Coldham Cottage facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Coldham Cottage |
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| Church of Our Lady Immaculate and St Joseph | |
Church of Our Lady Immaculate and St Joseph - known as Coldham Cottage
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 Coldham Cottage
Location in Suffolk
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| 52°10′12″N 0°42′53″E / 52.1700°N 0.7148°E | |
| Location | Bury Road, Lawshall, Suffolk |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
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| Diocese | Roman Catholic Diocese of East Anglia |
The Church of Our Lady Immaculate and St Joseph, also known as Coldham Cottage, is the oldest Roman Catholic church in Suffolk that is still in use today. It is located on Bury Road, Lawshall and is part of the Diocese of East Anglia. This church belongs to the Catholic parish of Bury St Edmunds. In 1998, it was given a special status as a Grade II Listed Building, which means it's an important historical building.
The church is found on Bury Road, close to the entrance of Coldham Hall. For a long time, especially since the Reformation (a period when many people in England changed from being Catholic to Protestant), the history of the Catholic community here was closely connected to the Rookwood family and Coldham Hall. Even though the hall itself is in the nearby village of Stanningfield, the main gate, the long driveway, and the church are all in Lawshall.
History of Coldham Cottage
The Rookwood family had lived in this area since 1315. In 1574, they built a grand new house, tearing down their old one. This new house was special because it had a secret chapel hidden in the attic. It even had a secret hiding place and an escape route down a chimney!
Just four years after the hall was finished, Queen Elizabeth I visited Lawshall. The Rookwoods tried to get her to visit their home. However, one family member was instead sent to prison in Bury St Edmunds, where he later passed away. During this time, there were many disagreements between Roman Catholics and Protestants. These problems likely affected the village in many ways. Records of the Rookwood family show how they faced fines and had their property taken away. During these difficult times, Catholic priests sometimes stayed at Coldham Hall. Their names were not written down to keep them safe.
Sometime in the late 1500s or early 1600s, the attic chapel was no longer used for church services. A new place for Mass was found deep in the woods, surrounded by a moat (a water-filled ditch). This second chapel was at a house called Barfords. The building, with parts of the old chapel, is still there today. Around this time, the Rookwoods became connected to the Gage family at Hengrave Hall. Sir Thomas Gage took over Coldham Hall from his mother, who was a Rookwood. His brother, Father John Gage, almost caused the Coldham church to close. He encouraged many people to go to his new church in Bury St Edmunds instead. To try and stop the number of churchgoers from dropping, a third chapel was built at Coldham Hall in the early 1800s. It is still there but is not used for services anymore.
In 1865, when Father Patrick Rogers was the priest, new problems arose. Coldham Hall had to be sold because of money troubles. Mass was then held at Barfords again until 1870. That's when the presbytery (the priest's house) at Coldham Cottage was changed and made bigger to become the church we see today. Around the same time, the Catholic school was moved to a spot next to the new church.
Coldham Cottage itself was built in the late 1600s or early 1700s. It has a timber frame, is whitewashed, and has a tiled roof. A separate church was made by using one part of the old house (the kitchen and a bedroom, with the floor removed) and adding an extension. This building is special because it has been used by Catholics continuously since at least the 1700s.
After some recent repair work, there is now a priest living at the cottage. It also offers a place for other priests to stay for holidays. The current church is now the oldest Roman Catholic Mission in Suffolk.
See also
