LOCAL HERITAGE
Y ou might have wondered and the English Martyrs – that towering Victorian Gothic marvel that sits at a crossroads of Cambridge’s main artery, Hills Road. Clad in a fetching robe of yellow and green mesh for the past few months, an impressive 19 levels of scaffolding are erected beneath, providing access to every piece of architectural and decorative exterior stonemasonry from ground to spire. As anyone who has even briefly gazed up at this ostentatious building will confirm, there’s no shortage of awe- inspiring ornamentation, from gargoyles and grotesques to statues and tracery. Get up close, however, and you’ll very quickly discover that all the decorative stonework is long past its prime. In July 2023, fears of falling masonry what’s going on at the iconic 214ft steeple of the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption led to the main road being closed off to protect pedestrians, cyclists and motorists, triggering a major structural investigation and, now, a full restoration project. But what exactly does the work entail? Invited to climb up the scaffolding and see for myself, I embarked on a fascinating tour all the way to the top of this Grade I listed building with Matthew Champion, historic churches support officer for the Roman Catholic Diocese of East Anglia. Where it all began In keeping with its design, even the backstory of the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and the English Martyrs feels like an elaborate one. It was built in 1887-90 under the supervision of Canon Christopher Scott – at the sole expense of Yolande Lyne- Stephens (née Duvernay), a renowned French dancer who had performed in Paris and London, and was the widow of wealthy Cambridge banker and MP Stephens Lyne- Stephens, who was said to have become the richest commoner in England when he inherited his family fortune in 1851. Yolande was a great supporter of the Catholic cause and spared no expense in funding the design, construction and furnishing of both church and presbytery, offering up £70,000 for the project – that’s equivalent to around £10 million today! A limited competition, open to Catholic architects, was held to choose a design for the new church. Dunn, Hansom & Dunn of Newcastle were selected with an original design described as Early English, but which soon evolved into a more extravagant Decorated Gothic style.
22 JUNE 2025 CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK
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