Willkommen bei LancAlpshire

’Ow do, Lancastrians (and/or anyone else, really)!

Where d’you reckon this is, then?

a) Germany
b) Austria
c) Switzerland, even?

If you were searching for
d) None of the above,
then you’d be looking in the right place. Because this scene of Alpinesque loveliness was actually taken in … Kearsley, a district on the outskirts of Bolton.

Yes, as in the former Lancastrian mill town, in the north west of England.

The German-style building is a Schoenstatt Shrine, a sort-of little chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It was built by Schoenstatt, a movement within the Catholic Church founded a little over a century ago by a priest in Germany (hence, probably, the German style shrine).

The movement, which has at its heart the Virgin Mary, has acquired devotees throughout the world, but the Kearsley shrine is still one of only 207 throughout that entire world. There’s one other shrine in the UK and that’s in Scotland.

You wouldn’t know from the surrounding area in Kearsley that you were near something so special, though. I only discovered it because I spotted this signpost, on Manchester Road, Kearsley, while going past on a bus one day and wondered what a “Schoenstatt shrine” might be.

I kept forgetting to check it out, until I found myself staying in the area and remembered that nondescript sign I’d seen from the bus.

This particular Schoenstatt shrine is in the grounds of St John Fisher Catholic Church. Two ladies cleaning the church told me the shrine is open to anyone, whatever their flavour of religion, and that it seemed to be quite a popular lunch spot for people working roundabouts. (The grounds alone, I hope, as it seems pretty disrespectful to chow down on your sarnies inside a church, unless it features a recognised dining facility, anyway.)

I can see why it’s so popular– and so, probably can you, because here’s (part of) the view from the rear of the shrine:

Given how sumptuous Catholic churches often are, the shrine itself is rather simple inside. With the white walls and the sunlight glowing through the coloured glass of the windows it was so restful and tranquil I felt like I could curl up on a pew and sleep for a week – or more.

‘Official’ visitors can actually do that. Or at least kip in the on-site retreat.

As I walked around and admired the peaceful gardens I found it hard to believe that I was something like 50 yards from a busy main road into Manchester, but I was.

Now, it happened to be a perfect late Spring day when I visited the shrine and I couldn’t guarantee it – and especially the view – would look anything like as appealing in the piddling-down rain that is the default weather round these parts but (even if you’re not a Schoenstatt devotee) if you’re vaguely in the area and fancy finding a little piece of heaven, it’s still worth giving it a try.

Loathe as I am to plug facebook, this seems to be the best online source of information on visiting the shrine: https://www.facebook.com/schoenstattfamilyengland/