Foundation After the
English Reformation, during the time of
recusancy, until the
Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829, some Catholics in West Drayton, particularly the Paget family, descendants of
William Paget, 1st Baron Paget, were recorded as papists by the authorities. Anne Paget (died 1587), William's wife, was suspected of hiding
Anthony Tyrrell after he escaped from prison. In 1676 and 1706, no one wrote that they were Catholic in those years' censuses. For the rest of the 18th century, there were no recorded instances of Catholic public worship. In 1867, West Drayton had its own Catholic parish and a resident priest, Fr Michael Wren. The priest lived at White Cottage on Money Lane. In 1868, stables and an old coachhouse were turned into a temporary chapel. It could fit 400 people, and there was a space there for 80 schoolchildren too. The Catholic
congregation used these temporary premises while the current church was being built.
Construction On 26 October 1868 the foundation stone of the church was laid by the
Archbishop of Westminster,
Henry Manning. The architects were Thomas John Willson and
Samuel Joseph Nicholl. The two of them had worked on other notable Catholic churches such as
St Charles Borromeo Church, Westminster and
St Alban and St Stephen's Church, St Albans. The church is in the
Gothic Revival style and it opened on 29 September (
Michaelmas) 1869 with Henry Manning preaching its first sermon. In 1886, a new
high altar was installed in the church. In 1985, the
organ was restored, the
altar rails removed and the high altar was brought forward. That year, efforts were made to build a spire on top of the tower according to the original plan of the church. However, as not enough money was raised, a small concrete block was added to the top of the tower. ==Parish==