The story of St Ann’s was not begun by bricks alone. It began with people, with a room offered for prayer, and with the generous belief that there should always be a place for one more.
From a family home to a home for many.
1955
A room becomes a chapelSunday Mass begins at Holmwood - a family home opens its doors.
1960
A church becomes a homeSt Ann’s opens on Kingston Hill on 8 December.
Today
The welcome continuesNew generations find prayer, friendship and a place to belong.
Our journey through time
Begin with the family home, then follow the people and places that made St Ann’s what it is today.
1900–04
The house before the church
William and Adelaide Roper moved to Coombe Leigh from Sutton around 1900. Their daughter Helen was born here in 1904. Anne Roper later remembered a household gathered for morning Scripture and a Dutch garden where today’s parish car park stands.
1935–45
The house shelters neighbours
The Ropers sold Coombe Leigh in 1935. During the Second World War, Kingston Council used the house to shelter families whose homes had been bombed. Thin partitions divided its rooms; by the time the Ropers returned, its doors had been numbered.
1955–58
The first local Masses
In December 1955 Arnold Brenninkmeyer opened the library at Holmwood for Sunday Mass. Three years later his generosity helped secure Coombe Leigh next door. The old drawing room and smoking room became a temporary chapel while a new church was prepared.
Read the parish beginnings ↗
1960
8 December
The Ropers’ front lawn held a great oak ringed by daffodils. Anne Roper placed the new church on the site of that tree. Designed by F. G. Broadbent, St Ann’s opened on 8 December 1960, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
Explore the church history ↗
1966–68
A parish of its own
St Ann’s became an independent parish in June 1966. In 1967 Billy Roper returned with his wife Anne and visited his childhood home beside the church. Coombe Leigh was demolished the following year; a parish hall and presbytery took its place.
Read the parish history ↗
1985
A sacred dedication
Archbishop Michael Bowen solemnly dedicated St Ann’s on 9 December 1985. The stained-glass window given by Fr Cremin’s relatives recalled a priest who worked for this community. That year’s parish booklet also preserved Anne Roper’s memories of the house.
2024
A renewed welcome
Fr James Raj began his ministry in September and was inducted in October. The Advent lights celebration brought parishioners together inside and outside: candles travelled along the pews, then the church and grounds shone across Kingston Hill.
See the induction celebration ↗
2025
The Jubilee of Hope
St Ann’s welcomed Jubilee pilgrims. Marymount pupils and staff walked through Richmond Park to pray here, while the new 60+ Club made room for older neighbours to meet regularly. In Advent, the church again filled with people for its Christmas lights.
Read the Marymount story ↗
2026
A living community
In May, the National Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima visited with relics of Saints Francisco and Jacinta. By October, planning permission had been granted for a renewed hall with a safer, more accessible connection to the church. The parish continues to make room for one more.
Explore the hall project ↗
Life here now
These glimpses of parish life show how the welcome continues beyond the church doors.
The Voice of St Ann’s Kids board holds drawings of the church and the children’s sacramental journey, giving families a visible place in parish life.
Marymount’s Jubilee pilgrimage came through Richmond Park for prayer at St Ann’s and supported a science laboratory at its sister school in Zambia.
Older neighbours and volunteers meet for gentle chair exercises, games, tea and conversation at the 60+ Club, which began in October 2025.
St Francis and the care of creation
On 4 October 2026, the feast of St Francis of Assisi, families and parishioners gathered with their pets for an outdoor Mass and blessing. The dogs, the trees and the church all shared the scene - a reminder to cherish the creatures entrusted to our care.
A garden can be a place of prayer, welcome and gratitude.
See the parish celebration ↗An open door for the years ahead
In 2030, St Ann’s will mark seventy years since the church first opened. Until then, and long afterwards, its truest history will continue to be written in the lives of those who pray, serve, laugh, grieve and find friendship here.
Discover community life ↗ Visit St Ann’s ↗Historical photographs and memories are drawn from the parish’s 1985 booklet, Saint Ann’s Church and The Story of a House. Opening architectural photograph: Taking Stock. Contemporary images and accounts come from the parish’s published stories: children’s artwork, Marymount pilgrimage, 60+ Club and Pets’ Blessing Mass.