ChurchCrawls

Monday Evening

2011-11-25T10:13:00.000Z

A couple of end of day shots as I crossed back over the river to the hotel, including one of the so-called Dancing House.

Holy Trinity (Kostel Nejsvetejší Trojice), Nove Mesto, Prague

2011-11-25T10:10:00.001Z

Holy Trinity church was built 1708-13 and belonged to the Trinitarian Monastery. When the Trinitarians were expelled the buildings became part of a military establishment but this closed and the monastery was demolished. The church was given to the Greek community. It has three naves and a central dome, but was locked when I called.

Our Lady of the Snows (Kostel Panny Marie Sněžné), New Town, Prague

2011-11-25T09:57:00.001Z

A very prominent church outside of the old walls in the Nove Mesto when viewed across the rooftops, but at street level almost impossible to see. It stands at the bottom of Wenceslas Square tucked away in the side streets. It was founded for the Carmelite order in 1347 and building of the current church which is on a huge scale took place 1375-97 when work was halted by the Hussite wars and this church became a centre for radical Hussitism before the Carmelites returned. With the church still unfinished they left in the early C16 The ruins of the church and the adjoining monastery were given to the Franciscan order in 1604 and they completed the vault and built the west front. They remained here until 1950 when the Communists expelled them but returned here in 1989.

The church is in fact only the choir of what was intended to be a church to rival St Vitus Cathedral, and one which was to be the coronation church. A courtyard to the west occupies the site of the intended nave and aisles, parts of the foundations of which are incorporated into the walls. Nothing quite prepares you for the interior. It is Gothic with an east apse, complete with the expected Baroque furnishings. The High Altar dates from 1625 and soars almost to the vault, and it is the latter which took my breath away. This is the tallest church interior in the city.

St Gall (Kostel sv. Havla), Old Town, Prague

2011-11-25T09:34:00.000Z

The church of St Gall or St Havel was built 1232-39, and rebuilt in Gothic form a century later with twin towers. All was given a baroque makeover in the late C17, and there were further embellishments in the C18 including reconstruction of a new west facade in front of the towers towers and some additional side chapels. The church's north wall incorporates small shops below and buildings also adjoin its east and south sides. The west front however towards an open square is impressive with its three convex bays. Sadly the interior could only be glimpsed from the west door but apparently some Gothic features still survive amongst the baroque grandeur. Keen observers will spot the no photography sign!

St Salvator's Protestant Church, Old Town, Prague

2011-11-25T09:15:00.001Z

My churchdar must have been broken, or confused by the nearby church of sv Duch as I failed to notice the apse of this church down a side street. Luckily my friend pointed it out. This church was a new foundation in 1611 and has always been protestant, being built for a German Lutheran congregation. Ownership has since passed to the Czech Evangelical Church and the church today is largely a rebuilding of the later half of the C19. However to me the church reminds me of early C17 churches in Germany, with a mixture of classical and Gothic forms. The church was locked but I managed to shoot parts of the interior through an open barred window in the vestibule.

St James the Great, Old Town, Prague

2011-11-09T17:46:00.001Z

I had walked by here the day before but the church was locked (it closes at 1530). It has three towers, two dissimilar ones flank the west front (with its unusual ornate sculptures over the lower windows), and a third stands at the NE.

It is also known as the church of the Minorites and it looks suspiciously like a medieval church has been given a baroque makeover inside and out. Nave and aisles, and long aisleless apsidal chancel. The latter has three storied structures to the north and south which open into the church by round arches and little balustrades embellish the upper two floors, each with a centrally placed large urn. It is extremely handsome but compared to some of the other churches a little jaded in its decoration. The multitude of altarpieces are all of dark wood with grimy paintings and the walls are yellowish rather than white; the frescoes too could do with a clean.

St George's Basilica, Hradcany, Prague

2011-11-09T17:27:00.000Z

In the classic views of Prague from the river or Charles Bridge with St Vitus Cathedral in the castle, two towers can be seen to the right of the cathedral. This is the Romanesque basilica of St George. It is the oldest church building in the city but I personally am not too sure what features are original and what are "restoration", especially the nave and the towers. However there are extensive remains of frescoes and murals inside, so maybe much of the structure if not always the detailing is medieval. The two towers flanking the east end were added in the rebuilding of the church after a fire in 1142. The east end is raised over a crypt. Later still of course the C14 apsidal SE chapel, the C17 classical west front and the small domed chapel at the SW corner.

St Vitus Cathedral, Hradcany, Prague - Curiosum

2011-11-09T10:58:00.004Z

On the day I was here a party of beauty contestants seemed to follow me around the castle area, although the security guards and hoards of photographers made seeing them difficult! As my tour of the cathedral finished they were posing in one of the side chapels and I managed a sneaky shot of some of these "Miss Princess of the World 2011" entrants. Miss Mexico won apparently.

St Vitus Cathedral, Hradcany, Prague - Selected Details

2011-11-09T10:58:00.001Z

St Vitus Cathedral, Hradcany, Prague - Interior

2011-11-09T10:53:00.000Z

Inside the cathedral the west end is thronged with visitors who have entered without a ticket. Certainly the rest of the cathedral is much pleasanter for this as numbers looking around are reduced. This post contains some of the main vistas, another will have some of the detailing I saw but with no further text. What I enjoyed the most in the cathedral was the stained glass, none of which is old, and most quite recent it seems. The colours are fabulous and the window in the south transept and the upper windows of the apse are the best of the lot. A large tomb chest rests in the choir, the royal tombs are in a crypt below (and not open to visitors today - not sure if visitors can see these at other times). Some ancient tombs of bishops placed in the ambulatory chapels, and on the south side is the huge tomb of St John Nepomuk, with silver statues. To be honest there is not a huge amount to see, and the cathedral probably has had most of the baroque embellishments I expected to see removed.

St Vitus Cathedral, Hradcany, Prague - Exterior

2011-11-09T10:52:00.000Z

Another haul up the hill to the castle area and the cathedral of Prague, which is surrounded by the buildings of the castle itself and government. The entrance is reached through two courtyards and a passageway to the west front which is impossible to photograph in any meaningful way. The cathedral was built in two main periods, the east end and transepts are medieval begun in 1344, the nave and west spires 1872-92 in a style which blends almost seamlessly with the older parts. The main tower stands west of the south transept and is the work of several periods, being topped by double helms in 1770. The south side of the cathedral can be appreciated from a wide enclosed square A smaller square to the east affords a view of the chevet. Outside of the castle and across a bridge is the Royal Park from where tourists gather to take a view of the north side of the cathedral.

Our Lady under Chain (Kostel Panny Marie pod řetězem), Mala Strana, Prague

2011-11-09T10:49:00.004Z

Monday in Prague saw me heading back to the castle area, for the morning. en route I detoured to see one of the churches I had missed on the first day. This church is a shadow of its former self, as witness the bases of the twin west towers and ornate porch which now opens into a courtyard on the site of the nave. This is all medieval and belongs to the Knights of St John; it was gutted by fire in 1420 and again in 1503. On the south side of the courtyard are remains of Romanesque arcading. The present church is C17, a baroque rebuilding on the site of the former east end. The west doors were open to allow a view of the interior but it was not possible to walk around.

St Joseph, New Town, Prague

2011-11-09T09:27:00.001Z

Just outside the Old Town with the Powder Tower gateway almost opposite, this church was probably the dullest I saw on the entire holiday. I suppose I was getting used to the ornate, the profusion of decoration, and soaring interiors. It dates from 1636-53 and was originally part of a Capuchin Friary. It has a small walled courtyard to the west front and is dwarfed by the Palladium Shopping Centre next door, housed in a former barracks. Inside a few of the expected altarpieces but the overwhelming impression I was left with was one of disappointment.

St Kliment, New Town, Prague

2011-11-09T09:26:00.002Z

Just outside of the old town, this church dates back to the C11 but nothing much remains from that time as the church was rebuilt in the C14. It fell into disuse by the end of the C18 and was used for storage. In 1850 it was purchased by the Czech Evangelical Church and was severely restored 1893-4 along puritanical lines. Another restoration followed 1975-81. This is the church used by the Anglican church in Prague but I found it locked. Close by we had a late lunch and a beer, paying some 60% of the prices commonly paid in the central area.

St Castulus (sv Hastel), Old Town, Prague

2011-11-09T09:26:00.000Z

Sadly this church was locked when I called. It is largely of the C14 but reconstructed in a Baroque style after a fire in 1689. The church is remarkable for its double north aisles of the same height an early example of the hall church design so typical in central Europe. It sits in a square which was formerly the church's graveyard. And yes, this dedication was a new one to me.

http://www.prague-wiki.com/wiki/Church_of_Saint_Castulus

A selection of exhibits at the National Museum of Medieval and Early Renaissance Art, St Agnes Convent, Old Town, Prague

2011-10-31T07:59:00.000Z

I have been asked about photography here and they were happy as long as you did not use flash (I was surprised). - or touch the exhibits. On the latter my friend felt the urge to touch something which fascinated him, for a split second apparently. Suddenly alarms went off, there was chatter in Czech over radios, people appeared from several directions and a stern woman appeared shouting at us both "No touch, no touch". I was lagging behind so had not realised what had happened. Needless to say we were not left alone for the rest of the visit upstairs in the gallery although the staff pretended to do other things . He cannot explain why he did it, but this briefest compulsion was directly opposite a security camera apparently and not set off by any sensors. "No touch" became a recurring comment for the rest of the holiday, reducing us to hapless chuckles at times.

