Benson Memorial Church

51°56′40.27″N 0°01′6.26″W / 51.9445194°N 0.0184056°W / 51.9445194; -0.0184056

St Richard of Chichester, Buntingford
Exterior view of St Richard's Buntingford as seen from the main road

Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	rcdow.org.uk
History
Dedication	St Richard of Chichester
Consecrated	5 June 1940
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade II
Architect(s)	Arthur Young
Style	Modern Gothic
Specifications
Capacity	160
Tower height	45 feet (14 m)
Spire height	35 feet (11 m)
Administration
Diocese	Westminster
Deanery	Lea Valley
Clergy
Priest(s)	John Cunningham
Deacon(s)	Paul O'Connor

The Benson Memorial Church, dedicated to St Richard of Chichester, is an English Roman Catholic church in the Hertfordshire town of Buntingford. Its name derives from the notable priest and author Robert Hugh Benson who lived locally at Hare Street House and helped fund construction of the church. Benson laid the foundation stone^[1] but died before the building was completed. The parish currently shares a parish priest with the Catholic churches in Puckeridge and Old Hall Green.

History

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The church was built in 1914 by Arthur Young in the Gothic style and is Grade II listed^[2] as a building of special architectural or historic interest. It was opened in January 1915. The Lady chapel was added in 1916 and the porch in 1934. The 45-foot tall tower, surmounted by a 35-foot copper spire was added in 1939. The church was consecrated in 1940^[3] by the auxiliary bishop of Westminster, Edward Myers.

References

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^ The apostolate of the countryside, archived from the original on 18 October 2015, retrieved 21 October 2014
^ Historic England. "Catholic Church and Presbytery. Station Road (1295687)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
^ "About the Parish".

Listed buildings in Hertfordshire

Grade I

Broxbourne	Eleanor Cross Wormleybury
Dacorum	130–136 Piccotts End Ashridge Business School Beechwood Park Berkhamsted School Old Building St Mary's Church, Hemel Hempstead
East Hertfordshire	Aston Bury Manor Balls Park Benington Castle (remains) Hertford Castle Gatehouse Hunsdon House Rye House Gatehouse Scott's Grotto Shire Hall, Hertford St James' Church, Stanstead Abbotts St Leonard's Church, Bengeo St Mary's Church, Ware St Mary the Virgin's Church, Little Hormead Waytemore Castle (remains) Woodhall Park (Heath Mount School)
Hertsmere	Tyttenhanger House
North Hertfordshire	Hitchin Priory Holy Trinity Church, Weston St John the Baptist's Church, Royston St Katharine's Church, Ickleford St Mary's Church, Ashwell St Mary's Church, Baldock St Mary's Church, Hitchin St Mary and St Thomas's Church, Knebworth Royston Cave
St Albans	Clock Tower Old Gorhambury House (remains) Rothamsted Manor St Albans Cathedral St Helen's Church, Wheathampstead St Mary's Church, Redbourn St Michael's Church, St Albans Verulamium
Stevenage	Rooks Nest House St Nicholas' Church
Three Rivers	Moor Park
Watford	Holy Rood Church, Watford St Mary's Church, Watford
Welwyn Hatfield	Brocket Hall Hatfield House/Old Palace New St Lawrence Church, Ayot St Lawrence

