St Cassian's Centre is a Catholic Youth Retreat Centre in the village of

Kintbury Kintbury is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England, between the towns of Newbury and Hungerford. The village has a convenient railway to and , proximity to other transport and local cultural destinations, including Roman and Norman si ...

in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

county of

West Berkshire West Berkshire is a local government district in Berkshire, England, administered from Newbury by West Berkshire Council. History The district of Newbury was formed on 1 April 1974, as a merger of the borough of Newbury, Bradfield Rural Distric ...

. It is owned and operated by the

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

and

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

District of the

de La Salle brothers french: Frères des Écoles Chrétiennes , image = Signum Fidei.jpg , image_size = 175px , caption = , abbreviation = FSC , nickname = Lasallians , named_after = , formation ...

. The centre was set up by three

De La Salle Brothers french: Frères des Écoles Chrétiennes , image = Signum Fidei.jpg , image_size = 175px , caption = , abbreviation = FSC , nickname = Lasallians , named_after = , formation ...

in 1975, Br Damian Lundy FSC, Br Joe Hendron FSC and Br Dominic Green FSC and is housed in a small

Manor House A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

(Formerly known as Wallingtons Manor in the south-west of Kintbury town centre, between Inglewood and Titcomb). It is set in picturesque grounds with landscaped gardens and this rural countryside setting offers a quiet atmosphere for those who attend retreats.

Wallingtons

The Manor of Wallingtons in Kintbury dates from the early 13th century. Robert de Wallington purchased the Manor in 1220 and it became named after his family. In the late 15th century, it was purchased by

William Waynflete William Waynflete (11 August 1486), born William Patten, was Provost of Eton College (1442–1447), Bishop of Winchester (1447–1486) and Lord Chancellor of England (1456–1460). He founded Magdalen College, Oxford and three subsidiary scho ...

, the

Bishop of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' (except dur ...

. He gave it to his foundation at

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College (, ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 million as of 2019 and one of the s ...

. They remained in possession until 1859, but rented it out to tenants. The present manor house was built in the late 16th century. It was remodeled after a fire in 1784 and again in 1891 by

Temple Moore Temple Lushington Moore (7 June 1856 – 30 June 1920) was an English architect who practised in London. He is famed for a series of fine Gothic Revival churches built between about 1890 and 1917 and also restored many churches and designed c ...

when

William Hew Dunn William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

moved there from nearby Inglewood House.

Rooms in the Centre

The Quiet Room

This is a room where people can go to be quiet. Situated in part of the attic space of the west wing of the original house, it has space for all those in attendance at the centre. This space allows it to be used for daily reflection, most regularly in the morning after breakfast and in the evening after dinner. The floor space is lined with cushions for seating and the centrepiece of the room is a sprawling candle holder with many candles. These candles are lit whenever the room is used for reflection.

The Cedar Room

The Cedar Room is located on the ground floor and is used for gatherings during retreats. The floor is covered with beanbags for seating which can be rearranged depending on what the room is being used for. The room is so called because its windows overlooks a large cedar tree (colloquially known as Cedric) in the middle of the lawns at the side of the house (see below). Despite this, it is almost universally known as the 'Bean Bag Room'.

The De La Salle Room

Mainly known as a common room, this room is used by all who visit the centre to relax and socialise during their free time on retreat. This room is located on the first floor of the house.

The Damian Lundy Room

Named after the founder of the centre, this room is the largest in the house. It is mainly used for functions, retreats and masses.

Trees - Cedric and Marge

There are two prominent trees in the grounds of the centre. These are a large cedar tree known affectionately as Cedric and a coniferous tree named Marge. The team encourage all to give Cedric "hugs" due to him being over 200 years old. Marge stands just behind Cedric; it is named after its resemblance to

Marge Simpson Marjorie Jacqueline "Marge" Simpson () is a character in the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' and part of the Simpson family, eponymous family. Voiced by Julie Kavner, she first appeared on television in ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' shor ...

's hair-do.

The Lasallian Young Team

The Lasallian Young Team is a group of volunteers who work at the centre for a year. They start in September and finish the following August.

Grounds

File:St Cassian's Centre trees, Kintbury.jpg, 'Cedric' and 'Marge' File:St Cassian's Centre quad, Kintbury.jpg, St Joseph's Courtyard File:St Cassian's Centre lady garden, Kintbury.jpg, Our Lady's Garden File:St Cassian's Centre St Jean Baptist De La Salle statue, Kintbury.jpg, Statue of the founder of the De La Salle Brothers, St John Baptist de La Salle

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Cassian's Centre Organisations based in Berkshire Lasallian educational institutions Catholic youth organizations Child-related organisations in the United Kingdom Manor houses in England Educational institutions established in 1975 1975 establishments in the United Kingdom Kintbury