St Agnes Convent, Old Town, Prague

2011-10-31T07:48:00.003Z

This next entry is difficult to write and accordingly I will send a second message about this rather special place. The complex of buildings today date back to the C13, and include the original cloister walks, three chapels confusingly sited together, plus some other convent buildings. It belonged to the Poor Clares, and did not survive the various troubles unscathed and was indeed rebuilt on several occasions including lastly a baroque makeover. However towards the end of the C18 the convent was closed and the buildings fell into disrepair and became workshops and stores. It was even proposed at one time to demolish the entire site. From 1940 there has been careful restoration and de-/re-construction, and today it houses a collection of medieval art from across Central Europe, although mainly from Bohemia and Moravia. The largest church is that of St Salvator with nave and lower apsidal chancel, then adjoining the nave to the south west is that of Our Lady, smaller also with an apse, and to the west of both are the remains of the church of St Francis. The first two churches have been restored back to a medieval appearance and are devoid of furnishings. The latter church has a modern sloping beamed roof and concrete gable, and is a large space often used for concerts. I do not normally like museums but some of the exhibits here are truely stunning, and nearly all have been collected here by the National Gallery from churches across the country. Statues, paintings and reliefs show the stylistic changes over three centuries. I will send a second post of uncaptioned exhibits, but including a haunting depiction of the platter with the head of John the Baptist and the handsome bust reliquary of St Wenceslas himself; who is shown of a similar appearance in all pictures and statues I saw.

St Simon & St Jude (Kostel svatých Šimona a Judy), Old Town, Prague

2011-10-28T22:03:00.001+01:00

This is a late C14 hospital chapel, reconstructed twice in the early C17 but some of the walls may be in part original. Mid C18 baroque makeover included the addition of a tower at the east end of the church. Following the second world war the communists used the church as a repository, but in 1990 it was given back to the Order of the Merciful Brethren of John of God who restored the church and improved facilities making this into a premier concert venue for the city. It is now the home of the Prague Symphony Orchestra and was not open to visitors when I called.

Holy Spirit (sv Duch), Old Town, Prague

2011-10-28T22:01:00.003+01:00

Built in the first half of the C14, a Benedictine foundation, this is the closest catholic church to the Jewish Quarter, and to the NE is the Spanish Synagogue. Single nave and slightly lower and narrower apsidal chancel. Following a fire in 1689 the church was given a baroque makeover when rebuilt. The tower on the north side of the church dates from 1807. I cam e here on two different days and both times it was locked.

St Nicholas, Old Town, Prague

2011-10-28T22:00:00.002+01:00

Along with the Tyn church, probably the most memorable church in the Old Town, gleaming white exterior with dome and two towers and a crowd of black marble statues look down from above. The church is by Dientzhofer and was built 1732-5. All this show is actually along the south side of the church. For forty years this church was used by the Russian Orthodox church but since 1920 it has belonged to the Czech Hussite congregation. On entering the eyes are drawn upward, first to a huge crystal chandelier, and then upward again to an amazing domed space over the nave, or is it a a lantern tower as the space is like a square with chamfered corners? I'll stick with dome I think. After the cathedral and the Tyn church (more later too) this church was the most packed of all the churches I went to.

Church of St Giles (sv Jilji), Old Town, Prague

2011-10-28T22:00:00.000+01:00

East of the Charles Bridge is a maze of tiny narrow streets and here is the parish church of St Giles with two dissimilar west towers and a lofty four bayed hall church attached, Gothic originally (1238-1371) but given a baroque makeover in 1731. The church was open and fairly busy as Confessions were being taken. This makes me a little hesitant about taking photographs but in the end I did risk three. The height and relative short length of the church made photography a bit of a challenge.

St Saviour (sv Salvator), Old Town, Prague

2011-10-28T21:57:00.003+01:00

The second church by the Charles Bridge is dedicated to St Saviour (shown left with the church of St Francis), and is in the corner of a former Dominican complex which was taken over by the Jesuits and turned into a University Complex, the Clementinum. From the square you first have to cross a busy road running directly in front of the church facade. Given the number of tourists outside in the square, the church was surprisingly quiet and empty. There is a large metal screen which I suspect is often locked but for my visit these were open and a lady manned a souvenir and information desk but there was no charge to enter. The church may incorporate parts of the medieval Dominican church (St Bartholomew) and I suspect its plan which is entirely medieval, cruciform with aisles, transepts, central tower and long apsidal chancel. The reconstructed church was begun in 1579 and completed in 1602, but then received a baroque makeover 1649-54 when the upper floor to the aisles was built with the pretty balustrades and the central octagonal lantern was added. The final embellishments were the twin towers flanking the east end with their onion domes.

St Francis of Assisi, Old Town, Prague

2011-10-28T21:56:00.000+01:00

On the Stare Mesto (Old Town) side of the Charles Bridge there is a small square which was perpetually thronged with tourists. Here are two churches, that of St Francis and another to St Saviour (or Salvator - top left). St Francis is built on a medieval site and replaced a church dedicated to the Holy Spirit. In common with other Prague churches entry was permitted to the west end only and photography was not allowed, but a sweet young girl at the door said I could take some but "no flash". In common with other places it seems the sheer number of visitors means that stopping photography is nigh on impossible, but there are good reasons why flash photography is discouraged as it is said to damage paintings and murals. The church was built 1679-85 and is basically a large square in which is set four pillars supporting a dome above and thus creating a cruciform interior with corner side chapels. The dome has a fresco depicting the Last Judgement.

Sunday Morning Prague

2011-10-20T21:51:00.002+01:00

St Ursula (sv Vorsila), Narodni, Nove Mesto, Prague

2011-10-20T21:51:00.001+01:00

Close by this church in the street "Narodni" the 1989 Velvet Revolution began where crowds of students marched from the river towards Wenceslas Square to find their way blocked by Communist riot police. The students sat down and some handed out flowers to the police. Without warning the police attacked and beat the students although thankfully no-one died. Within days the number of protestors gathering swelled to half a million and to other cities. Within two weeks the communist government had resigned. Today it is again a busy main street with trams. The church dates from 1699-1704 and is remarkable for the surviving original statues adorning the exterior. The single naved interior is richly decorated and as I arrived a service led by a trio of elderly nuns was finishing. The church was well lit but within five minutes the lights were all extinguished and all plunged into a comparative gloom.

St Martin in the Wall (sv Martina ve sdi), Stare Mesto, Prague

2011-10-20T21:50:00.004+01:00

Tucked away down a maze of small streets is this medieval church, which was a Romanesque foundation and became cut off from the larger part of its parish in the C13 when the Old Town was walled, the church's south side being right on the wall (hence the name). It was much rebuilt in the C14 and C15, and inside - apparently - are some original C12 arches. There are some baroque embellishments (such as the north doorway) but the church was restored back to its Gothic appearance in 1906. I came here twice, once a concert was in progress and the second it was locked. It is a Protestant church.

St Ludmila (kostel svaté Ludmily), Vinohrady, Prague

2011-10-20T21:48:00.000+01:00

A very prominent hilltop church, neo-Gothic, 1888-93 with twin west spires and by the same architect as St Peter and St Paul (Josef Mocker, also responsible for the completion of Prague Cathedral). A long avenue leads upwards from the river to the west front, and the church is prominent in views from Prague Castle but not from the riverside. This was quite a walk from Visehrad, and the roads we took did not offer any further churches, but consulting a map had we taken a road a little to the south I would have passed two or three more! A crowd was gathered in the square in front of the church, and a large flea market was in progress. The church steps were lined with people in suits and finery as a wedding was just chucking out - good news as this meant I could see inside the church for sure, although I suspect it is normally open for visitors. I preferred the interior of this church to St Peter & St Paul, the decoration scheme was more muted, the side windows larger and the pillars slimmer and better proportioned. I snapped away until a funny man came scuttling up the nave to where I had just taken my last picture "no photo, no photo". Tough! No delete no delete ;-)

Vysehrad, Prague

2011-10-20T00:04:00.000+01:00

The only two residents of the cemetery that I knew of, plus the view from the walls towards the centre of the city.

St Peter & St Paul. Vysehrad, Prague

2011-10-20T00:03:00.000+01:00

My friend Jamie recommended coming here for its setting, its views and comparative peace and quiet (to the centre of the city). To be honest one glimpse of this twin spired church high on a cliff alongside the Vltava river would have attracted me here without a recommendation. The area around the church is flat and heavily fortified, with a park to the south and a cemetery of notable Czechs to the north and east. The church is the third on the site, a Gothic village church was followed by a baroque but still humble larger church, before the present neo-Gothic basilica was built 1885-87. There was an entry charge and a fierce woman was enforcing the no photography signs. The interior was rather dark and gloomy at first before the eyes adjusted to admire the series of wall paintings, frescoes and decoration. However everyone must take a break and luckily this lady took a brief (toilet?) break away from the desk leaving me with a short opportunity to brace the camera against the west doorway. He He! Not sure if I really liked this church overmuch inside, it is more impressive outside and from afar.

