Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols reopens St Patrick’s RC church after £3.5m refurbishment

Published: 03 June 2011
by JOSH LOEB

ARCHBISHOP of Westminster Vincent Nichols attended mass at a Soho church this week to mark its reopening following a £3.5million refurbishment. 

St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Parish Church in Soho Square was closed for 14 months while the work took place, during which time services were held at the nearby House of St Barnabas.

The site of St Patrick’s, built in 1792, has had a lively history: before the church was built, it was called Carlisle House, where Casanova’s mistress is said to have run a brothel and music hall.

The church was rebuilt in 1893 with “the pennies of the poor” and by private subscription. Parish priest Father Alexander Sherbrooke said: “As of the last 300 years, so today, Soho can claim to be one of the most vibrant parts of the city. Emancipation for Catholics only began in 1791. 

A year later Carlisle House became St Patrick’s Catholic Church and as such can claim to be one of the oldest Catholic parishes in London. The parish today continues to be an oasis for prayer and silence away from the bustle of city life and also an important and enhanced centre for outreach to the poor and vulnerable.”