Returning now to the main narrative, we continue with a description of the architecture of the church and some changes that were made when it was moved. The only differences between the old and the new church are the following: the sacristy was on the right hand (north) side and is now on the left (south) side; in the old church there was a gallery above the mortuary chapel which was then as now on the right. Charles Walker of Newcastle found it necessary to make these changes. Galleries had been generally despised by frontline Gothic Revivalists, who regarded them as fundamentally un-medieval. Yet they were an essential fixture of Catholic churches, and reflect the dramatic population increases (caused primarily by Irish migration) that prompted the building of so many places of worship throughout these industrial regions. The gallery at the back of the church had been reserved to the Liddell family. The family had access to this gallery to attend church services from the first floor of their mansion through a groined archway connected to what is now the north side of the church. In the new location, it was also found more convenient that the Sanctuary should be not towards the East but towards the West. This is a very unusual thing to do, because ideally all churches should be oriented to the East (Oriens means East), so that the first light of Dawn and the rising Sun streams through the Sanctuary windows. The worshippers are thus facing the East, where they are reminded by the Rising Sun that the Risen Christ and the Cosmic Christ fill the world with His new Light and Life.  A similar configuration takes place in Christian burial grounds, where the dead are laid out in their graves facing the East in expectation of Christ’s Return in Glory at the end of time (the Parousia) and the inauguration of the general resurrection of the dead.  One reason for the change in the orientation of the church may very well have been the need to build the Bell Tower on an available outcrop of rock in that area of the site. Supporting this hypothesis is the fact that in 2003 the builders of a new house 50 meters to the East of the Bell Tower had great difficulty creating the trenches for water and waste drainage, because of the presence of rock only a few centimetres below the soil.  Furthermore, some cracks in the terrazzo floor in the Sanctuary and some signs of movement in the pillars of the archway leading from the Sanctuary to the altar of the mortuary chapel, confirms the dangers posed to any Tower at that end of the site because of subsidence or settlement.  In fact, it appears that one of the tunnels of West Wylam coal mine, which closed in the 1940’s, runs diagonally NE to SW directly below the Sanctuary area. A Coal Board engineer, however, reported in his survey of the site in 2003 that there was no evidence of subsidence on the footprint of the church, due to such mine workings in the area, and therefore the Coal Board would not be liable for repairs to the interior stonework of the church.  Anyhow, we can see how great care was taken to ensure that the repositioned church on its new site in Highfield Lane would be built on rock solid ground at the east end, so that the Bell Tower would be always absolutely secure.

             Bishop Preston, who laid the foundation stone in 1904, was born at Lancaster on Dec.12^th 1856.  He went through the whole course of his studies at Ushaw College and become a Minor Professor for three years.  He was sent in February 1881 to the English College at Rome, and after his ordination on June 7^th 1884, he was sent to the University of Innsbruck.  In September 1886 he returned to Ushaw, where he filled successively the Chairs of Sacred Scripture and Moral Theology.  Bishop Wilkinson advancing in age, asked for and obtained him as Auxiliary Bishop.  He was consecrated by Bishop Wilkinson on July 29^th 1900.  But his health proved unequal to the constant strain and he died on February 9^th 1905, only six months after laying the foundation-stone of Prudhoe church.  So, as it happened, it was the Right Rev. Richard Collins, titular Bishop of Selinus, who became the next Auxiliary to Bishop Wilkinson, who solemnly opened the new church on October 5^th 1905. He would later succeed as Diocesan Bishop. The photograph of the opening ceremony is below.  You will notice that the priest nearest to the entrance and looking directly at the camera is Fr. Simmons, the parish priest. 

