HISTORY AND NOW
The main house at Park Place is a Grade 2 listed Georgian Manor that was formerly a family home.There is no actual record as to the exact date of when the Manor was built, but it was first owned by Sir Richard Corbett in 1721. It was later purchased by Sir Jonathan Rashleigh, MP for Fowey in Cornwall. The Rasleigh family also owned Menabilly House on which Daphne du Maurier based her book ‘Rebecca’. Menabilly House bears a strong resemblance to Park Place Manor.
The last independent owner of Park Place was Sir. James Bird (1883-1946), who was a naval architect and aircraft engineer.He established a mini factory at Park Place where women were employed to assemble parts used for the Spitfire fighter planes. He died in August 1946.
The Manor was sold by auction in 1949. Parts of the property were sold independently to private owners while the Manor House with 18 acres of land were bought by the Convent of Our Lady of Muswell, of the French Congregation of St. Martin of Tours, who set up a Girls’ School. In 1960, the School was purchased by the Franciscan Sisters of St. Mary of the Angels (FSMA), also a French Congregation and continued until 1972, when the School was converted to a Pastoral Centre in 1968. The same year, a distinctive Chapel was added, designed as an ecumenical place of worship. This open, inclusive approach to spirituality is an enduring characteristic of the Franciscan spirituality of the Sisters. The present Community of Sisters are part of the FSMA Congregation founded in Angers, France in 1871, during the Franco-Prussian war to care for widows and orphans.
Although Park Place is not a parish, the Centre serves to meet the pastoral needs of individuals and groups of all backgrounds and ages. We actively encourage people of different traditions, faiths and interests to explore differences, similarities, strengths and doubts. All who come here leave their footprints and positive energy on the Centre.
On Sundays, Mass at Park Place Chapel attracts Christians, especially Catholics from a wide area and has become well-known for its distinctive blend of Eastern and Western traditions merging into the Franciscan ethos. All guests at Park Place are welcome to attend Mass on Sundays.
In recent years, Park Place Centre has diversified its activities to include a Conference and training venue with smart TVs in every Conference Room, bed and breakfast /holiday facilities, facilities for holding Music Orchestras and Concerts, all this in keeping with the Centre’s Spiritual ethos.
