- Font
- A gift from the children of the parish
- Present altar and reredos
- A gift from the Daughters of the Cross, installed in 2004
The sanctuary today
The Lady Chapel window
The Stations of the Cross
Priests Who Have Served Our Community
With gratitude for every priest who has served the Catholic community of Brixham, from the Marist Fathers of the 1920s to our Parish Priest today.
- Marist Fathers from Paignton (served the Brixham community)1920 –
- Fr P Meagher1936/37
- Belgian priestsDuring the war
- Fr Thomas Wiseman (supplying)1947 – 1950
- Fr James Buckley1950
- Fr J Leonard1950 – 1952
- Fr Andrew O’Keefe1952 – 1954
- Fr Ronald Walker OBE (first Parish Priest of Brixham)1954 – 1961
- Fr Victor Robertson1961 – 1975
- Fr James Buckley1975 – 1976
- Fr Daniel Donagher1976 – 1998
- Canon Christopher Smith1998 – 2003
- Fr Mark Skelton2003 – 2004
- Fr Paul Connor CJ2004 – 2009
- Fr Guy de Gaynesford2009 – 2010
- Fr Sunny Paul, MSFS (our current Parish Priest)2010 – today
Additional Notes and Memories
Further details from the parish’s earlier website and records.
Background
A town of the Reformation
For centuries it was not easy to be a Catholic in Brixham. It was here in 1688 that the Protestant William of Orange landed to begin the march on London that ended hopes of a Catholic succession. The fishing community that flourished in the 19th century remained overwhelmingly Protestant.
Cavern Hill
What became of the Cavern Hill church
After the parish moved to New Road, the old church on Cavern Hill became Bovey School. It is now used by the Brixham Operatic and Dramatic Society.
43 New Road
Building on a small site
The plot on New Road already held a house, which was worked into the design and became the presbytery. To satisfy the planners and fit a church of the size the parish needed, the church was placed on the first floor, with the parish hall at ground level and the car park on the roof.
1960s and 1970s
Paying for the new church
The parish borrowed the money to build the church on New Road and paid it off over the following years, through the generosity and fundraising of parishioners.
Your memories
Share a memory
Do you remember the Cavern Hill church, the building of the new church or a special day in the parish? Please contact the parish office so we can add your memories here, or see our Old Memories photo archive.
Sources: “History of the Catholic Church in Brixham” and “Priests who served in Brixham”, compiled from diocesan archives and documents kept with the parish; and the “About Us” page of the parish’s earlier website.
Also in Our Parish
Dartmouth
St John the Baptist
Our sister church in Dartmouth, by the River Dart. Mass on Saturdays at 5.00pm (vigil Mass of Sunday) and Thursdays at 10.30am.
20 Newcomen Road, Dartmouth TQ6 9BN