St Benedict’s Abbey Church in Ealing, west London, was begun in the late Victorian era and completed in 1934. The monastery that it serves began life as a Downside parish in 1897, which became an independent Benedictine priory in 1947. Pius XII made it an abbey in 1955; the building serves both as the monks’ conventual church and as a parish church serving a diverse community.

It is an unexpectedly impressive building, with Gothic Revival architecture, soaring high towards the heavens. As the abbey website points out, because the abbey is in the heart of the parish, resident monks are able to live out a full monastic routine while helping out with parish activities when needed. Mass was calm and the congregation were welcoming and friendly.