Sheldon has been a farm at least since the Middle Ages - the oldest parts of the Farmhouse and Chapel date back to the 15th century. The land extended to about 150 acres, probably employing about a dozen workers. There are still local people who can tell you stories of working here as farm labourers in the early part of the 20th century.

In 1967 Sheldon was bought for £17,000 by Geoffrey Fraser, the Rector of Dunsford. He sold off most of the land and began converting the farm buildings to residential accommodation under the auspices of The Christian Discovery Trust. The first guests stayed in the Farmhouse, and later the Pound House, Chalets and Long Barn were converted. Although thousands of farm buildings across the country have been converted to residential accommodation in the intervening years, Sheldon was an early example of careful conservation during change of use, especially of the fragile cob walls. Photos.

When the Trust faced financial difficulties in 1976, it turned to CORAT who approached the Church Army for a Warden. Carl Lee was appointed on a one year contract, and moved to Sheldon with his wife Sue and infant daughter Sarah. At the end of the year the Church Army bought Sheldon for £35,000.

The Church Army owned Sheldon from 1976 to 1991, during which time the use of the centre as a resource for residential church and school groups grew. The Sheldon Open Air Theatre was built, and Sheldon was also the base for other projects such as the Church Army Roadshow, parish missions around the south west, and local prison chaplaincy. Sheldon was staffed by a mix of Church Army Officers and young volunteers on 6 - 12 month placements. Hillary Hanson was the first salaried administrator in 1983, and Sarah Horsman first came to Sheldon as a gap year volunteer in 1982. Over the years, Carl became increasingly aware of the need for a safe and supportive place to help clergy at times of stress and crisis. Being unable to persuade anyone else to "do something about it" he decided to set up a charity himself. The Society of Mary and Martha was established as an independent charity in 1987, and began running 12,000-mile Services and other resources by hiring the Sheldon facilities a week at a time. The charity also began to raise capital with which to buy a home base - by 1991 £70,000 had been raised.

During a period of financial difficulty in February 1991, the Church Army unexpectedly decided to sell Sheldon and make all the Sheldon staff redundant. The initial 6 weeks' notice was frantically re-negotiated, promising a break-even budget for 6 months to give the Society of Mary and Martha the opportunity to try and raise the necessary funds. A hectic summer of negotiations and fund-raising followed, with the result that the for £220,000 contract was successfully completed at the end of August, with all the funding in place.

With very little capital investment in the buildings having taken place during the 14 years of Church Army ownership, the Society of Mary and Martha was faced with quite a challenge to bring the accommodation up to modern standards. Over £2m has been raised and spent since 1991 improving and extending both the buildings and the land. The original 12 acres has been extended to 45, giving lots of space for guests to explore and enjoy. The old Pound House dormitories have been replaced with comfortable individual bedrooms, and various new living rooms created in the Pound House and South Wing. All the kitchens have been brought up to a very high standard, and the buildings are centrally heated throughout. Services such as mains water and septic tank treatment have been modernised, and Community living space improved and extended. The animal barn and workshops provide the storage and workspace lost from the old Great Barn and Linhay. The medieval Chapel is now complemented by the little Sanctuary in the Linhay, and the Chapel of Mary, Martha and Lazarus in the Great Barn. The Linhay boasts some of the best retreat accommodation in the country, and the grounds have been carefully nurtured to create open spaces and secret corners.

The development of Sheldon is an ongoing process, and our ministry evolves alongside the opportunities opened up by each new development. The next project is the rebuilding of the Long Barn - watch this space!