Presbytery
Introduction, Foundation of the parish, The church, The presbytery, The clergy, Parish, Congregation, Spiritual, Education, Social and economic, Some notable events, Acknowledgements
The presbytery, consisting of a large four-bedroomed house linked to the church by a corridor, must have been built before the church because, engraved in intertwined letters on the lintel above the door, are the initials TW and the date 1853. There was a stable at the foot of the drive. At the time, there would have been at least two servants living in the house, and it is understood that the groom slept in a loft above the stable.
Although the days of resident servants are in general long past, until recently the presbytery remained basically unaltered. Over the years, various internal improvements were made. In 1896 the site was connected to the main drainage system (shades of earlier “netties” and/or commodes!) and later the church heating system was extended into it, internal access formed from what had been a wine cellar through into the boilerhouse under the corridor linking the presbytery to the church, and electricity and modern plumbing installed. The stable had, of course, long gone into disuse for that purpose and in the 1960’s was converted into a small parish hall, currently leased to a children’s playgroup.
In 1987 St Osmund’s was left without a resident priest and put under the wing of the Holy Family church in Darlington, with the presbytery (which in any case was far too large for a priest on his own) being left unoccupied. In 1990 it was decided to follow on the renovation of the church by major modifications to the presbytery in order to provide a parish centre on the ground floor and a self contained flat on the upper floor, both capable of being operated independently of each other and of the church.
Various old outbuildings were demolished and a new entrance hall was constructed at the rear giving access to the flat and also to the sacristy. Incorporated in this hallway block are a toilet and a utility/boiler room for church use.
Two rooms of the ground floor were knocked into one to form a 29ft x 15ft meeting room. An existing small outbuilding opening off this was converted into toilets with facilities for the disabled, and a new kitchen extension built alongside it. Stone recovered from the demolished outbuildings was used for the new construction, and the external appearance of the presbytery is little changed from the original.
At the time of writing, the flat is occupied by a retired priest and the centre is in use by the parishioners of St Osmund’s. Plans are in hand to extend its use to other denominations in Gainford and also for it to serve as a study/meeting centre for other Catholic parishes within the Darlington Deanery.