 

On April 9^th 1913 Fr. Simmons by delegation of Bishop Collins erected the Stations of the Cross in his church.  For a long time he had been in failing health, although apparently very strong.  He died suddenly whilst in conversation with Fr. Kuyte of Crawcrook on December 1^st 1915, aged 55 years. Of all those who were in charge of Prudhoe Mission till then, he was the first priest to die and be buried in Prudhoe. The Requiem Mass was sung by Bishop Collins. The homily was given by Canon Thomas Smith of St. Mary’s Sunderland.  He remarked in his sermon how Fr. Simmons lovingly tended and supervised the work of the relocation of the church stone by stone.  “A stranger visiting the church might tell at a glance at least one characteristic of the pastor.  Here surely was a man of faith, everywhere was order and decorum, and though he had not the stimulus of a large parish, yet he served it well with zeal and singleness of heart.  In his preaching, though he had had the same congregation for twenty years, the voice never grew stale, the repertoire never became exhausted, he never lost the grip of his audience.  He had high ideal of the duty of citizenship.  He was not parochial in the restricted sense of the word, but felt that he had a duty to his neighbours irrespective of creed.  He devoted himself to the public good:  “though vast in bulk, he was as tender as a woman, so kind to the sick and distressed, so assiduous in his visitation of his flock. No wonder they loved him.”

Shortly after Fr. Simmons’ death, Fr. James Walsh was appointed. He was born in Carlisle, the son of a well to do bookmaker.  Fr. Walsh was ordained at Ushaw on July 14^th 1901.  He had previously served as assistant priest in North Shields, then to Seaham Harbour (1903-1908). He then became parish priest to Crawcrook (1908-1912) and then to Ellingham (1912-1915). Then he was appointed to Prudhoe in December 1915, when the Great War was at its height.  He had the sorrow to see many of his parishioners either as volunteers, or called to the colours, leaving Prudhoe for the battlefield.  The following gave their lives in the service of their country:  Sergt. Nehemiah Allport, L/ce Corporal John Robson, Pte John Suddes, Pte Matthew Hudson, Pte Richard Bell, Pte David Robson, Pte Hugh Crystal, Pte Edward Keating, Pte Robert Ellwood, Gunner William McCauley, Pte Francis W. McKenna, all of the Northumberland Fusileers.

 In 1918, after the promulgation of the New Code of Canon Law, the Mission of Prudhoe was canonically erected into a Parish. Accordingly, the boundaries were definitely settled, as they may be seen in the map above. Fr Lenders in his history records the pastoral statistics from the parish registers between the years 1870 and 1928: He notes that there had been 1029 baptisms, of which 71 were adult converts; 566 confirmations (282 males and 284 females) of which 24 were adult converts; 140 marriages; and 344 burials.

When Fr Walsh celebrated his silver jubilee in 1926, Prudhoe was very much a mining village and mindful of the hardship his parishioners were undergoing due to the general strike he would not allow any celebration which caused expense.  Instead he gave the children a party on the flower show field, now Highfield estate, opposite the church.  The 1930’s before the advent of the Welfare State were difficult and often poverty-stricken for his flock.  In 1931 Station Road was built under the Unemployment Relief Works Act to provide work for the jobless.  It replaced the steep track, now a footpath, leading up the hill from Prudhoe Castle.  In 1938 another blow hit his parishioners when the mines of Prudhoe and Mickley closed with the loss of many jobs.  West Wylam colliery was still in production, however.  It finally closed in May 1961.  During his time as parish priest, Prudhoe gradually changed into the town it has become.  Even before the Second World War, new council houses were built at Edgewell, Castle Dene and Mickley, the large Oaklands Estate being built shortly after the War.  In 1942 as part of the War effort, ICI, on behalf of the Ministry of Supply, started producing fertiliser for agriculture in a factory in Low Prudhoe and in 1954 ICI bought the factory which employed hundreds of local people.  

In 1951 on October 4^th, the benches were cleared from the church to allow its official consecration by Bishop McCormack.

  Fr Walsh was the last priest in Prudhoe to have a curate – Fr Costello.  A genial well-liked man, Fr Walsh served the parish so faithfully through momentous times.  He died at St Camillus Hospital, Hexham, aged 79 in March 1954 and he is buried at the Catholic Cemetery, Moor Road, Prudhoe, near Fr Simmons. He was succeeded by Fr Maddison.

Father  James Maddison was parish priest throughout the “swinging sixties”, a period of enormous changes both in the Catholic Church and in the world at large. He was born on 18^th February 1901 and ordained priest on 6^th June 1925 by Bishop Thorman at St Cuthbert’s Grammar School.  One week later he started parish work as assistant at St. Joseph’s Benwell for 10 years. He then went to St Mary’s, Sunderland and worked there until late July 1941.  He became priest in charge at Boldon and worked there until April 1954. In 1954 when his ministry started here, Prudhoe was still a mining village with very few incomers.  The Mass was in Latin and the congregation reared on the Catechism.  The Second Vatican Council would soon set in motion a process of updating.

