Breckles Lynford Merton Thompson Threxton
home I index I introductions I e-mail I about this site
Our Lady and St Stephen, Lynford
Our Lady
and St Stephen, Lynford On the edge of the Norfolk battle training area, stuck away in the woods, is the tiny Catholic church of Our Lady of Consolation and St Stephen. It was built by the fabulously wealthy Mrs Lyne-Stephens in 1878. She lived at Lynford Hall, and, as Pevsner puts it, 'tired of travelling into Thetford' for Mass.
Liturgically, all Catholic churches should be open, or at least accessible. In practice in East Anglia, most are not, especially outside the towns. Technically, this is a chapel of ease, not a church, and so the same doesn't apply, but it won't surprise you to learn that we found it locked when we called in July 2004. At that time, the church still hosted the Thetford parish anticipatory Mass every Saturday night, but the Diocese mothballed it shortly afterwards, so that people had to travel into Thetford for Mass (the thinking being that Parish communities should not be separated by Mass stations if possible). The church was declared redundant, but was taken over by the wonderful Norfolk Churches Trust. It is under the pastoral care of Thetford parish, and still hosts occasional Masses. Simon Knott, July 2004, updated June 2010 You can also read: an introduction to churches beyond the battle zone I |
Breckles Lynford Merton Thompson Threxton
Amazon commission helps cover the running costs of this site.
home I index I latest I introductions I e-mail I about this site I glossary
links I small
print I www.simonknott.co.uk I www.suffolkchurches.co.uk
ruined churches I desktop backgrounds I round tower churches