A very long name for a very small Chapel of Ease, but a church of great importance to the rural Catholics of this area. We are part of St Osmund’s Parish in Salisbury and you would be most welcome to join our congregation for Mass. Dates and times for our occasional masses are diplayed in the porch window.
In 1147 AD a chapel was founded at Standlynch. In the mid 19th century it became part of the Trafalgar estate which the “grateful nation” had given to the Nelson family. In 1896 Countess Nelson converted to Roman Catholicism and in 1913 the 4th Earl turned the building into an RC chapel. The Nelson family sold the estate in 1948 but Lord Henry Nelson had foreseen the necessity of providing an alternative church for the congregation which would otherwise be isolated and wither away. He therefore acquired a large parcel of land in Barford Lane and endowed a small building in one comer as a temporary measure until a permanent church could be built in the centre. That breeze-block building is the Church we still use today. It cost £1793 to build and was completed in 1950.
Initially, the church was largely unfurnished and the congregation was asked to bring their own chairs and to leave them there. Lord Nelson had commissioned two craftsmen from Italy to construct the altar while from Standlynch came the splendid crucifix over the altar, the old organ, altar rails and the two large candlesticks now used for the Easter Candle and the lectern. Over the years and entirely through the efforts of the congregation we now have a fully furnished and attractive church and are constantly looking to improve it.
Lord Nelson had a great devotion to Our Lady of Czestochowa in Poland. While on a visit to Poland in 1927, shortly after the original icon had been restored he commissioned a copy to be made, probably by the craftsmen involved in the restoration. It was moved to Downton in 1952 and fixed in its present position in 1966. The late Fred Brotheridge had his own story to tell about the icon. Fred, who bored the holes and installed it, recalls that it was so heavy he feared he would drop it when the door opened and a cheery voice called, “Can I help you?” Fred gasped, “Please!” The stranger grabbed the icon, it slipped easily into place, and with a wave he left the church and an astonished Fred, who had never seen him before and never saw him again!
If anybody would like to expand to this series please do, I would just ask that you could let Sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the Church numbers and names to avoid duplication
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