Grade II*

Broxbourne	Rawdon House Theobalds House
Dacorum	173 High Street, Berkhamsted Ashlyns Hall Bridgewater Monument The Bury, Hemel Hempstead Cell Park Dean Incent's House Gaddesden Place Golden Parsonage The Old Bell, Hemel Hempstead St Peter's Church, Great Berkhamstead Tring Park Mansion
East Hertfordshire	All Nations Christian College All Saints' Church, Hertford Almshouses, Buntingford Bayfordbury Chapel at St Edmund's College, Ware County Hall Cromer Windmill Fanhams Hall Goldings Haileybury and Imperial Service College Hare Street House Hanbury Manor Marden Hill House Much Hadham Palace Pishiobury Park Mansion St Andrew's Church, Buckland Stansted Hall Yeomanry House, Hertford Youngsbury Stable Block
Hertsmere	Aldenham House Dyrham Park lodges and arched gateway Hilfield Castle Knightsland Farm House Lululaund Salisbury Hall Wrotham Park
North Hertfordshire	All Saints Church, Radwell All Saints Church, Willian The Cloisters, Letchworth St Nicholas' Church, Hinxworth Hinxworth Place Homewood, Knebworth Knebworth House Princess Helena College Spirella Building St Margaret of Antioch's Church, Bygrave St Martin's Church, Knebworth St Mary Magdalene's Church, Caldecote St Paul's Walden Bury St Vincent's Church, Newnham
St Albans	All Saints Pastoral Centre St Albans Town Hall New Gorhambury House Redbournbury Mill St Leonard's Church, Sandridge St Nicholas Church, Harpenden St Peter's Church, St Albans St Stephen's Church, St Albans Westwick Cottage
Three Rivers	Hunton Park Langleybury Oxhey Chapel Redheath
Watford	The Grove The Mrs Elizabeth Fuller Free School building
Welwyn Hatfield	Ayot House Digswell Viaduct Mill Green Museum and Mill Old St Lawrence Church, Ayot St Lawrence Shaw's Corner Templewood Primary School
Other boroughs	Stevenage

Grade II

Broxbourne	Broxbourne railway station Cheshunt Great House (remains)
Dacorum	Ashlyns School Berkhamsted Town Hall Goldfield Mill The Green Dragon, Flaunden Inns of Court War Memorial The Mansion, Berkhamsted Old Town Hall, Hemel Hempstead Pendley Manor Rex Cinema Rossway Shendish Manor Stocks House St John's Church, Boxmoor Tring Market House
East Hertfordshire	All Saints' Church, Hockerill Benson Memorial Church Brent Pelham Windmill Buntingford Manor House Button Snap Christ Church, Ware Hertford Museum Tooke House Hopper's Hall The Horns, Bull's Green Little Munden Primary School Panshanger orangery, conservatory and stables Red House, Buntingford Rowneybury Cottage St John's Church, Letty Green The Tilbury, Datchworth The White Horse, Burnham Green The White Horse, Hertford
Hertsmere	Bhaktivedanta Manor The Chequers, Potters Bar Duke of York, Potters Bar Dyrham Park Country Club The Green Man, Potters Bar Ladbrooke School The Lion, Potters Bar Oakmere House Potters Bar War Memorial Shenley Hall Shenley Lodge Wall Hall The White Hart, South Mimms The White Horse, Potters Bar Wyllyotts Manor
North Hertfordshire	Ashwell Bury Ashwell War Memorial Breachwood Green Mill British Schools Museum Hitchin Town Hall Howgills Lannock Mill, Weston Letchworth Garden City railway station Letchworth Town Hall Lytton Mausoleum Minsden Chapel Putteridge Bury St George's Church, Letchworth St Nicholas' Church, Norton St Mary's Church, Letchworth Stagenhoe
St Albans	The Blue Anchor The Boot Childwickbury Manor The Cock Colney Heath Mill Fleur de Lys Hare and Hounds The Lower Red Lion The Old Kings Arms Ye Olde Fighting Cocks The Queen's Head, Sandridge Rose and Crown The Six Bells St Albans School Sopwell House Sopwell Nunnery (ruins) Verulam House The White Lion
Stevenage	Barclay Academy Shephall Manor Stevenage Clock Tower The Thomas Alleyne Academy Trigg's Barn/37 High Street, Stevenage
Three Rivers	Croxley Green Windmill
Watford	High Elms Manor The Old Station House St John's Church, Watford Watford Grammar School for Boys Watford Palace Theatre Watford Town Hall
Welwyn Hatfield	The Beehive, Welwyn Garden City The Brocket Arms Digswell House The Eight Bells, Hatfield Hope and Anchor, Welham Green The Horse and Groom, Hatfield The Green Man, Hatfield The Red Lion, Hatfield Statue of Robert Gascoyne-Cecil Tolmers Park The Wrestlers, Hatfield

