The Parish community at St. William of York, Stanmore, welcomed Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor on Sunday 22^nd October 2006, as he blessed and opened the new parish Hall.  The Mayor of Harrow, Councillor Janet Cowan also attended the opening ceremony.

“It was really good to be in St. William of York parish for the first time and I was very impressed with the vibrant faith of all the people,” said Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor. “It was also good to be able to open your new Hall, which is really lovely and obviously a great resource for the parish and community”.

The new Hall offers disabled facilities, a warm welcoming meeting room, lots of storage space, and, above all, a splendid space for parish events and functions.  A bust of St. William of York, carved out of Rosal Portuguese Limestone stands in the entrance to the Hall.  The artist, Jim Keegan, is a parishioner of St. William of York and a member of the Parish Council.

In addition to the construction of the new Hall, a ramp was also provided from the car park to the church doors for wheelchair access, and new disabled facilities were also provided at the back of the church.

The new Hall, which is set in woodland adjacent to the Church, was designed by architect Colin Smart, of Kyle Smart Associates, Dunstable.  Work began on 5^th September 2005 and the builders, Albany Construction handed the new building over to the parish on 31^st August 2006. The selling of a small piece of land owned by the Parish some years ago provided the necessary funds for the Parish to go ahead with the replacement of their old Hall.