All Saints Catholic Church Opening 3 Nov 1926
by Bishop Joseph Thorman, Bishop of Hexham & Newcastle


t

z

z z z


z z z
z z z
z z z

The first Church in Lanchester in 1901 was a tin building which
had previously served as a chapel at St Nicholas Asylum, Cox Lodge, Gosforth.
z
Founded in 1901 from the Mother Church of St Michael's Esh Laude:
The first church to be built in 1901 was a tin building which had
previously served as a chapel at St Nicholas Asylum, Cox Lodge, Gosforth.
The tin church served the parish well for twenty five years, and in 1926 was
replaced by the present building at a cost of £4,500.

The church was built to the design of a German architect, Theo Korner
and is of a typical Bavarian architectural style, and was consecrted and
opened on November 3rd 1926 by Bishop Joseph Thorman, Bishop of
Hexham and Newcastle.

It is a lovely little church, and when one enters the building it is not difficult to
notice the sanctuary which is built of Italian marble which came from the
unlikely source of the Regent Hotel, The Strand, London.

The arble was purchased and presented to the church by Mr.Piercy-Taylor-Smith
of Colepike Hall who was a descendant of the Taylor family who owned land in
the area during the sixteenth century.

Next to the church a convent was built, along with the present school which was
opened in 1905 by the Bishop. The four nuns living at the covent, became teachers
at the school, and when the convent closed the nuns were transfered back to the
mother convent at Esh Laude.

The Church has been well served over the last 100 years not only by it's parishioners
but by several dedicated Parish Priests including Fr. William V Smith who was noted
for being one of the finest Catholic historians of his day, Fr. Vincent Mallaley who
served the parish for over 25 years, Canon Robert Spence.
( Father Bob. ) who served the parish for 19 years,
to our present Priest Father Cornelius O'Connor

cal