Has anyone been to the Brompton/London orotary I think it is in kensington?

Question

Also what is it like there and is there a good restaurant nearby

thanks.

Answer 1

Oh yes, it's one of my favourite places in London!

It's dark (with much of what lighting their is coming from candles lit by worshippers) and very sacred.

Check out their website for some information http://www.bromptonoratory.com/

There are lots of interesting facts about the building (and many more about its history, too....:): just a few, relatively trivial ones - this is the church where Oscar Wilde sought instruction to become a Catholic (but then did not....until many years later, on his deathbed): the statues of the apostles in the main church were originally in Siena Cathedral in Italy, one of the chapels has an altar that was originally in a church in the Netherlands, and other chapel was used during the cold war as a "dead letter drop" (place to leave secret communications between spies) by the KGB! It's the 2nd biggest Catholic place of worship, certainly in London, but quite possibly in the UK, after Westminster Cathedral.

Apart from the main church, there is also a smaller chapel, known as the Little Oratory - where masses in what is now officially called the "Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite" (but which is also known as the "Tridentine Mass", or "Traditional Latin Mass" - to find this, enter the courtyard to the left of the main church, and go through a doorway about half-way along the left hand side, and turn right through another door. (Masses in the main church are almost always in the post-Vatican II form, usually in English, but some of them are partially or entirely in Latin) . But they also hold many other traditional Catholic services that held fairly rarely nowadays in England -Benediction and Holy Hour, and so on - their website gives more details. The music (organ, and choir) is also beautiful, and their services are also very reverent.

If you go this saturday (21st June), you will be in time for the summer garden party organized by the oratory fathers!

As for good restaurants: too many to name - just walk between Knightsbridge and South Kensington (and indeed beyond South Kensington) and you will be spoilt for choice. Although most will not come particularly cheaply.

Answer 2

Yes I have, it is like a huge old Italian-style renaissance Catholic church. Check out the website:

http://www.bromptonoratory.com/

It is between Knightsbridge and Kensington, so yes there is no end of good restaurants nearby as this is one of the richest areas of London and well known for restaurants and shopping. Have fun! Hx