v t e Diocese of Westminster
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster
Archbishops of Westminster I: Nicholas Wiseman II: Henry Manning III: Herbert Vaughan IV: Francis Bourne V: Arthur Hinsley VI: Bernard Griffin VII: William Godfrey VIII: John Heenan IX: Basil Hume X: Cormac Murphy-O'Connor XI: Vincent Nichols Auxiliary bishops in Westminster: William Weathers James Laird Patterson Christopher Butler Victor Guazzelli Philip James Benedict Harvey James Joseph O'Brien John Sherrington Nicholas Hudson Paul McAleenan James Curry
Churches Westminster Cathedral – Metropolitan Cathedral of the Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ Our Lady of Lourdes, Acton St Mary of the Angels, Bayswater St Casimir, Bethnal Green Benson Memorial Church St John the Evangelist, Brentford Brompton Oratory Holy Trinity, Brook Green St Mary, Cadogan Street Our Lady of Hal, Camden Town Our Lady of the Rosary and St Dominic, Camden Our Lady of Dolours, Chelsea Our Most Holy Redeemer and St Thomas More, Chelsea Our Lady of Grace and St Edward, Chiswick St Peter, Clerkenwell Parafia Ealing St Etheldreda, Ely Place Immaculate Conception, Farm Street Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Fulham St Thomas of Canterbury, Fulham St Andrew Bobola, Hammersmith St Augustine, Hammersmith St Theodore, Hampton St Francis de Sales, Hampton Hill and Upper Teddington Our Lady and St Thomas of Canterbury, Harrow Our Lady Queen of Apostles, Heston St Joseph, Highgate St Monica, Hoxton St John the Evangelist, Islington Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St Simon Stock, Kensington Our Lady of Victories, Kensington Sacred Heart, Kilburn St Hugh of Lincoln, Letchworth St Anselm and St Cecilia, Lincoln's Inn Fields Corpus Christi, Maiden Lane St Mary Moorfields Mary Immaculate and St Peter, New Barnet Notre Dame de France St Francis of Assisi, Notting Hill St Monica, Palmer's Green St Alban and St Stephen, St Albans St Patrick, Soho Square St Anselm, Southall St James, Spanish Place St Ignatius, Stamford Hill St Mary and St Michael, Stepney Sacred Heart, Teddington English Martyrs, Tower Hill St James, Twickenham St Margaret of Scotland, Twickenham Holy Rood, Watford St Joseph, Wembley St Catherine, West Drayton St Mary Magdalen, Whetstone St Edmund of Canterbury, Whitton
Patronal Feasts of the Diocese Saint Joseph (March 19) Saint Peter (June 29) Saint Edward the Confessor (October 13) Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (8 December)
Schools Our Lady of Lourdes School, Arnos Grove Sacred Heart Primary School, Teddington All Saints Catholic College, North Kensington St Edmund's Roman Catholic Primary School Bishop Challoner Catholic School Bishop Douglass Catholic School Cardinal Pole Catholic School Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School The Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School, Greenford The Douay Martyrs School St Augustine's Priory, Ealing St Benedict's School, Ealing Finchley Catholic High School Gumley House Convent School Gunnersbury Boys' School John F Kennedy Catholic School The John Henry Newman School La Sainte Union Catholic School London Oratory School Loreto College, St Albans Maria Fidelis Roman Catholic Convent School Mount House School Newman Catholic College Nicholas Breakspear School Our Lady's Catholic High School, Stamford Hill Sacred Heart High School, Hammersmith Sacred Heart Language College St Anthony's School, Hampstead St Aloysius' College, Highgate St Angela's Ursuline School St Anne's Catholic High School St Claudine's Catholic School for Girls St Dominic's Sixth Form College St George's Catholic School St Gregory's Catholic Science College St Ignatius College, Enfield St James' Catholic High School, Colindale St Joan of Arc Catholic School, Rickmansworth St Mary's Catholic School, Bishop's Stortford St Mark's Catholic School, Hounslow St Michael's Catholic Grammar School St Michael's Catholic High School St Columba's College, St Albans St Paul's College, Sunbury-on-Thames St Richard Reynolds Catholic College Salvatorian College St Thomas More Language College St Catherine's School, Twickenham St Edmund's College, Ware Westminster Cathedral Choir School St Thomas More Catholic School, Wood Green
See also St Mary's University Allen Hall Seminary Redemptoris Mater House of Formation Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory Christ the King, Cockfosters Adorers of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre Ealing Abbey London Oratory George Errington Our Lady of Willesden Apostolic Vicariate of the London District
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