St Michael’s House, one of the buildings the nuns are giving away. PICTURE: From a brochure on the property.
A community of Anglican nuns in Norfolk in the UK are giving away their buildings to a successful applicant who comes up with the best idea for how the nine acre site could be repurposed as a new resource for the church.
The Sisters of All Hallows, who are to become a dispersed religious community, announced in late February that they were leaving buildings including their chapel to an individual, church or group which comes up with the best idea on how the site can be used going forward.
Located near the village of Ditchingham, the community has already given away its main convent building and their former school with the convent building now a home for the homeless and the former school a conference centre.
The community, which at its peak numbered some 40 sisters but now numbers seven, was founded in 1854 to care for prostitutes and vulnerable girls from the surrounding area. A school and cottage hospital followed and as recently as the 1990s the community started running a nursing home.
Among the buildings now on offer are the original convent building – St Michael’s House – as well as the chapel, three houses and extensive gardens.
Canon Andrew Bryant, of the Diocese of Norwich, said in an email to Sight that no decision has yet been made and that expressions of interest can be made up until 5th April.
“There has been a lot of initial interest in the offer but we are still waiting to see how many of those will lead to concrete expressions of interest,” he said.
Canon Bryant said that while they are wanting to offer the site to a Christian group or organisation, they do not have to be an Anglican organisation.
Interested applicants are asked to email [email protected].