More here http://stovezata.praha.eu/en-church-of-st-peter-and-paul-at-vysehrad.html

Trinity Church, Podskali, Prague

2011-10-20T00:01:00.001+01:00

An odd looking church thanks to its bulbous turret over the east end in competition with the later west tower. This is a medieval church of a poor parish, often destroyed and renovated, in particular 1728-9 when the dedication was changed from St Antony, and 1781-82 (the date of the tower). It was locked.

St John Nepomuk at Skalka (Kostel svatého Jana Nepomuckého na Skalce), Prague

2011-10-20T00:00:00.001+01:00

Another church by Dientzhofer, this one dating from 1730-38. It stands just to the east of the Emauzy Abbey church, across the road which drops steeply downhill between the churches. This gave the church the opportunity to construct two staircases to the west door which are decorated with figures of saints (far left in the photo - the other stairs belong to the hotel next door which may have been linked to the church originally). This church is also distinctive in having two west towers, rotated 45 degrees, and thus placed diagonally to the facade. Sadly the church gates were locked and chained and restoration work was in progress on the north side. However maybe the church is open when the Emauzy Abbey is open during the week; sadly time did not permit a return here to find out.

Emmaus Abbey (Emauzy), Podskali, Prague

2011-10-11T23:31:00.000+01:00

The abbey church has the dubious distinction of being the most important historical building damaged in the Second World War US bombing of the city when it was mistaken by one lost air group of 60 planes for Dresden, their intended target. Founded in 1347, the abbey is sadly not open to visitors at the weekends. There are gothic cloisters with paintings, and the abbey church itself has remains of wall paintings in the aisles. It was baroquised in the 1718, but returned to Gothic / neo-Gothic form in the 1880s. The Benedictines, having been evicted by the Germans during the war (when the abbey became a Red Cross hospital), started to rebuild after the war but were then evicted by the communists. The building was rebuilt in the 1960s and given a distinctive pair of twisting concrete spires which I rather like. The monks returned in 1990 and the church was reopened for services in 2003. NW of the west door (which was open) is a small baroque church about which I have discovered nothing. It was also locked.

St Wenceslas (sv Vaclav), Smichov, Prague

2011-10-11T23:27:00.000+01:00

South of Mala Strana, and south of our hotel, is the area of Smichov with its huge Staropramen brewery, Andel shopping centres, and a large Italianate church of 1881-85 with twin west towers. The church was open and rather impressive inside and out. Classical in style, it belongs more to the well-mannered churches of Rome, and gone are the baroque and rococo excesses in decoration of previous years.

St Joseph, Mala Strana, Prague

2011-10-11T23:23:00.001+01:00

The tall ornate facade does not prepare you for the interior which is basically a large rotunda with side altars in shallow recesses. It was built for a Carmelite Convent in the 17th century. The foundation stone was laid down by Emperor Leopold I. The architect of the church is unknown. Photography inside is forbidden, but I was asked to help move a heavy seat to the entrance by a lady with a good line in mime. Accordingly I risked asking in mime if I could take pictures and she said yes. A nun inside frowned but was spoken to by the other lady and did not stop me either! I am most grateful.

This was the last church visited on my first day in the city. We walked over the Charles Bridge and back along the banks of the Vltava crossing by the next bridge back to our hotel.

St Thomas, Mala Strana, Prague

2011-10-11T23:19:00.000+01:00

St Thomas is the church for mass in English, and the US and UK embassies are close by. The church is quite hemmed in, the main front towards a small no through road. The church appeared locked but a small door at the end of the alley opened into the cloisters and at the SE corner a door into the church was open although the floors inside were quite wet as a lady was cleaning. It is Augustinian in foundation and is at heart a Gothic church transformed 1594-92 (after damage) and embellished further 1727-1731 to the designs of Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer. Entering from the cloister the north choir aisle is seen, a Gothic vaulted chapel. I really liked this church with its lofty proportions and transverse arches dividing the nave and chancel into bays. The west bay of the chancel has a lantern dome and all the bays have fine frescoes.

St Benedict / St John Nepomuk, Hradcany, Prague

2011-10-11T20:46:00.003+01:00

The other two churches of Hradcany outside of the castle itself were both locked.
St Benedict (above left) is attached to a convent and is quite small, the church basically a large square with a lower and narrower east apse. It has a small bell turret and the C18 interior is said to be fairly simple. The Carmelite Nuns were ejected from the convent in 1950 by the Communists who used the buildings as a hotel. The nuns returned in 1992.
The church of St John Nepomuk (above right) dates from 1720-8 and was built for the Ursuline Order as their convent church. They were suppressed in 1784 and the church became a store. It reopened as a church in 1861 as a military church, first Evangelical and since 1902 Catholic. It is significant as the first church by Bohemian architect Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer who also designed St Nicholas in Mala Strana.

The Loreto (Loreta), Hradcany, Prague

2011-10-11T20:45:00.000+01:00

The original place of pilgrimage is at Loreto in Italy, where the Santa Casa (Holy House) is said to have been transported from Nazareth by angels. There and in Warsaw (where a third Loreto church was built) the Santa Casa is placed inside the church, but here in Prague it is placed in the centre of a cloister with the church to its east and a fine facade with gatehouse tower to the west. It was built in 1626, the church and the two chapels in the corner of the east cloister walk were first built shortly afterwards, and the west walk with its tall tower (housing a famous carillon, banging out Ave Maria on the hour) and another two corner chapels were completed in 1722. Attention then returned to an enlargement rebuilding of the church of the Nativity which was finished in 1735-8. The external walls of the Santa Casa were covered by rich panels in the 1660s and 1670s and contrast greatly with the interior, humble with rubble walls and remains of wall paintings (these a deliberate fake?). That however does not apply to the interior of the church, not large as Prague churches go but richly decorated. I particularly enjoyed the sea of cherubs looking out from the canopy of the pulpit and the cherubs flying around the organ playing a variety of musical instruments. It is also the rather dark interior of this church which has proved that my choice of new camera meets my needs as hopefully these pictures without flash and without tripod prove (it has image stabilisation built in which appears to have rescued many a shot in Prague churches). More info on Loreta here http://www.prague-wiki.com/wiki/Loreta

Abbey Church of the Assumption & St Norbert, Strahov, Hradcany, Prague

2011-10-11T20:40:00.000+01:00

This Premonstratensian abbey has a long history dating back to 1140, and the present building may include parts of its Romanesque and Gothic predecessors underneath a baroque makeover of the second half of the C18. Its position has meant it has had to survive fire, sieges, bombardments and an enforced occupation by the Communists 1950-89. Its twin towers and small done are visible from many parts of Prague, alongside the castle hill. The church is only open to a metal screen at the west end where no photography signs abound and are ignored. A man was cleaning the floor but ignored us. The interior is quite something.

However the church is not the main reason people come here as the abbey has a famous library with rare books to which there is an admission charge. Some fiercesome women stood around, no photography allowed here either but after watching other tourists snap a few pictures without a telling off I risked a couple too! It was disappointing to only stand at the entrance to the two rooms again after paying the entrance fee but I am sure you agree that they were worth seeing.

St Roch, Hradčany, Prague

2011-10-11T20:35:00.000+01:00

To be honest the next church we visited was the cathedral of St Vitus, more on that later as we only stood at the west end, and I went back on a different day to do it properly. It stands in the middle of the castle area on a bluff overlooking the river. At the opposite end of the castle area is the Strahov Monastery, and at the entrance is the church of St Roch. This is a small oddly shaped church in a transitional style from Gothic to Classical. It was built in 1603-14, and altered in 1747 and 1882. It is now deconsecrated and the building houses art exhibitions (Galerie MIRO). A glimpse of the interior from the front door cash desk shows a whitened minimalist space with no extant fittings. Some smallish interiors can be found here http://www.praguecityline.com/services-in-prague/galerie-miro-prague-1

Church of St Cajetan (Kostel sv. Kajetána), Mala Strana, Prague

2011-10-11T20:34:00.000+01:00

From St Nicholas, a street (Nerudova) climbs steadily uphill towards the castle, and halfway up is the church of St Cajetan (or St Gaetano). It was built in 1691-1711. On the first time of visiting the church was locked, but on the very last morning I found the church doors open, and although it was not possible to enter in common with several other churches in the city you could at least see the interior through the metalwork screen. The church does not appear to have a tower, but is cruciform with a domed chapel at the NE corner.

St Nicholas, Mala Strana, Prague

2011-10-11T20:31:00.000+01:00

There can be few sights better than the grouping of this church, especially from the Charles Bridge and the Malastranska to the east. Dome and tower are the same height, and the church is a masterpiece of baroque design. The dome and tower were the last parts of the church to be completed, some fifty years after the church was begun in 1701. There was an admission charge, which also included an exhibition of paintings at the triforium level. Vistas constantly change as you move around the building, and there is so much decoration and ornamentation that the eye is constantly moving. The frescoes are astonishing and include trompe l'ouil effects. The large central space under the dome is breathtaking. See also
http://www.prague-wiki.com/wiki/Church_of_Saint_Nicholas_(Lesser_Town)

Church of Our Lady Victorious (Kostel Panny Marie Vítězné), Mala Strana, Prague

2011-10-11T20:16:00.001+01:00

I have returned from an enjoyable week spent in Prague, with one excursion, which hopefully you will enjoy sharing with me. I shall take my time in sending messages over the coming days (maybe weeks!) as I enjoy the experience of revisiting these churches again for myself and discover some of their history online at the same time.

