A potted history
In 1864, Dr Vaughan, Bishop of Plymouth, invited Mother Margaret Hallahan and her Dominican Sisters to found an orphanage in the Diocese. They chose St Marychurch, and moved into a temporary home in August of that year.
Mr William Potts-Chatto of the Daison, a small country estate in the area, offered to build a church to Our Lady and St Denis in thanksgiving for his son’s recovery from a grave illness. Work began on 1st June 1867 with Mr Joseph Hansom, celebrated Catholic architect of Hansom cab fame, as principal architect.
The nuns’ choir and Chapter Room were completed the following year and served as a temporary chapel. The church was completed and opened in August 1869. The Presbytery was completed in April 1869, paid for by Fr W. Downing, Chaplain to the Potts-Chatto family.
By 1871 a convent had been built and by 1878 the church – with the exception of the tower - was completed. Over the next few years the cloister and a guest home were added. The church was solemnly opened by Bishop Vaughan in February 1881.
The 175 foot spire was completed in June 1881.
The high altar is covered in Caen stone. Each of the pillars in the nave has a carving of a different flower or foliage grown at the home of the Potts-Chatto family. At the west end of the church are statues to St William and St Agnes, patron saints of the founder and his wife. On the left of the sanctuary is the altar to St Dominic, facing the nuns’ choir. The altar of St Joseph was given by Canon Lapotre and the altar to the Sacred Heart by Miss Longlands, both in 1889. The pulpit was the gift of Miss Margaret Lloyd in memory of her sister.
The large crucifix on the south side was carved by Mr Potts-Chatto himself in wood formerly located in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
Beneath the Lady Chapel is a burial crypt for members of the Potts-Chatto family.
The church was elevated to Grade I status on 14th January 2014, and there is no doubt that its parishioners are fortunate indeed to attend Mass at one of the most beautiful places of worship in the Diocese.
Further information about the church and its history can be found on the Historic England website entry: