London, GB | Formerly of New York, Buenos Aires, Fife, and the Western Cape. | Saoránach d’Éirinn.

Downside

Return to Downside

Christmas was marked by a return to the Abbey Basilica of Saint Gregory the Great at Downside for Midnight Mass. The abbey church always has a splendid feeling at night. One of the best points at the wedding of the century was in the evening when, after a fair bit of dining and drinking, a whole slew of guests slipped into the church where the monks who a few hours previous had sung the nuptial mass were singing compline and joined in their prayers.

Doubtless you will recall last year’s Christmas diary documenting my holiday with Garabanda, Ming, und Familie. In the time since then, my own parents have very wisely moved onto the same landmass as I, and — even better — moved to nary a half-hour’s drive from Downside, so this Christmas was spent in blessed Georgian comfort with my own parents and all the delights of that particular patch of the West Country. (more…)

January 10, 2013 10:00 pm | Link | No Comments »

Dabbling in Freemasonry at Downside

UPDATE: I have received word that this issue has been suitably dealt with.

One of Britain’s most prominent Catholic schools, Downside Abbey in Somerset, has a friendship with Freemasonry that Catholics might find rather troubling. As recently brought to light in a report on the Curated Secrets blog, Downside invited “Spenny” Compton, 7th Marquess of Northampton (as well as Britain’s wealthiest Buddhist and sometime Pro-Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England) to talk about Freemasonry to students at the Benedictine boarding school. “I was invited two years ago to address some of the senior boys and monks at Downside, the Roman Catholic boarding school,” the Marquess wrote in 2005. (more…)

April 21, 2010 5:10 pm | Link | 10 Comments »

Downside

Last night I saw The Hole, a somewhat amusing ‘psychological thriller’ about a bunch of boarding school kids who lock themselves in an old bunker, have a party, then realise they can’t get out, yadda yadda yadda, people die. It was fairly light and worth watching if you’re easily entertained (and I often am). Perhaps the most enjoyable part was a few aerial shots of the Basilica of Saint Gregory the Great, Downside Abbey and School where our own Robert O’Brien will be teaching in the autumn. (The school was given a different name in the film).

July 22, 2005 1:55 pm | Link | No Comments »

Downside

At the drinks party for bejants at Canmore the other night, my mind got wandering to whether there are any basilicas in the United Kingdom.

Rob mentioned the Basilica of Corpus Christi in Manchester, and we thought Westminster Cathedral might be a basilica, but it appears not.

Downside Abbey, however, is the Basilica of Saint Gregory the Great. Above can be seen Dom Antony Sutch, the former head of Downside, who had some very cogent criticisms of Labour education policy.

A splendid triptych from this site.

Splendid photo of an old rite mass courtesy of the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales.

An early view, only partially executed to this plan.

If anyone knows of other British basilicas, do inform us.

Links:
Catholic Encyclopedia article
Official Abbey website

UPDATE: St. Chad’s Cathedral in Birmingham — a work of Pugin — is also a basilica.

October 6, 2004 10:16 am | Link | No Comments »

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