This was the first church visited, originally built for German Lutherans 1611-3 and the first baroque church in Prague. Given to the Carmelites in 1624 (as Prague returned to Catholicism) it was re-orientated and altered 1636-44. This explains why the bell tower is oddly placed to the back of the church. The facade towards the main street was built in 1664. I was surprised how many people were visiting this church until I realised that the side altar has the celebrated wax image of Jesus, the "Holy Infant of Prague". A museum displays many of the more valuable outfits (there are some 380 in total sent from around the world) in which the figure is dressed by the nuns. He was sporting a fetching turquoise number for my visit. The pope came here quite recently too to pray at this altar.

More information here http://www.prague-wiki.com/wiki/Church_of_Our_Lady_Victorious

All Saints, Wraxall, North Somerset

2011-08-06T19:01:00.003+01:00

3rd August 2011 - Today had a little drive around to try and get inside some of the more difficult local churches to take some better pictures. All were locked! I also visited one of my favourite local churches at Wraxall, always open every day, and deserving of a visit for those who love Kempe glass as all but two of the windows are his work, and all of quality.

I first came here on the 8th of February 1968, invited by a teacher at school to tea with him and his wife and church. He also wound the clock so I have vague memories of climbing the tower. The latter is gorgeous, prettified by the Victorians I know but their parapet and pinnacles are a wonderful crown. Inside too much is over-restored but apart from the windows there is a medieval font attached to a pillar of the arcade which also has a book-shelf resting on a little figure. Can't recall another one of these but there must be.

Also unusual is the coloured Gorges monument in the chancel, Sir Edmund d1512, with two recumbent effigies on a tomb chest decorated with a central coat of arms flanked by two angels holding shields. There are some amazing details - she wears a wedding ring, he also has a ring too but on a different finger. Lady Gorges lies in front, her feet rest on the cutest lion, his on a greyhound - usually the man has the feet on a lion and the wife on the dog. Perhaps Lady Gorges was not one to be messed with!

I found two previous entries by me in the VB, the February one and another on a sunny but freezing cold 4th January 2003. It is however a surprise to see so few entries in the book, especially since Tyntesfield is a major tourist attraction in the parish just up the hill from the church. But then there was no pen, a situation I rectified by relocating a pen I found under a pew at the back of the nave. Memorials to the Gibbs in the south chapel, an enlargement by Blomfield of the south transept attached to the tall porch. The porch has an upper room with a window into the chapel, has a C13 outer door and shelters a Norman doorway. A walk round the church also repays with an unusual memorial in the churchyard attached to the vestry, some old stonework built into the churchyard wall, and two buildings erected in Georgian times.

St Leonard, Bourton on the Hill, Gloucestershire

2011-08-06T18:52:00.000+01:00

My last church of the day, alongside a fairly busy road to Moreton in Marsh, with nowhere to park outside. Externally mostly Perp but inside there is a late Norman south arcade and a C14 chancel arch and north arcade; the reticulated east window is also C14. One small fragment of the former galleries survives over the west bay of the north aisle. There is an English Altar with carved angels on newel posts. Odd C14 stone screen to the organ chamber, brought here apparently in 1927 from Moreton in Marsh. The bay behind is nearly filled by the organ but there is an ornate image niche just visible in the SE angle.

SS Peter & Paul, Blockley, Gloucestershire

2011-07-10T13:58:00.000+01:00

This small town spreads on the steep sides of the valley with its church and centre on the western slopes. The church must have been very impressive at one time as there was once a large Norman church here, rebuilt on the site of an earlier Saxon minster. The chief survival is the chancel with side buttresses windows and corbel table, and a slightly later two storied vestry on the north side which seems to have reused the corbel table. This was joined to the aisle when the Rushout family created their mausoleum c1790. At the west end (and difficult to see behind much clutter) is a Norman doorway in situ, and the south door too has Norman features although altered in the C15. Masking the door is an C18 west tower, recalling Chipping Campden which is where the architect Thomas Woodward Sr was based.

Inside the chancel has Norman responds now carrying a C14 arch, the same date as the fine east window which is similar to that at Barnack in the Soke seen at the AGM. The south wall of the nave is C15 with large windows but above in 1635-6 (dated internally) a clerestory was added, and this may be the date too of the upper windows of the aisle. The arcade could be C14 or c1635 like the north porch, but the flat nave ceiling may be of 1702.

There are a large number of monuments, the earliest a brass to a priest d1488 in the chancel floor. Another brass mentioned in Pevsner as being set in the back of the Dec sedilia is no longer there, possibly stolen. At the east end of the aisle steps lead up over the family vault to the Rushout chapel, the east wall of which is filled by an unusual memorial with four busts. In all a lot of interest and much to puzzle over in a building with a complex history. However the new benches and choir arrangement at the east end of the nave, the chairs in the chancel presumably now reduced to a weekday chapel, and the clutter at the west end of the nave (display stands, notice boards, a low level office(?) in the corner and organ opposite) take the edge of an otherwise interesting church.

Mission Church, Paxford, Gloucestershire

2011-07-09T15:22:00.000+01:00

A small church of 1866, with chancel, bellcote, nave and SW porch. The entrance is on the east side of the porch over which is inscribed "Infant 1866 School". This one was locked but a shot through the window at the west end by holding up the camera to the window standing on tip-toe showed the west bay is screened off as a room from the rest. I decided not to pursue a key.

St Eadburgha, Ebrington, Gloucestershire

2011-07-09T15:17:00.000+01:00

A long path leads to the church from the street, in fact vehicular access to it must be a problem. Much of what is seen today is the result of a very heavy restoration 1875-6, but nevertheless there is much to see here. West tower is Perp, the nave now largely C19 like the chancel but the porch and south aisle are C14. Ornate Norman south door, plainer blocked north door. C15 font, pulpit dated 1679 and a large lectern of a similar age but according to BoE is German. Royal Arms dated 1725 unusually has a latin and a greek inscription.

In the chancel two notable monuments, the first coloured with a larger than life effigy on a tomb chest, with a cute little doggy, whereas the second is a hanging monument to Sir John Keyt d1662 and his wife d1669 with two busts but it is hard to say who is who! A third memorial on the south side of the sanctuary is a large standing architectural design with obelisks and coloured shields. The east window has glass of 1964 by Christopher Webb in his insipid style, although it was unusual to see a chap in overalls boots and hard hat.

St James, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire

2011-07-09T15:06:00.000+01:00

I walked back to the car eating an ice-cream. Somehow I walked into a low hanging branch and scratched my forehead. I followed a group of German ladies to the church where one seemed to be holding court to the other two, speaking twice as loud as she needed to. As they went into the church I walked around and did the exterior of this one of the grandest "wool churches" in the Cotswolds.

Although I had been here at least twice before I had never taken a series of photographs here. The church was all rebuilt in Perp times in a carefully crafted design. Having recently seen a surfeit of Saxon towers on the AGM weekend, I found myself reminded of them when I looked at the decoration of this tower. On entering through the C13 doorway (one of the few features earlier than c1450-1500) I was disappointed to hear the Frau was still talking at her friends, in fact she was stood on the steps of the south chapel with all the monuments whilst her companions were sat down in the aisle. The view from the door is a disappointing one, lots of blank wall and red carpet and a poor flat panelled wooden ceiling to the nave. However there is also a Cotswolds window over the chancel arch which improves things and the tall arcades are a masterpiece with a shallow arch rising from the piers to encompass the large four-light clerestory windows above.

The principle feature inside are the monuments and brasses but there is also a very fine C17 pulpit and some good glass especially that of the east window (incorporating some medieval bits in the tracery) by Henry Payne 1923-4.

Two monuments in the chapel are first rate, a canopied tomb chest with twelve black marble columns and two very detailed larger-than-life effigies of Sir Baptist Hicks Lord Campden d1629 and his wife. On the south wall Edward Noel Viscount Campden d1642, two shrouded upright effigies with the open doors of the tomb carrying the inscriptions.

St Catherine R C, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire

2011-07-09T10:23:00.001+01:00

The catholic church stands at the opposite end of the High Street to the parish church where I was parked. Somehow I had missed this interesting looking church on visits to Campden in the past, so this was the reason for coming here today. The church dates from 1891 and was designed by William Lunn of Malvern. Built of local ashlar stone, it is quite large with nave and aisles, chancel, a transeptal south chapel with tower to its east and a small north chapel. The style of the tracery is a Flamboyant/Perp mixture and no two windows are the same. The east window is a small roundel set over the reredos flanked by miniature two light transomed windows. Most of the stained glass is in keeping but the westernmost window of the north aisle has unfortunate glass, recently installed, of little merit, and I forgot to photograph it!

Baptist Church, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire

2011-07-09T10:20:00.001+01:00

Built in 1872 to the designs of a local architect in Stratford on Avon, T T Allen. An excruciating Gothic church, willful and cheap, its only redeeming feature being it is in the local Cotswold stone. Apologetic saddle-back tower, the interior seemingly altered from the glimpses obtained through the lower windows although there still appears to be a gallery. The whole of the front's windows have been replaced in plain glass which further reduces any appeal the church may have had. Locked but I wasn't disappointed!

