In Praise of Douai

Work on the splendid Douai Abbey began in 1928 and the east end was completed in 1933. However, it was the summer of 1993 before the church was completed, opened and dedicated. The original design, by Arnold Crush, can be seen in the choir and sanctuary areas. The initial plan was to have a transept crossing surmounted by a tower, and, with another seven bays, the church would have extended almost to the road.

When, years after work began, circumstances eventually allowed its completion, the monastic community at Douai chose to finish the church in a style that suited the modern age, with the focus on prayer and praise. In 1987 Dr Michael Blee was invited to start work on a new design.

Step inside and you'll spot several notable memorials. One is to pupils of the former school killed in the world wars, while another commemorates all those who contributed to the building of the new church. The chapel to the north was originally dedicated to St Benedict and is now the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, used for private prayer and worship. The altar here is the work of Thomas Derrick, with the inscription by Eric Gill.

The church may be new but what of Douai's history? The abbey community covers more than three and a half centuries. The Dissolution of the monasteries during the reign of Henry VIII drove men and women who opted for a monastic existence to flee abroad. In 1615 a group of English monks gathered in Paris to form the community of St Edmund. Other English monasteries were formed there and together they restored the English Benedictine Congregation, first established in 1336.

Having been suppressed and almost extinguished by the events of the French Revolution, the survivors of St Edmund's moved, in 1818, to Douai in France. However, their future was far from certain. In 1903 the monks were again expelled from their monastery on anti-clerical grounds. This time they crossed the channel to Berkshire, taking the name 'Douai' with them. They took over the existing St Mary's College, transforming it into a leading Roman Catholic public school for boys, which closed in 1999.

These days the Douai community includes around 30 monks, who receive guests here, host conferences and offer a place of retreat. They also help organise events in the church itself and in other parts of the abbey campus, as well as working in the surrounding parish.

Where to eat and drink

The Six Bells at Beenham is ideally placed, right in the centre of Beenham. Try one of the snacks, perhaps soup and a baguette, or for something more substantial there are such dishes as steak and kidney pudding, lasagne and a range of omelettes.

What to look for

Next to Woolhampton church lie the buildings of Elstree School, a famous preparatory school that moved to this site from Elstree in Hertfordshire in 1939, to avoid the threat of bombing. Prior to that, the house had been the country seat of Count Dudley Melchior Beaumont Gurowski, son of an Austrian consul.

While you're there

St Peter's Church at Woolhampton was completely Gothicised in the mid-19th century. The roof and main walls of the old church were retained and the walls encased in flint. The old bell tower was also transformed into an attractive shingled spire. John Betjeman is reputed to have visited the church and was so impressed by its attractive rural setting that he urged the villagers to fight off any proposal to develop the area.