Church of the Sacred Heart and St Helen (1861)

The Church of the Sacred Heart and St Helen was built in 1861 as a larger replacement to the the previous Catholic church. It was designed by Gilbert Blount, a popular church architect of the time who designed many Catholic churches across England. It was built by Patman & Fotheringham of London. This new Gothic church could seat 600, it was built of Kentish rag stone with Bath stone dressings around the windows and doors as well as an impressive tower and spire. In all it cost £2,500 to build and the land was donated by Lord Petre.

In 1917, a new diocese was founded by the Pope in Rome to accommodate Essex's expanding Catholic population. St. Helen's in Brentwood was designated as its cathedral church. By that time the congregation was roughly 800 people, 200 more than the church was originally designed for.

This ultimately led to the extending of the building and its conversion into Brentwood Cathedral.