St Mary, Temple Guiting, Gloucestershire

2011-07-09T10:19:00.002+01:00

Like Guiting Power I had never been here before, and this was one of the highlights of the day. A small path leads to the church which is beautifully sited with open countryside to the south. The tower is very dominant and appears to be C17, certainly post Perp. The church is Norman as well in origin and the external walls of the chancel show this with corbel tables still in situ. The north wall also has remains of a trefoil headed lancet, a later Dec or C19 window and a blocked doorway (perhaps C15) all under the original Norman corbel table. The church was much rebuilt in Perp times but in the C18 the tracery was removed and the windows made Georgian; the north transept has a Venetian window.

Inside the nave preserves its C15 low-pitched roof, but there is much more of interest.

In a south window three panels of medieval glass, complete figures (St Mary Magdalen, St James the Less and St Mary the Virgin); several other windows from here are now to be seen in the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

A much more recent window at the east end of the south wall is by Thomas Denny, 2009, an artist whose unique style I had admired before in Hereford Cathedral.

Opposite over the north door are sited the recently restored boards from the former reredos, which used to stand under the tower.

Over the tower arch are some intricate plaster Royal Arms of George II. The font is Perp, and like a cut down version of a pillar and capital.

Excellent Georgian pulpit, not the usual type, with a panel depicting the rays of the sun and inlay. The only two memorials of note are C18 and in the transept, one more hidden than the other by the organ. Also nice to see a welcome table where visitors can make a drink, not the usual squashes but also a kettle and selection of tea or coffee.

St Michael, Guiting Power, Gloucestershire

2011-07-09T09:49:00.001+01:00

Another church at the end of a lane in the village with the countryside beyond, but not one that is hidden like Notgrove earlier in the day. Originally Norman but much altered, especially by the additions of transepts (north 1819, south 1843), and a general restoration of 1902-3 which saw a near reconstruction of the chancel. The original north doorway remains in situ, but crowded by the transept, the large and exuberant south doorway was moved to the end of the long transept which dominates the exterior.
Inside these long transepts make for a strange interior, especially as you enter into the south transept into what is seemingly the nave of the church. The remaining bit of the nave itself is incredibly short but its roof is in part original and rests on some good corbels. On the steps to the C15 west tower rests a small stone coffin, unusually still with its original lead lining. The stone pulpit dates from 1903 but the stem is C15. Over the south door the Royal Arms of George IV.

St Andrew, Naunton, Gloucestershire

2011-07-09T09:39:00.000+01:00

Oh dear, perhaps senility is setting in, as here was another place to receive a revisit. I proceeded straight to the local pub for an early lunch (and it was yum!) Sat outside in the sunshine with a scrummy pint of local Donnington ale, all felt familiar, and indeed I was here (church AND pub) in 2001, when I took a series of 1megapixel photos of poor quality featuring Rolf and Alla looking around what is essentially a rather dull church but one that features regularly in many shots of the village in "The Beautiful Cotswolds" calendars.

All is late Perp, nave and chancel in one and a north aisle. It is certainly better outside than in. To make up for this, there is a most beautiful stone pulpit of the C15. I was soon on my way.

St Bartholomew, Notgrove, Gloucestershire

2011-07-09T01:35:00.002+01:00

I definitely had not been here before. The church is tucked away at the end of the village next to the manor house. It is basically Norman, but really heavily restored by J E K Cutts 1871-3. The original arcade survives with round stepped arches. The chancel arch is a little later and now pointed. Norman too the tub font, decorated with two bands of cable moulding around the top. Several bits of old woodwork built into the screen and some of the benches. In the small north transept are two very worn effigies, and the chancel has two more monuments much later and in better condition. On the north side of the sanctuary a recumbent lady on a tomb chest dated with large figures 1630. Opposite a two tiered affair with two gentlemen like the lady from the Whittington family. A robed civilian lies below a soldier in armour. There is no east window to the chancel and the wall is now hidden by a tapestry completed in 1954 which supposedly repeats the decoration to be found behind (without the coloured scenes that is). There was a pulley to raise it presumably so that the original stonework of the reredos could be enjoyed, so I grabbed the cable only to discover it was so rusty that if I was concerned that even if I succeeded in raising it I may not get it back down. In the vestry window a delightful piece of medieval glass showing the Virgin and Child. On leaving I completed my walk around the church and discovered in a Dec niche on the chancel east wall was a Saxon carving of the Crucifixion, rather crude but still identifiable.

All Saints, Turkdean, Gloucestershire

2011-07-09T01:19:00.000+01:00

4th July 2011

I set off for a day in the Gloucestershire Cotswolds, and a day of open churches. The first church was one I believed I had never been to before, but as I pulled up outside all felt rather familiar, and indeed I was here in April 2004 when there had been a sprinkling of snow on the ground. This was also the first day proper of using my new digital camera and seeing how long the battery would last. I had bought one spare. All Saints is a pleasant small church, originally Norman. A Perp tower was inserted into the west end of the nave, but it seems shortly afterwards that a decision was made to rebuild much of the church adding a south aisle. The porch shelters a fine C15 doorway, but fragments of the original doorway to the west and built into the walls of the tower and the porch. C19 neo Norman chancel arch, with a pretty screen of a surprising date - 1949. The font and the pulpit are crisply detailed Perp but retooled. BoE mentions a wall painting in the spandrel of the arcade, and for the second time I missed it; it must be very feint.

St Andrew, Ufford, Cambridgeshire (SoP)

2011-06-20T11:43:00.001+01:00

Following the lunchtime discussion that this church had just been made redundant (source a friend of Andy), and Andy's detour here and discovery it was in fact open, JRS also came here from Barnack to record it, and so I felt I would try too, although approaching 6pm I thought it may be locked. It wasn't, and I discovered that JohnV had also detoured here after Uffington as he had signed the visitors' book. The church is impressively sited on a rise above the village, and reached from the road by a long path leading up to the east end with its odd paired Dec windows. From outside you could hear the noise from the local cricket club. Large spacious if rather bare interior. In the north aisle splendid large painted Commandment boards, Creed Lord's Prayer and above Royal Arms, all 1790. Several C17-C18 wall memorials, plus in the chancel a tomb with semi-reclining effigy of Bridget Lady Carre d1621. The chancel too has a fine series of early C20 windows.

As I photographed the outside the wind got up and I suddenly felt chilly. To my horror I realised I had left my sweat shirt and jacket hanging in the wardrobe at the B&B, so had to return to Aldwincle to collect them. Luckily this was not too much of a detour and the owners were thankfully at home. I celebrated my return to Bristol by buying a kebab and after eating it promptly fell asleep on the settee.

Thanks to everyone who attended the AGM for their company and repartee. And thanks especially to Chris Stafford for the organisation and planning of another successful day in his back garden, despite realising that family commitments in Pembrokeshire meant that he had to drive back from there for our day and return there for a further family event the following day. I am sure he uttered a few choice words when the wedding and christening got planned either side of the trip he had agreed to organise this year. And thanks also to Mrs S for giving him permission.

All Saints, Wittering, Cambridgeshire (SoP)

2011-06-20T11:40:00.000+01:00

As we all headed to the church Chris stopped off at the local shop to collect the key. Somehow we had lost JRS so we assumed he had called at St Martin's in Stamford. the church is tall and short with a Decorated west tower and short broach spire. From the NW nothing looks very interesting, a low north aisle looks restored Dec too and there is a modern extension (vestries I assumed) at the north east corner. However from the south east you suspect that what you are seeing is a very early church, a sort of Escomb or Bradford on Avon affair. Stepping inside and there was a treble shock. Immediately in front of you is an ornate two-bayed Norman arcade and a completely empty space cleared of pews, newly paved and all done very recently (indeed it may not yet be quite finished). Turning and looking to the chancel however and you see the jaw-dropping feature which is the principle reason for coming here, a Saxon chancel arch with truly cyclopean capitals and two complete roll mouldings interrupted by these blocks. In the north chapel east window modern glass connected to RAF Wittering. The clearance was so recent that we debated if the church was still in use as the board outside had the vicar obliterated and only the name of the RAF Chaplain recorded.

This was the last group church of the day and Chris returned Ken and Diane to the station for their trains. I returned Marion to her car at Castor but not before returning to Upton in a vain attempt to get inside as Marion had missed it. It was closed but Marion was able to see the main features from the north aisle window. As I headed away, thinking I was leading Marion to her overnight hotel stay in Wansford, I despairingly watched Marion display her self-confessed poor sense of direction in my mirror by continuing around the roundabout! I could do nothing further and imagined her heading back to the same Peterborough industrial estates she had got lost in that morning.

St Michael, Uffington, Lincolnshire

2011-06-20T11:38:00.000+01:00

I had no idea we had crossed from The Soke into Lincs, in fact I did not realise until I tried to look up Uffington in the wrong Pevsner when I got home! Maybe the change of county explains the gorgeous Perp west steeple with the spire embellished with crockets. This medieval church had a serious Victorian makeover, or rather embellishment, but there is more medieval work than you may suspect at first glance. However inside there is no mistaking the overlarge roof corbels for the nave roof as Victorian, with various carved scenes. The interior was very dark but it seems I successfully braced my flash-failing camera on the tower screen for a time-lapse interior. Many of the monuments proved more of a challenge though and I have some strangely angled but sharp photos of the big chancel memorials as well as several complete disasters. Alongside the north side of the chancel is a large Perp chapel with a stunningly tall east window of four lights, and filled by glass by Wailes. I found his signature in the window (bottom left) and had a discussion with Andy about it. Interesting he saw the W in foliage whereas I saw the W as the solid block entwined by foliage. Of course I remembered later that two Ws was correct as his first name was William!

