Saint Augustine of Canterbury Church

A Mass centre was opened in Springfield in 1961, served from Our Lady Immaculate, Chelmsford. A resident priest was appointed in October 1982 to serve the Catholic users of the present church. This was an ecumenical building project (the church being shared with the Anglicans, United Reformed Church and Methodists), serving Chelmer Village, an area of new housing. It was designed originally as a single large rectangular space which could be subdivided into one large and two smaller halls by moveable screens, with sacristies/vestries and other small ancillary rooms in projections at the northeast, northwest and southwest corners. It was opened and dedicated on 3 June 1983. St Augustine’s became a separate Catholic parish in 1985, and became part of the Linked Chelmsford Parishes in 2022.

In 2007 the building was greatly enlarged on the eastern side by the addition of a new worship space with curving copper-clad outer walls. The architect was Karen Fardell of Plater Claiborne of Tollesbury, the builders F. J. French. This won a design award from the Chelmsford Society in 2008.