            Father Maddison lived frugally and walked miles throughout his parish in big hob-nailed boots to visit his scattered parishioners in Ovington or West Wylam.  He had no housekeeper or car, and he was never known to have taken a holiday.

            Although unbending in matters of faith and morals, people admired his integrity and his refusal to give an inch to the permissive society, which was gradually developing.  He trained for the priesthood in Portugal, and he is remembered by the older parishioners as a kindly, well-educated man, who could speak with authority on any subject. The parishoners recall that he often preached lengthy sermons lasting 45 minutes and longer.   

            His congregation was increased by growing numbers of Prudhoe Hospital patients, who used to walk in crocodile to Mass on Sundays and fill the front pews.  In 1956, he noted that there were just over 100 Roman Catholic patients in the hospital boosting the population to 780.

            At Easter 1956, he recorded 305 people present at the first Mass and 89 at the second. 

         The opening of the Moor Road Secondary Modern School in April 1958 caused him concern.  At that time, St Matthew’s was still an all-age school, which pupils attend until they left at fifteen years of age.  But now some of the Catholic pupils were leaving it to go to the new school up the road.  Thus began the parish’s vexed problem of secondary school Catholic Education.  With the introduction of three-tier education in the County, children had to face a 12 mile journey to Hexham at the age of nine years to stay in Catholic Education, but only until they were thirteen years of age, at which point they must enter Prudhoe Secondary School or stay on at Queen Elizabeth High School in Hexham without the facility of free school transport.

            Prudhoe grew rapidly during Fr Maddison’s time with large new housing estates being built in the early 1960’s at West Wylam, Highfield, Moorlands and the Castle Hill William Leech development.  When in the early 1970’s Kimberley-Clark Ltd opened a paper tissue making factory at Low Prudhoe, the town population had reached 11,000, and modern Prudhoe was born, gradually becoming the commuter town it is today.

            Prudhoe Hospital also developed and had more than 1,500 patients in the early 1970’s.  Difficult times for his parishioners during his ministry were the shock closures of West Wylam colliery in 1961 and Prudhoe ICI in 1965.  These were desperate times for Prudhoe, and there was an all-out drive to attract new industries.

            Fr Maddison’s health deteriorated as he got older, and he died in St Camillus Hospital, Hexham, on 2^nd March 1975, aged seventy-four.

The parish was looked after on a temporary basis by Canon Alexander Barrass and Fr Michael Finnigan, until a new parish priest was appointed.  It was during this time that a spare wooden altar was brought from Ushaw College strapped to the roof of Martin Mannion’s car, enabling Mass to be celebrated facing the people for the first time in Prudhoe. Fr Maddison was succeeded by Father Hugh Berryman, who was parish priest from March 24^th 1976 to May 5^th 1979.  He had come from teaching in Harvard University in America.  He had previously taught at Ushaw College.  During Fr Berryman’s time, the Reading Room was renovated as a more user-friendly social centre. Various organisations in the town were able to use the building as a result, such as a youth club, Brownies, Guides, Cubs, a keep-fit class, a typing class, a play group, and an over-sixties club, as well as a social club. He also arranged renovation work on the interior of the church. This work to the Reading Room was done under the Job Creation Scheme.  At the time, Mrs Margaret Stewart, a member of the Ladies Circle, commented, “The whole place is absolutely marvellous and is a great asset to Prudhoe”.  Father Berryman said: “It’s really wonderful what has been made from the old building and our thanks are due to the Job Creation scheme and all the workers and craftsmen who made it possible.”  The total cost for both church and social centre was around £90,000, some of which was grant-aided.  The balance of £22,000 had to be met by the parishioners. It took 15 months to complete the work in the church.  The work done included landscaping and safety features at the school on South Road and some tidying up the Moor Road Cemetery.