Time was getting on and JohnV took his leave of us here for a long drive back to Kent. We stood outside by the tower (to the surprise of the locals above) and debated about the next church, planned as St Martin in Stamford, and decided to omit it to visit our last planned target as Ken had to get back to Peterborough station for a 1715 train. Not sure if JRS made it here though. It turned out to be a good choice as when we drove by St Martin's there was nowhere to park.

St John the Baptist, Barnack, Cambridgeshire (SoP)

2011-06-20T11:34:00.000+01:00

We drove past Barnack church on the way to our pub lunch at The Millstone in the village. Thankfully after the diverse churches we had all gone off to see, the plan came together for us to enjoy a lunch together. Suitably refreshed we returned to visit the church. Here is another of the area's great Saxon towers which repays close examination, and the church attached to it is large and impressive looking too from outside in the sunshine. The Decorated chancel is ornate and has an exceptionally finely detailed five stepped-light east window, and the south chapel Perp a very ornate embattled parapet. I had been here before but had forgotten about the impressive early C13 south porch which shelters a very fine late Transitional doorway with a round arch, has a fine pointed full EE outer arch and an absurdly tall cross vault.

Inside the mighty Saxon tower arch dominates the west end and the interior looking east from here is tall and spacious, yet disappointing somehow. I felt much the same when I came here in 1986 and I cannot pinpoint why I feel like that. Maybe it is the Victorian roofs, the benches, the C19 screens and the overall tidying up which they undoubtedly did at the same time. And that is a shame, as there are also some fine treasures too, a Saxon figure of Christ in Majesty, an intricate carving of the Annunciation in the south chapel and an excellent EE font around which we all stood for the 2011 group photo.

St Botolph, Helpston, Cambridgeshire (SoP)

2011-06-19T20:35:00.000+01:00

Now followers of our little gathering may get confused at this point. The original plan was to go to Deeping St James but Chris was concerned of the proximity of a planned wedding ceremony there so decided to go to Helpston instead en route to lunch at Barnack. The problem was that JRS and Seajay had set off before this was decided, and Andy had gone off to Ufford after receiving news of its imminent closure. St Botolph's is rather a pleasant church with an octagonal west tower embraced by the aisles, and a clerestoried nave and aisles, with south porch and chancel. The most dominant feature of the interior is the astonishing east window of Christ in Majesty by Francis Skeat, a bold insertion into this medieval setting. I really liked it but others in our party were not as keen. There were also two odd stone mouldings with carved beasts or figures low down in the chancel, which we all duly examined.

St Andrew, Northborough, Cambridgeshire (SoP)

2011-06-17T19:05:00.000+01:00

Along with Upton, this was the other church I had suggested to Chris for our tour today. And I don't think anyone was disappointed with this architectural oddity. The Norman and EE church largely survives intact, the west front is probably the earliest part with a windowless wall to the nave four strip buttresses and a bellcote of the same period. To this a huge south transept has been added, probably the first part of a scheme to rebuild the whole church on a grand scale. A blocked arch above the aisle would have opened into a new aisle but alas for some reason this never came about. From the SE the difference of scale is marked between the early Decorated chancel and the later Decorated transept. Inside too the junction of the old and new is uncomfortable, but it cannot be denied that what we have is impressive enough. Under the south window are two recesses, presumably to house monuments to the benefactors from the Delamere family; indeed in the porch at Glinton are two effigies which local lore suggests were once in these recesses. The east wall has two rich canopies and brackets, and a rather crudely detailed but large canopied tomb without figures to James Claypole d1594. In the south aisle are unusually sedilia and a piscina, and the north aisle has another odd (blocked doorway?) round arch with later Decorated blank tracery. The lady who had kindly opened the church ahead of our visit was proud of her church. Her husband had arrived with his toolkit to open the donations box for the first time in many years. She thought it would need to be replaced as the opening would not accept £1 coins but the collections of coins I saw had a liberal helping of £1 and £2 coins, as well as the more expected copper shrapnel.

St Pega, Peakirk, Cambridgeshire (SoP)

2011-06-17T14:54:00.000+01:00

We hurtled around the Peterborough ring road, at one stage I overtook Chris by mistake. We passed the weird spired church at Glinton (although we found out JRS had in fact stopped here - too good to miss!) which is over-tall for its tower and looks pregnant! Chris turned off and I followed, only to discover that he had disappeared. Neither could we see the church, although we were outside the Rectory. The road petered out in a farmyard track with a church way across the fields. As we debated what to do Chris appeared (in my rear mirror) waving like a windmill directing us down a side road, where the church thankfully was. No tower again, but atop the west front a Norman triple bellcote. We entered via a Norman doorway with tympanum into a small but perfectly formed church of nave and aisles and chancel. The walls above the late Norman north arcade and that of the aisle behind are covered in wall paintings, scenes from the Passion above and dire warnings in the aisle. Fine glass in the large Perp east window by W E Tower c1914. In a south window glass (by whom?) of c1915 (date of death in WW1), with brownish hues but powerful figures of three soldiers. Another rare treasure is the shaft of the lectern, C14 of wood. My failing camera could not take a picture of this so I would be grateful for anyone who did get a decent one to send it to me!

St Kyneburga, Castor, Cambridgeshire (SoP)

2011-06-17T14:50:00.000+01:00

Diane and I followed the others to Castor where we found out that the others (JRS, Marion and Andy) had made their way here for a variety of reasons. Here too unexpectedly was Ken, who having arrived late, had taken a taxi from Peterborough station. Meanwhile of course Chris had returned there to pick him up. Never mind a quick phone call had Chris returning whilst many people were still enjoying this superb church, and catching up with people who they had not seen for a year. I had been to St Kyneburga's before but not with a digital camera. However in my keenness to be social of forgot to photograph very much here at all, and completely forgot to photograph the outside with its impressive Norman tower. This rests inside on hefty crossing arches with good carved capitals. Parts of the west front and the rest south doorway are also Norman. The aisleless chancel has an unusually traceried Perp east window. Here we also sorted out travelling arrangements and I drove Diane and Marion for the rest of the tour.

St John the Baptist, Upton, Cambridgeshire (ex SoP)

2011-06-17T08:21:00.000+01:00

After breakfast I set off to meet all members of the ChurchCrawling Yahoo Group for our annual tour around churches, the selected area being The Soke of Peterborough, now part of Cambridgeshire. I left Aldwincle a little later than I had planned, and so ignored a few temptations on the way including Elton. I was first to arrive, to find our target church across the fields reached by a rough track and footpath. The external appearance is all of the C17, quite domestic looking, and without a tower. Nave, north aisle and chancel, yet there are three west gables because a small bellcote has been created between the two sections of the church. The door opened and the stage was set, because the interior is dominated by the changes made by the Dove family. The chancel arch however has Norman responds and the pillars of the arcade are a little later but not much. The aisle contains a large freestanding canopied monument with three recumbent effigies to the Doves, Sir William and his two wives. It is raised on a platform which has a bulky stone balustrade to the nave and a matching stone stair leading up into it. Pevsner notes that one of the female effigies is of wood, but I never thought to question this so effectively matched it is to the other two. I sat quietly waiting for others to arrive. Diane was first with Chris who returned smartly to the station to pick up Ken as his train was running late. John and Seajay arrived next but no-one else made it here. We waited just in case, and I even accosted a couple I did not know as they pulled up outside just in case they were joining us - they weren't!

St Mary, Titchmarsh, Northamptonshire

2011-06-16T13:52:00.001+01:00

I had intended to leave the Warkton memories lingering in my mind and not visit another church that evening, but signs approaching Titchmarsh informed me that my intended early morning target could be problematic the next day as the village was having a festival. Sure enough around the church people were busy erecting stalls and bringing in various stuff in readiness for the next day. Normally open, the keyholder had locked up 10 minutes before I knocked on her door but was happy to open it up again. I had wanted to come here since standing on the hill top at Wadenhoe in August last year and seeing the crown of sixteen pinnacles in the distance. The tower is a splendid example of a Perp tower, but the church itself is large wide and spacious. Much is Perp but in the chancel is a reused piece of Norman zig-zag and the arcades are earlier too (N, and N chapel, C13, S C14). The parish has recently removed most of the Victorian pews and paved the nave. There is not a great deal else to see, but there are two unusual painted memorials by Elizabeth Creed, one to her brother Rev Theophilus Pickering with bust on a long inscription plinth flanked by three putti, the other with a long inscription but a real bust to her cousin John Dryden the poet. Storm clouds gathered and by the time I got to the B&B at Aldwincle the heavens opened and a hailstorm ensured for about 15 minutes. A pub meal and an early night followed in readiness for the CC AGM the next day

St Edmund, Warkton, Northamptonshire

2011-06-16T13:33:00.001+01:00

When I repositioned myself it was with the intention of visiting this church. Unfortunately I found it locked but there was a notice with a mobile phone number for a visit. Unfortunately the chap in question was not in the village but would be back at around 5pm. I had to call my B&B who were expecting me late afternoon to check a later arrival would be OK. I then rang this chap (the CW) back and arranged to meet at 5pm. Whilst I waited I admired the extensions to the church which now embrace the fine Perp tower. The chancel too is the other major external feature with an east window which beggars belief. However if it were not for this chancel, built to house four monuments to the owners of Boughton House, the church would feature among the less-interesting churches of the county, but it is the chancel which propels it into the "must see" category. For completeness the short two-bayed clerestoried nave has late C12 two-bayed arcades but the aisles are Victorian, as is the chancel arch. The chancel was rebuilt c1749 as the mausoleum of the Duke of Montagu's family, and apparently was almost walled off from the nave until the vicar at his expense built the current chancel arch. It has two recesses each side, for four major monuments.

