The latest issue of the prestigious UK based property magazine Country Life features a Dutch castle which also serves as home to one of the Diocese in Europe´s congregations in The Netherlands.
Weldam Castle, in the far east of Holland, was redesigned and rebuilt in 1880 with the help of an English architect. The magazine article chronicles the building´s history which dates back to 1389. An English Gothic Revival architect, William Samuel Weatherley, who later became an assistant to Sir George Gilbert Scott, was celebrated as a draughtsman and was widely involved in church restorations. He became influential in the castle renovations of 1880 after he was introduced to the owner of Weldam, Count Bentinck.
Bentinck´s grandson is Count Alfred Solms who lives in Weldam and also serves as Honorary Churchwarden of the congregation of Twente. He allows the church to worship in the castle chapel each week. It was formally dedicated to St Mary by a previous Bishop of the Diocese.
Visitors and regular worshippers are thus able to enjoy Anglican worship in Holland in the setting of a fine building which owes much to an English architect.
For more information about the church http://www.anglicanchurchtwente.com