In the early 1960’s when Westwood airfield was redeveloped for housing, the then incumbent of St.Botolph’s, Longthorpe, the Rev’d Cecil Gibbings, saw the need for a church to serve the people coming to live there.
The Conventional District of Westwood was formed in 1964 from parts of the parishes of Longthorpe, All Saints Paston and St John the Baptist Peterborough. The Rev’d Roy Dooley was appointed as the first parish priest and for 5 years the church community used a former RAF hut for worship.
Earl Fitzwilliam (via the Fitzwilliam Trust) gifted land for the erection of a church and his wife requested that it be dedicated to St Jude, and so the first part of the present church was built in 1968-9. Bishop Cyril Easthaugh dedicated the building on 17 January 1969.
Phase 1 had been a relatively modest building comprising the present hall, Damascus Room, toilets and kitchen and under the second incumbent, the Rev’d Jeffrey Bell who was appointed in 1972 – 1978, the church was enlarged in 1977. Phase 2 saw an extension to the hall, corresponding to the ‘nave’ of the present church and also, the building of the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, then known as the Chapel of Christ the Servant. Folding screens separated the two parts of the hall.
The third incumbent, the Rev’d Richard Giles, became parish priest in July 1979 and it was his plan to extend the dual-purpose building into a church with a separate church hall. The architect for this building, designed the sanctuary, tower and sacristy, as well as the passage round the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. The walled garden also belongs to this development. The extension was consecrated by the Rt Rev’d Douglas Feaver, then Bishop of Peterborough, on the 14 July 1984.
Stealth will be required a lot of the time. If on your arrival you find there are too many muggles, please leave it for a better time. Alternatively, wait patiently, and something will take them away ;-)
Bring your own pen.
Cache location is suitable for buggies and wheelchairs.
If anybody would like to expand to this series please do, I would just ask that you could let Sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication
To view the church micro stats & information page, please click here
Fgnaq va furygre snpvat puhepu. Oruvaq lbh ba gur evtug jurer gur orapu zrrgf gur jnyy.