 

Father Thomas Laidler was parish priest from 25^th May 1979 until 7^th June 1991, when he retired. He was born in South Shields on 24^th June 1914.  He was ordained priest at Ushaw college on 29^th June 1941.  He was appointed to St Aloysius, Hebburn where he stayed as assistant priest for some twenty years. He is still remembered for his great work for the Young Christian Workers.  At Hebburn he contracted polio, some effects of which were to remain with him all his life. In 1961 he was asked to form a new parish at West Monkseaton and the bishop gave him an empty house, a field and his blessing.  Within a comparatively short time he was responsible for the building of a temporary church and in the course of time the parish was dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  In 1976 he was transferred to St Patrick’s, Langley Moor and three years later to our Lady and St Cuthbert, Prudhoe, where he built a new primary school.  Failing health led eventually to his retirement at Cartyne Residential Home, Hexham.   He died suddenly of a heart attack in Cartyne on 9^th July 1994, aged 80 years. At his own request his body was brought to Prudhoe for an evening Requiem on Wednesday, July 13^th and the Funeral Mass was at West Monkseaton the following day.  He was laid to rest in Whitley Bay cemetery next to Fr J Scarr, once parish priest of Whitley Bay, who had helped him so much in the founding of the parish of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  His obituary in the Northern Catholic Calendar describes him as “conscientious, dedicated, friendly priest and there were many who were saddened by his death”.

 

Father Joseph Marren became parish priest on 8^th June 1991 and stayed until the end of August 2000. Father Marren came to the parish in ill-health from Alnwick, but he never allowed his heart disease to hold him back for long. He was a keen golfer.  He was a great cook and often met parishioners in the local supermarket. Jovial and approachable, he was a great miss when he went into semi retirement at West Monseaton.  Although poorly, he was able to attend the Centenary Mass on 5^th October 2005, but he died a few weeks later of a heart attack.

 

Father Paul Zielinski became parish priest on 1^st September 2000.  The church building at this stage was showing signs of serious deterioration. The interior stonework in the Sanctuary was splitting in many places due to the rusting of iron cramps behind the stone-cladding.  The theft of lead from the upper elevation gutters during  the 1980’s and the subsequent replacement with low quality roof felt meant that ten years later water was slowly penetrating into the walls and accelerating the rusting process.  Over sixty stones had become cracked and the remedial work would be expensive. As the fundraising began, morale received a significant boost with the pious bequest of Miss Olive Tulip, who had left the parish the very generous sum of £27,790. Despite being a Grade II listed building, it was a surprise to discover that many sources of grant funding would not support places of worship. Those who would support limited their assistance to wind and weather repairs to preserve the building, excluding such things as electrical re-wiring and the installation of new heating systems or the liturgical reorganisation of the sanctuary and redecoration  But Father Zielinski eventually won the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund administered by English Heritage, which made a significant contribution to both the re-leading of the gutters and the replacement of the Portland limestone ashlars in the Sanctuary, with a grant of £63,000.  This came about because English Heritage were persuaded to see the outside work and the stonework repairs as linked together in a single project, rather than considering the interior work as cosmetic.  The Historic Churches Preservation Trust also supported the restoration project with a grant of £17,000.  Other grants were as follows:  The Delacour Trust £10,000; Northumbria Historic Churches Trust £3000; The Joicey Trust £3750; Tynedale Conservation Fund £2000; Northumberland Environmental Partnership £5000; The Alan Evans Trust £3000; The William Webster Trust £1000; Prudhoe Town Council £2000; Garfield Weston Foundation £5000; The Mercers’ Company £2000; Thompson’s of Prudhoe £5000; The Antiquarian Society £500; St Matthew’s Social Club £500;  Proctor and Gamble employees £400; J.H Burn Trust £300.  St. Mary the Virgin at Ovingham donated £200, since Catholics in the village had supported their fundraising for new church roof some years earlier.  Money was raised also for individual items such as the restoration of the Stations of the Cross, the oil paintings, and the re-gilding of the frame above the side altar.  Forty four individual donations came in, either for the project as a whole or for specific work of restoration.  In this way, all the Stations of the Cross were adopted by different parishioners.  Many parishioners increased their weekly or monthly donations to meet the extra expenditure. The project could not have been completed without the support of the Diocese, which gave the parish an interest free loan to cover the full cost of the project.  It was also decided to introduce a regular second collection at weekend Masses specifically for the repayment of the loan from the Diocese.  This was seen as a painless way to raise extra funds on a regular basis.