The first pair north and south are to John Duke of Montagu d 1752 (N side) and Mary the Duchess d1753 (S side). They are both by Roubiliac, his with a portrait medallion being hung up by a large putto assisted by Charity who has two children. Below the grieving Duchess watches. Her memorial has an urn being garlanded by two putti, whilst the three Fates as young women look on. At the foot a naked chubby boy looks outwards. These are the monuments most people come to see the CW told me, but for me it was the next monument to the next Duchess of Montagu d1775 that I most wanted to see.

The architectural surround (a beautifully detailed coffered and panelled apse) is by Robert Adam whilst the tableau is by Peter Matthias van Gelder. The latter shows a central urn with an angel bent and pointing skyward on the left and the seated Duchess and two children (perhaps her daughters who died young) and a hooded old lady to the right. Pevsner does not seem to care for it much, in his opinion the two styles here clash. I disagree, it is among the best monuments in the country of this period. And opposite Elizabeth Montague d1827, sat on a high plinth looking rather grim, whilst a young woman (left) and a youthful angel extinguishing a torch stand below (right). This monument, although the least interesting and of less merit than the others, is causing the CW the most concern, as the marble seems to be turning into salt. The youth's hand has largely crumbled away, and there are other bright white spots developing elsewhere on the figures showing the same failure of the stone. The parish is hopeful to clean the monuments in the near future (last done in 1947 apparently) and is taking advice from experts beforehand about the cleaning as well as the preservation of Elizabeth's memorial. It was hard to tear myself away but I had to, as the CW had a theatre appointment in Northampton that same evening and I had to get to my B&B.

St Mary Magdalen, Geddington, Northamptonshire

2011-06-14T23:58:00.001+01:00

For the very life of me, I do not know why the good people of Geddington keep their church chained and padlocked shut, especially in the summer months when tourists come here to see the famous Eleanor Cross close by, and Boughton House just down the road. I had been forewarned that this may be the case by friends on ChurchCrawling who had been here before with no success. No board with details anywhere and certainly no keyholder information. And that is a shame because it looks an impressive church. If I did not have an appointment with a keyholder to keep I may have been more active in the pursuit of access. I was here 15 minutes at the most before 5pm, and in that time I counted five people walk into the churchyard, only to return a few minutes later. That would average a couple of hundred potential visitors a day, and loss of potential income and donations for the church. There is nothing on sale in the square about the cross that I saw, and people do want souvenirs. A combined pictorial guide at £2 to church and village could be a reasonable seller. Maybe there is one, but I never got the opportunity to check. Sad too as Geddington looks a pretty place but left me with the impression that tourists should stay away.

St Andrew, Brigstock, Northamptonshire

2011-06-14T23:07:00.002+01:00

The significant feature of the church is the Saxon west tower, with a hefty arch inside and a triangular headed doorway into the stair turret which like the more famous Brixworth nearby is a large near circular attachment to the west face of the tower. Of course the tops stage and the spire are later Dec. work. The Saxon nave survives too, tall and narrow although most features apart from one window have been erased by later enlargements (Norman north arcade - aisle rebuilt again wider, Perp - and Dec south aisle, and a Perp clerestory). Reset Norman south doorway. Norman too the north arch inserted into the tower. Perp screen into the north chapel, and here too a large Victorian tomb chest with white marble effigy to Lord Lyveden by Matthew Noble 1876.

St James, Grafton Underwood, Northamptonshire

2011-06-14T09:39:00.002+01:00

I relocated using the A14 and the A43 to NE of Kettering. The first church I tried was locked but I returned to it, so it will follow too! Whilst waiting for the keyholder to come home I went to this church where a sign on the long path leading to it screamed "CHURCH OPEN". There was also a road sign pointing to a window that is in the church but not the church itself! The church is of some antiquity, as both arcades are Norman with round piers, the north one earlier with stepped arches and square capitals , the south with one step and one chamfer and circular capitals. The tower is a little later. Decorated chancel, Perpendicular clerestory and several windows. Notably low and deep south porch. In the chancel three sedilia and two similar niches of differing sizes flank the east window, one with an amusing little figure. Two wall memorials by Westmacott Senior (with portrait medallion of the deceased being cuddled by two ladies, chancel) and Junior (A charitable lady presumably the deceased giving out bread to a child, his kneeling mother and an old man leaning on a stick, north chapel). The east window of the south aisle contains an unusual subject, a Flying Fortress B-17 of the 384th Bomb Group of the 8th US Airforce flying over the White Cliffs of Dover as it returns from a combat mission, installed in 1983 to commemorate those stationed at Grafton Underwood airfield during World War II. Also of note the tiny window on the south side of the chancel.

St Mary, Welford, Northamptonshire

2011-06-14T08:48:00.001+01:00

A handsome exterior and quite a large church, the west tower and nave and aisles of standard outline but with a slightly taller chancel and a much taller and wider south chapel. The south chapel tower and clerestory are all Perp., the aisles have Dec windows. Inside however the south arcade is EE and the north arcade Victorian like the aisle: however the tomb chest and recess are original work. Large and squat organ case nearly fills the west end of the nave, looking like it was perhaps made for somewhere else and brought here. Alternatively would it have fitted in the south chapel? Matching Jacobean screens to both side chapels, and another under the tower behind the organ. In the south chapel now used as a vestry and office, a memorial to Francis Saunders, a large marble surround with shields and allegorical figures on the broken pediment and a centrally placed brass plate incised with many kneeling family members including a baby in a crib. Two medieval bench ends are incorporated into the reader's desk in the chancel, but my favourite feature was the EE font.

All Saints, Yelvertoft, Northamptonshire

2011-06-14T08:24:00.001+01:00

Unusually this church has two south aisles, and to go with that the south porch is richly detailed. The church lies at one end of this large village on a rise above the road. the other unusual feature is the outside north wall of the chancel where the window is flanked by finely panelled buttresses and has four bands of ornamentation below. On the opposite side of this wall is the similar sumptuous monument to the Rector John Dycson, mid C15. Again inside the two south arcades are of four bays whereas the north aisle has one of three larger bays. The church is painted a deep cream colour throughout, darker than it appears in my pictures. Another curious feature is the eroded Decorated sedilia in the chancel, something we also puzzled over at a past AGM at Marston St Lawrence - why the erosion inside a building?

St Andrew, Clay Coton, Northamptonshire

2011-06-13T16:56:00.003+01:00

A picturesque small Dec church, much restored in 1866, and again in 1999-2002 when it was skillfully converted into a four bedroomed house (architect Derek Hartwell). I met the current owner by the church porch and spent an interesting time talking with him. Apparently the church is also designated an Ancient Monument because of the floor, he told me. A special membrane had to be laid to protect it and the present floor of the house is a couple of feet higher than it was previously. Framing inside has created a mezzanine floor for extra living space utilizing the steeply pitched roof area. Not many velux windows disturb the view from the south but there are many more on the north side of the church. The restoration work of the exterior is done with quality. Pevsner described the church as "disused and threatened with demolition" in 1971, the church continued to deteriorate until 1990 when it was purchased for conversion. The chancel at that time was covered by ivy, windows boarded up, slipped slates on the roof let in water and vandals had stolen the medieval bench ends which Pevsner mentions. (It is surprising they were left inside.) The next nine years were spent getting the necessary permissions from the various bodies. The path south of the church is a public footpath and the churchyard is also accessible. As much as I would have liked to see what had happened inside, no invitation was forthcoming and of course I respected the chap's privacy by not asking. However there are pictures online where people have not respected his property and have trespassed onto private land.

St Nicholas, Stanford on Avon, Northamptonshire

2011-06-13T10:23:00.001+01:00

This church has long been on my list to visit, but until recently I had not realised that I had driven by it on countless occasions when using the A14. I vowed next time I came this way I would stop here. I first drove by the big house, Stanford Hall, which, in its parkland setting. is actually in Leicestershire, separated by a river and a county boundary from its parish church. It is a large church, all of c1300-50 according to the Master. The chancel and the south aisle appear to be the earliest part with intersecting tracery, although the east end of the aisle sees a move to reticulation which is used throughout the north aisle. Some windows are blocked, suggesting large later monuments inside. Plain parapet to the aisle, none to the nave and chancel. Some later alterations include the ball finials to the corners of the aisle, the odd blocky pinnacles at the east end, and the rather crude but effective parapet and pinnacles on the tower which look C18.

