Shrine Church of Our Lady of Consolation and St Francis

The Shrine Church of Our Lady of Consolation and St Francis is a Roman Catholic parish church and shrine to Our Lady of Consolation in the village of West Grinstead, in West Sussex. It was built from 1875 to 1876, with additions made to the church in 1896 and 1964. The church was designed by John A. Crawley and the 1896 additions was designed by Frederick Walters. It is situated on the corner of Steyning Road and Park Lane to the east of the A24 road. It is a Gothic Revival style church and a Grade II listed building. The church is also the Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation.

After the Reformation, Catholic worship continued in the area. In the mid 1600s, John Caryll, 1st Baron Caryll of Durford bought West Grinstead Manor and the manor's private chapel became the place of worship for local Catholics. It is recorded that in 1671, John Caryll provided £600 to accommodate one priest and support two others. The house became the presbytery of the mission and later the parish. In 1685, sixteen Catholics were recorded as living in the area. Between 1710 and 1754, the West Grinstead mission was served by the Jesuits. In 1758, John Baptist Caryll, 3rd Baron Caryll of Durford, with mounting costs as a recusant landowner, had to sell West Grinstead Manor. After the house was sold, Edward Caryll gave the presbytery to the priests and endowed the mission with £1,300. From 1758 until 1815, from that house Franciscans served the local Catholics in the area.

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