In 2002, the Benedictine Community of nuns decided that they would move from their Monastery, Stanbrook Abbey. Here is the announcement made at the time on the website of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales: Stanbrook Abbey to move.About a year ago, the Daily Telegraph reported offers were being invited in the region of £6 million (sterling). I have just heard that the sale of Stanbrook Abbey has fallen through and that the whole property is up for sale again.
It would be wonderful if this property were to remain in Catholic hands - what a splendid setting it would be for a Catholic educational establishment, for example. The most likely alternative fate for the beautiful Abbey and Church is that it will fall into the hands of a property developer to be converted into luxury retirement flats: the fate of several other former monasteries.
Stanbrook is near to the M5 motorway and close to both Birmingham and Cheltenham. Included in the deal is 21.5 acres of land and the Abbey Church, designed by Edward Welby Pugin. The Stanbrook Abbey website has more pictures and there are some good black and white photos at Powick parish's page for Stanbrook Abbey. Here is the advertisement from the website of Andrew Grant Estate Agents:
By Direction of the Benedictine Community
MONASTERY & ASSOCIATED BUILDINGS REDEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY. APPROXIMATELY 21.5 ACRES
Victorian Abbey approx: 49,000 sq ft.
Magnificent Grade II Listed Church - approx: 6,000 sq ft (ground floor).
The Old House approx: 10,000 sq ft.
The Presbytery (Stanbrook Hall) approx: 5,000 sq ft.
St Mary's House, Victorian and later approx: 7,000 sq ft.
Market Hall in need of refurbishment approx: 2,000 sq ft.
For further information please contact Country Homes Department 01905 734735 or country.homes@andrew-grant.co.uk
9 comments:
Is it worth passing the hat round to see if we could collect £6,000,000? I would be prepared to put in a bit.
Actually this is a serious suggestion. There must be 60 people with £100,000 stached away in a bank account somewhere.
Well I know what I'll be buying if I win the lottery tonight !!!
Oh my dream house...& close to Birmingham!
A number of groups have been meeting to pray for the past two years, since the idea of a move for Stanbrook was first planned. We - including Anglicans - pray the rosary that it will not be sold. The sale has fallen through a number of times now. Please pray that it will be saved soon and remain as you say, in Catholic hands, ideally as a future school or college that is distinctively Catholic. The prayer life of the community there is totally alive and the nuns are wonderful.
It fell through? Oh my.
On the one hand, it was going to be turned into a spa which I cringed at a little internally (ok, maybe more than a little). But on the other this is another obstacle in their move - which is stressful for anyone and even more so for an enclosed community.
You said: It would be wonderful if this property were to remain in Catholic hands and I completely agree with you. I pray that something out of the ordinary will happen so that this can take place.
Thank you for alerting ut to this piece of news, Fr Tim.
It's good that Stanbrook is back on the market. Now there is another chance for someone, hopefully with the financial means, to rescue this piece of Catholic heritage and take advantage of this unique opportunity to save and own a Benedictine site and allow it to be filled, once again, with the teachings of the Catholic faith.
I really think this needs some co-ordinated, strategic thinking on the part of those with the vision to build on what is already good in this country in respect of Catholic education and to maybe take the bold step to move things up a level.
How to do it, I'm not sure - but maybe enough movers and shakers read your blog, Father, to perhaps set the ball rolling.
There is one proposal I know of for Stanbrook; see: www.stanbrook-trust.co.uk
A group of us has set up a charity (the Stanbrook Trust)to try and secure a sympathetic future use for Stanbrook. Some ideas are mentioned on our web-site www.stanbrook-trust.co.uk. Suggestions, especially of potential sources of funding, very welcome.
In the February 21st edition of "Country Life", real estate section, there is a full page photo of Edward Welby Pugin's Stanbrook Abbey. What a shock to see the Abbey on the sale block.
A number of years ago, the BBC had a television drama concerning the unlikely and very lenghty correspondance between Dame Laurentia Mc Lachian and Bernard Shaw.
In my opinon, the Abbey Choir is ugly,not what one would expect from his father, A.W.N Pugin. It almost looks Nordic and I wager in the winter,felt that way too. However, I am sure the nuns were very grateful for the wide space between the choir stalls.
Edward P. Walton
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