Our Lady and the English Martyrs Church facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Our Lady and the English Martyrs
Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and the English Martyrs
The front (north side) of the church, from across Lensfield Rd.
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Location	Hills Road Cambridge CB2 1JR
Country	England
Denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Status	Parish church
Dedication	Our Lady of the Assumption & the English Martyrs
Consecrated	8 October 1890
Relics held	Saints Felix and Constantia
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Dunn & Hansom
Style	Gothic Revival
Years built	1885–1890 (by Rattee and Kett)
Specifications
Length	Interior: 48 metres (157 ft)
Number of spires	1
Spire height	65 metres (213 ft)
Materials	Limestone (Casterton, Ancaster, Combe Down)
Bells	8 (9 including Angelus)
Tenor bell weight	31 long cwt 2 qr 5 lb (3,533 lb or 1,603 kg) in D
Administration
Deanery	Cambridge
Diocese	East Anglia
Province	Westminster

The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and the English Martyrs, often called Our Lady and the English Martyrs (or OLEM), is a Roman Catholic church in Cambridge, England. It stands at the corner of Hills Road and Lensfield Road. This large church was built between 1885 and 1890. It is a very important building, listed as Grade I, and is the tallest building in Cambridge. Its spire reaches 65 meters (214 feet) into the sky.

Building a New Church

Before OLEM, the only Catholic church in Cambridge was St Andrew's Catholic Church, which opened in 1843. In 1865, the local priest, Canon Thomas Quinlivan, bought more land for a new church. However, there wasn't enough money to start building.

Later, in 1879, with help from the Duke of Norfolk, the land where OLEM now stands was bought. The job of finding more money went to Monsignor Christopher Scott. Then, on August 15, 1884, something amazing happened. A very wealthy woman named Yolande Lyne-Stephens offered to pay £70,000 for the church to be built. She was known as one of the richest commoners in England.

Building work began in 1885. The church was designed by architects Dunn and Hansom. The foundation stone was laid in June 1887. Building a large Catholic church in such a noticeable spot caused some discussion among local people and the University. Despite Mrs. Lyne-Stephens being unwell, the church was finished and officially opened on October 8, 1890. Many important Catholic bishops attended the first Mass. The old St Andrew's Church was later moved and rebuilt in St Ives, Cambridgeshire in 1902.

Church History

After OLEM opened, the number of Catholics in the area grew a lot. This was partly because of Father Robert Benson, who was a famous speaker, and Monsignor Scott's hard work as the parish priest.

In 1921, OLEM hosted a big Catholic meeting called the Bible Congress. This was the largest Catholic gathering in Cambridge since the English Reformation. From 1922 to 1946, the church was also used by the Cambridge Summer School of Catholic Studies.

During an air raid in 1941, a small bomb hit the church's sacristy. It made a large hole in the roof and another in a wall. The blast also broke most of the windows and damaged part of the organ area. Repairs, including new windows that looked like the originals, cost a lot of money.

Church Design and Features

OLEM is one of the biggest Catholic churches in the United Kingdom. It is built in the Gothic Revival style, which means it looks like churches from the Middle Ages. It has a traditional cross shape when viewed from above. The church features a rounded end section and a central tower with windows.

Different types of Limestone were used to build the church. The foundation is made of Casterton stone, the base from Ancaster stone, and the rest from Combe Down stone. Inside, you'll see Bath stone, Plymouth marble, and Newbiggin stone. The spire is the tallest in Cambridge, reaching 65 meters (214 feet), and you can see it from many miles away.

The beautiful stained-glass windows show scenes from the lives of English martyrs, like St John Fisher. They also show symbols of the Cambridge Colleges.

In 1973, the main altar area was updated. On April 7, 1973, Bishop Charles Grant officially blessed the new central altar. The original high altar is now mainly used for keeping the Blessed Sacrament.

In 2022, the church's importance was recognized even more. It was upgraded to a Grade I listed building, which is the highest level of protection for historic buildings in England.

Rectory Building

The rectory, which is the house for the priest, is right next to the church. It was also built around 1890. It has a Tudor style, with red bricks, stone decorations, and a roof that looks like a castle. This building is also important and is a Grade II listed building.

Special Statue

The church has a special wooden statue of the virgin and child from the mid-1500s. It is about half life-size. People say this statue was found at Emmanuel College in 1850. It is believed to be the same statue that Thomas Cromwell ordered to be removed way back in 1538. A sign near the statue says it was once in the Dominican priory that used to be where Emmanuel College is now.

Music at the Church

The Choir of Our Lady and the English Martyrs is made up of professional and semi-professional singers. It includes people who used to sing in university choirs. There is also a second choir, the Schola Cantorum. This choir sings mostly in Latin, performing old church music like polyphony and Gregorian chant during the weekly Latin Mass.

The church's organ was built in 1890 by Abbott and Smith. It was designed to the ideas of the famous composer Charles Villiers Stanford. The organ was updated in 2002 by Nicholson & Co Ltd.

The bell tower holds a set of eight bells that can be rung in a special way called change ringing. There is also a ninth bell for the Angelus. All the bells were made in 1895 by John Taylor & Co. Each bell has a special message carved into it.

The largest bell, called the tenor bell, weighs about 31 long tons. It is thought to be the biggest bell in all of Cambridgeshire.

The chimes you hear every 15 minutes from the clock tower were made by Potts of Leeds. They play a tune based on an old church song called "Alleluia" from Easter.

Images for kids

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  The church viewed from Parker's Piece

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  The (liturgical) west window

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  The sanctuary

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  The high altar under the ciborium

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  16th-century statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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  The east side of the church, from Hills Road