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Our Lady of Lourdes Leigh-on-Sea Webcam – Altar and Reredos
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About this webcam
The Our Lady of Lourdes Leigh-on-Sea Webcam is the parish camera inside the Catholic church of Our Lady of Lourdes and St Joseph in Leigh-on-Sea, on the Essex shore of the Thames Estuary. It looks over the front rows of wooden pews and a strip of red carpet to the stone altar, which stands on dark steps in front of a wall of carved timber. At the center of that woodwork, a gilded relief shows the Annunciation, with the winged Angel Gabriel kneeling on the left and Mary at a prayer desk on the right. Three silver lamps with red glass hang on long chains in front of it. The parish streams the camera so that people can follow Mass, Holy Hours and quiet prayer from home. Between services the sanctuary can sit empty for long stretches.
About Our Lady of Lourdes and St Joseph, Leigh-on-Sea
The parish priest, Fr F. W. Gilbert, bought the site in 1924 with donations and his own money, acted as his own architect and clerk of works, and used local labor, including unemployed men from Grays. The foundation stone was laid on 7 October 1924 and the church opened in September 1925. His Gothic design borrows heavily from the Anglican church of St Alban the Martyr in nearby Westcliff-on-Sea, built from 1898 to 1908 to designs by Nicholson and Corlette. In 1965 and 1966 Burles, Newton and Partners extended it in the same style, moving the west wall 20 feet (about 6 meters) further out to add a choir gallery, a porch and a baptistery.
The carved timber reredos fills the whole east wall and is thought to be Fr Gilbert’s own design, as is the pulpit on the left of the frame, where figures of the evangelists stand around the drum and carved cherubs hold it up from below. A green cloth hangs from the pulpit, and a green veil covers the tabernacle behind the altar, the color the Church uses in Ordinary Time. A row of six candles stands on the altar, palms in pots flank it, and on the right are the celebrant’s chair, marked with the IHS monogram, a lectern on a twisted wooden column and the elaborate oak stalls along the side of the sanctuary. The floor is black and white marble. Out of frame, the nave has four bays of pointed arches under a five-sided timber ceiling, with stained glass by Whitefriars and by Goddard and Gibbs.
Leigh-on-Sea is part of the City of Southend-on-Sea and had 22,568 residents at the 2021 census. It lies about 65 kilometers (40 miles) from central London.The YouTube stream behind the Our Lady of Lourdes Leigh-on-Sea Webcam runs on the parish’s own channel, and the current broadcast has been on air since March 2022.
Weather and Climate in Leigh-on-Sea
Leigh-on-Sea shares one of the driest climates in the UK. Met Office averages for 1991 to 2020 at nearby Shoeburyness give January highs of 7.8 C (46 F) and lows of 2.7 C (37 F), and July highs of 22.3 C (72 F) with lows of 13.6 C (56 F). Only about 527 millimeters (20.7 inches) of rain falls in a year, with October to December the wettest stretch. There are about 30 days of air frost a year, and summer days are generally slightly cooler than in London.
The camera frames the sanctuary rather than the windows, so the weather outside barely shows on screen. Daylight at this latitude runs from about 16 hours 40 minutes at the June solstice to about 7 hours 50 minutes in late December. Shoeburyness logs around 1,880 hours of sunshine a year, most of them between April and August.
Things to Do Near Leigh-on-Sea
Old Leigh, the old riverside settlement on the estuary, is the place to start. It was once on the main shipping route to London, and today its cobbled streets, weatherboarded cottages and pubs sit beside rows of fishmongers’ kiosks selling cockles, winkles, whelks and crab. The town’s Anglican parish church, St Clement’s, was rebuilt in the late 15th or early 16th century and has a list of rectors going back to 1248.
Two Tree Island, a nature reserve with walks and wide views over the estuary, lies about 2.7 kilometers (1.7 miles) southwest. Hadleigh Castle, about 3.8 kilometers (2.4 miles) west, was first built in the 1230s and enlarged by Edward III in the 14th century. Belfairs Woods and Hadleigh Great Wood form a nature reserve with woodland trails and a discovery center. Heading east, Southend Pier starts about 3.7 kilometers (2.3 miles) away and runs 2.16 kilometers (1.34 miles) out to sea, the longest pleasure pier in the world.
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For more live views inside English and Scottish churches, and of the coast across the estuary, try these cameras.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Leigh-on-Sea?
The Diocese of Brentwood lists the church at 1 Cliffsea Grove, Leigh-on-Sea, SS9 1NG, by Leigh Road. Leigh-on-Sea is on the north shore of the Thames Estuary in Essex, England.
What can you see on the Our Lady of Lourdes Leigh-on-Sea Webcam?
The altar and sanctuary, seen over the front pews: the gilded Annunciation relief in the carved east wall, the hanging lamps, the carved pulpit on the left, and the celebrant’s chair and oak stalls on the right.
What are the Mass times at Our Lady of Lourdes, Leigh-on-Sea?
The parish schedule lists Mass at 9 am Monday to Thursday, 12 noon on Friday and 10 am on Saturday, followed by a Holy Hour at 10:30 am. On Saturday evening there is Mass at 5:30 pm and a Holy Hour at 6:30 pm. Sunday Masses are at 8 am, 9:30 am and 11:30 am, with Vespers and Benediction at 5:30 pm and an extra 4 pm Mass on the first Sunday of the month. Times can change, so check the parish website before you travel.
Can you watch a live Mass from Our Lady of Lourdes Leigh-on-Sea?
Yes. The “Live” item in the parish website menu links to this same YouTube stream, so Masses and Holy Hours can be followed as they happen.
When was Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Leigh-on-Sea built?
The foundation stone was laid on 7 October 1924 and the church opened in September 1925. It was extended in 1965 and 1966.
Can you visit Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Leigh-on-Sea?
Yes. The parish says the church is open daily from 8 am until 6 pm for private prayer and that all are welcome. Confessions are heard during the Saturday Holy Hours or on request.
What is the weather like in Leigh-on-Sea?
Mild and dry by British standards. Met Office averages give January highs around 7.8 C (46 F), July highs around 22.3 C (72 F) and about 527 millimeters (20.7 inches) of rain a year.