St Joseph, Grayshott

From Grayshott: The Story of a Hampshire Village by JH Smith:—

The early history of the Roman Catholic Church in Grayshott centres very largely round Mr. and Mrs. Vertue and Canon Louis Harvey. Mr. and Mrs. Vertue came to Grayshott in the early 1890s and lived at "The Court," the original I'Anson house. Here there was a private chapel in which services for the local Roman Catholics were held-the first Mass being celebrated in 1891. Mr. Vertue died in 1904 and was survived for many years by his widow, who continued in devoted work for the Roman Catholic community. In 1910 she built St. Joseph's Church and Presbytery, which were opened and consecrated in 1911 by Bishop Cotter of Portsmouth. St. Joseph's is a beautiful and very light church.

When we think of the Roman Catholic Church in Grayshott we think of the Convent of the Cenacle [now closed] as well as of St. Joseph's. The Convent played its part in both World Wars. From 1914 to 1918 one wing of it was used as a military hospital with 25 beds. The nuns helped with the cooking and work in the wards. In all it treated 835 cases.

More detailed information can be found on the Grayshott Heritage website

Immaculate Conception, Liphook

The Catholic parish of Liphook is the successor to the Woolmer Mission, established around 1870 when organised Catholic life returned to the area for the first time since the Protestant Reformation. The mission began at Woolmer Lodge, the house of the Macdonald family of Ludshott, local gentry and recent converts to the Catholic Faith. The chapel in the house served the family and some of their servants and tenants. After a fire in 1908 which destroyed the chapel Sir Archibald Macdonald sold an acre and a half of land near Liphook to the Diocese of Portsmouth for the building of a church, a school and a cemetery.

As it transpired, only the church was built and was consecrated in 1911. On February 11th 1920 the parish of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception was canonically established and Richard Atherton installed as the first Parish Priest.

Some further information can be found on the Taking Stock website.