Church of St Hugh of Lincoln, Letchworth

St Hugh of Lincoln, Letchworth
Church of St Hugh of Lincoln in Letchworth in 2017
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	[1]
History
Dedication	St Hugh of Lincoln
Consecrated	2007
Administration
Deanery	Stevenage
Diocese	Westminster
Clergy
Priest(s)	James Garvey

Coordinates: 51°58′34.7″N 0°13′44.8″W / 51.976306°N 0.229111°W / 51.976306; -0.229111

The Church of St Hugh of Lincoln in Letchworth in Hertfordshire is a Roman Catholic church founded by the scholar and priest Adrian Fortescue. The first church was consecrated in 1908 and was dedicated to St Hugh of Lincoln while the modern church which replaced it was built in 1963. It comes under the Diocese of Westminster.

When Adrian Fortescue was appointed Missionary Rector of Letchworth in Hertfordshire in November 1907 he faced the task of building a church from scratch. Much of the original church he designed and paid for personally, and parish records show that he in fact donated more each year than he received in his annual stipend. The first small church on the site in Pixmore Way opened in 1908 and was designed by Sir Charles Spooner RIBA with a Romanesque facade and was intended to be a temporary church with a presbytery, added in 1909. The church was blessed by Patrick Fenton, the Bishop of Amycla, on 6 September 1908 and was dedicated to St Hugh of Lincoln. Fortescue's scholarly interest in the Byzantine Church and his connection with craftsmen of the Arts and Crafts Movement influenced the design of the church's interior, various liturgical items and artwork from which can still be seen in the new church. Today this original church is the Church Hall and has been named 'Fortescue Hall' in memory of its founder. Gradually this church became famous for its music and rich liturgical life.