A Garden Party to celebrate the 400 years since the Ferrars arrived.
In 1625, Nicholas Ferrar and his mother Mary, bought the dilapidated Manor House in Little Gidding, complete with its 600 acres and equally run down church. As St Francis found, some 400 years previously, rebuilding the church was not just about a physical building. Nicholas became the centre of an extended ‘household of faith’, establishing a sort of lay community in the Huntingdonshire countryside. The household had a pattern of prayer and the recitation of Psalms, of work, health and education, all centred around hospitality, to which many were drawn.
Today, hospitality remains at the heart of what happens at Little Gidding. This centres on the church of St John the Evangelist and Ferrar House, which is now a house for retreats, quiet days and the many who visit to see the place made famous also by TS Eliot.
On Satuday 30 August 2025, the Trustees hosted a Garden Party to celebrate the 400 years since the Ferrars arrived. Many who had found a place of welcome over the past years met with those who’d discovered it more recently and those who were drawn by Eliot’s words. The Garden Party was testimony not simply to hospitality alone but to those who have lived out a life of prayer and witness in this place, reaching out into the world.
One person who attended wrote ‘The feeling in the tent was of such deep affection for Little Gidding, and the sense of hospitality and welcome and sanctuary was palpable. Its amazing to think that in a little corner of England - with more sheep and apples than people - that community was founded, holy ground was created and nourished, and prayer was made valid.’
It was a delight to welcome visitors to Little Gidding for the first time – and to be honoured by The Lord Lieutenant; the High Sherriff of Cambridgeshire; the Mayor of Huntingdon and Sam Carling MP for North West Cambridgeshire. In his welcoming speech, Very Revd Philip Buckler, Chair of Trustees, spoke of the pressing needs of today – new garden walls and road, but also spoke of the contribution of Little Gidding to the church and the world in the future.
‘As we look to the future - the next 400 years – I believe we have a very real contribution to make to our troubled and fractured world: to refocus hearts and minds on God, to encourage exploration and adventure, to succour and support those in need.’
The Rev'd Canon Fiona Brampton, Chaplain to Little Gidding
Photographs by Les Ranford (Clockwise from top right):
King Charles 1 (aka Daniel Williams) recreating a moment when the King visited the Ferrars,
The High Sherriff of Cambridge, Hon Frances Stanley, cut the anniversary cake,
Rutland Renaissance dancers entertained the gathering,
The Lord Lieutenant, the Mayor of Huntingdon and Very Rev Philip Buckler at the tomb of Nicholas Ferrar,
The gathered party in the marquee.