East End Construction 1962
It was in a Mission Hall in Little Heath Road that the roots of the Parish Church of St Catherine of Siena began to grow. With the development at Birch Copse and various other estates in Tilehurst, it was decided that a church needed to established in the area, and so the Church of St Catherine of Siena came to be built in Wittenham Avenue, opposite Birch Copse school.
Initially, St Catherine's was a 'daughter church' of St. Michael's and opened for worship on Palm Sunday, 7th April 1963. The parish has a large and expanding population and eventually the Church "gave birth" to a daughter church of its own. The Cornwell Community Church was established in 1984 and meets every Sunday at 11am in the Cornwell Centre on the 'SNW' Estate.
An extension was added to St. Catherine's in 1980 which became the Sanctuary. This added to the individual and rather unusual design of the church. Inside, however, it is warm and welcoming and we hope you may come and experience this for yourself.
On 1st October 2007, the majority of the parish of St Catherine of Siena merged with a significant portion of the former parish of Calcot St Birinus. Click here for details.
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East End Construction 1962 |
West End Construction 1962 | Completed Church in 1964 |
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Working on the first Buttress |
End Buttress | Ring Beam |
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Erecting Steelwork |
Cladding | Scaffolding |
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Removal of East End |
Finished Building | New East End extension |
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