I walked the path towards the porch with its cusped outer entrance to find the church door open wide. Immediately the eye is drawn in all directions by the fantastic array of monuments and the show of medieval stained glass. The church was devoid of furniture, which here added to the appreciation of the architecture and fittings, except at the east end of the aisle where the chairs were stacked and covered with tarpaulins to protect them from the ever growing curse protected by law that exists in an increasing number of English churches, namely bats. Everything was covered in droppings and a notice in the porch says that the church apologises for the state of the interior and is working hard with English Heritage and English Nature to try to improve matters, although I am not sure how given the legal protection these vermin with wings enjoy. I can but give you a flavour of this church and all its wonders in seven pictures and a few more words. I took 77 pictures and most of these in time will be added to my flickr photo stream. Apart from the vast surviving collection of stained glass (C14-C16) and the fifteen major monuments inside the church (mainly to members of the Cave family of the Hall, C14-1896) there is another major treasure here. It is the C16 organ standing on the west gallery which is said to have come here from the Royal Chapel in Whitehall.

I could write about this outstanding church for many more paragraphs, but that does not mean I will convey to the reader more than at catalogue of names, sculptors and windows which Pevsner or the official listing do already. What I will say in conclusion is to come here if you can, you will not be disappointed, unless of course you find the church locked.

All Saints, Swinford, Leicestershire

2011-06-13T10:22:00.001+01:00

10th June 2011 - I set off to Aldwincle and an overnight farm B&B before the ChurchCrawling Group's AGM in the Soke the following day. Naturally I would get in some churches en route. Not only do three major roads (M1, M6, A14) and two others come together at a horrible traffic-infested junction, but also three counties meet here - Warwickshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. I thought this church was in Warwickshire until I realised the diocese was Leicester! All Saints stands in a rather secluded churchyard, which only opens at its eastern end onto the street. I walked up a tiny lane with the church tower at the end of it. The church was enclosed by black railings demarcating a right of way through the churchyard as if it were an urban church. It has an unusual appearance thanks to the apsidal east end, a rebuilding and enlargement of a previous apsidal C18 chancel apparently. The majority of the church is however C14, with the north arcade being a century or so older. The east bay of the arcades may indicate former transepts or earlier tower as it is seperated by a piece of walling from the other two. The most interesting item is the oldest, circular Norman with blank crude arcading around the bowl and odd stubby baluster like piers alternating with square ones supporting the bowl. Pevsner suggests these are C17 but would they be as rustic looking as these? I think these too are Norman - what do you think?

St Michael, Church Broughton, Derbyshire

2011-06-12T21:03:00.001+01:00

A large church, mostly C14. On the exterior of the chancel is a tomb recess with quatrefoil decorated chest. Inside the arcades have the main interest. The NE respond is Norman, but the arcades are C14. However the first pier from the west is not really a pier, but a short piece of walling with E & W responds. There is an amusing carved face on the piece of walling on both sides of the nave (one illustrated here). The chancel arch is also very handsome, but as Pevsner does not mention it, I assume it is a Victorian replacement. Not a great deal else to record apart from the large Royal Arms of George IV, a handsome C18 pulpi and an oddly decorated Norman font.

This felt like it should be my last church of the day, and I chatted to the couple who have the house to the west of the church as the clock struck five. They have one of the most outstanding gardens I have seen for a long time. I was still hungry and my SatNav directed me home via Burton on Trent where I was to see several big Victorian churches as I drove through the town centre. However this was not before I had stopped at a most splendid takeaway where I consumed in the car one of the best Kebabs I have ever had, and reflected on my day. The following weekend would see me off again for two days, attending the ChurchCrawling eGroup's "AGM" in the Soke of Peterborough.

St John the Baptist, Boyleston, Derbyshire

2011-06-12T20:35:00.002+01:00

A long path leads up behind the village hall to the church which is otherwise hidden from view by large trees. Quirky little SW tower of 1844 with an insignificant doorway which is the main entrance to the church. There is a south aisle to its east with Dec windows, but the nave extends further west of the tower and has a variety of windows. Low seemingly long chancel is also C14 but has a Perp east window. Pretty interior with a lot of charm but without much of particular interest. There is an empty tomb recess on the north side of the sanctuary.

St Giles, Marston Montgomery, Derbyshire

2011-06-12T20:25:00.001+01:00

A pretty exterior characterised by a Victorian timber bellcote by J P St Aubyn 1874-5. It replaced an ugly block of a tower at the NW corner and an C18 small west portico/porch was removed and the doorway blocked up. However the west window is Norman. The south porch is also Victorian, and offers shelter to the previously exposed Norman south doorway. Norman too the chancel arch, quite plain, and a little later the north arcade of three bays with pointed arches; the aisle itself is Victorian. Not a great deal to see otherwise apart from a plain Norman font. [open]

St Michael, Rocester, Staffordshire

2011-06-12T19:25:00.001+01:00

As I walked towards this church, I met an old boy walking with difficulty with a stick who had come back here after many years away from his birthplace. Spotting the camera he asked what I was doing, and then enthused about the church. What I saw looked rather dull, although the tower is supposedly medieval, and indeed the Master confirms much of it is Ewan Christian's rebuilding of 1872 when the spire was added. Locked up tight, notices in the porch which may have been of interest to locals and visitors inaccessible but visible through the glazed side windows, so any chance of finding a phone number here was gone. I noted the old stone tomb slabs by the porch and the handsome medieval churchyard cross as I walked back to the car. My mood had darkened, locked churches I sort of understand, but locked secret churches I don't. My mood was not helped by the fact I was also peckish but the local Spar had nothing that took my fancy either and their sandwiches were unappetising in appearance and hugely over-priced. I decided to quit Staffordshire and return to Derbyshire, although a little fearful the whole area must now be locked. A mile or so from Rocester and the churches were open once more, as if Derby diocese had decreed all churches must be kept open!

St Peter, Ellastone, Staffordshire

2011-06-12T19:09:00.001+01:00

Prominently placed above the road as you approach the village from the north (Mayfield), and an invitation to a churchcrawler to stop and visit a while. Pretty lych gate into the churchyard, tall west tower, a Geogian nave with tall two-light Dec side windows (tracery altered?), but an interesting looking chancel dated 1588 (not 1586 as BoE has it) and north chapel (or chancel and south chapel as I did not get inside) with several memorials placed on the outside walls. Locked, no board in the churchyard, no notices anywhere in the porch for visitors or locals to see. How is anyone not "in the club" supposed to contact the parish officials or find out about services here?

St John the Baptist, Mayfield, Staffordshire

2011-06-12T18:57:00.001+01:00

The road from Blore to Mayfield said it was "gated" - no problem I thought, expecting one or two. There were six I think in total, including one painted "No through road" outside a farm. But each gate had a Staffordshire County sign, so I trusted the map and SatNav. The modern town of Mayfield is at the road junction by the bridge over the river into Ashbourne and Derbyshire. The church is away from the main road, and must have been quite isolated before the new houses were built round and about.

The church has a tall slim west tower dated 1515 and a lowish spreading nave and aisles with a lengthy chancel. Odd "pie-crust" crenellation to the chancel, Georgian according to the master. The outer porch door was locked, the first locked door of the entire weekend. No matter, keyholders were listed on the sign by the gate. No reply from the first nameless person, but a lady answered the second one. I explained my reason for ringing, and she said "Oh God, no!" and went to fetch her husband. I spoke to him, and his first words were the same as his wife's. A debate ensued in their house, and in the end he said he would come telling his wife he may as well walk the dog. Neither of them seemed very happy, so I waited with some trepidation. Whilst I was waiting another group of people turned up who were preparing for a special service the following weekend to commemorate the crash of a plane close by in World War Two. They said they were expecting a different villager who also had the church key! We waited. My man turned up first, and actually was very enthusiastic about his church and showing it to visitors. His reluctance was down to the fact CW#1 was on holiday and he was in mid-lopping of his garden trees. I warmed to him and he also gave me the tower key and invited me to climb it if I wished. Of course this was a yes! Anyhow he unlocked the porch to reveal a Norman doorway and an odd porch interior with a stone roof supported on a broad semi-circular arch. He left me too it whilst he walked the dog, and also kindly gave me a copy of the church guidebook. Inside the church the south arcade is also late Norman with circular piers and stepped arches, but the similar later north arcade arches have a slight chamfer and stand now on quatrefoil shaped piers with different capitals; they look a medieval alteration but may date from the rebuilding and widening of the north aisle in 1854. The pews incorporate much C17 woodwork and there is a fine pulpit and panelling in the chancel of a similar date. However the most interesting feature is the Communion Rails, three sided with intricate carved decoration. On top the tower there was little to stop you going over the edge, the parapet being only six inches or so above the apex of the pitched leaded roof. Meantime in the churchyard below even more people had gathered, and I left quite a happy gathering including my CW and his dog.

St Bartholomew, Blore, Staffordshire

2011-06-12T13:01:00.003+01:00

High on the moorland above Ilam, but quite a large church. It is mainly Perp and preserves inside a large amount of medieval and Jacobean woodwork. There is a mixture of square-headed and arched windows, although the chancel east window looks rather odd and is probably Victorian. The screen to the north chapel is Perp, and the chapel is walled off from the chancel, a process that seems to have left the original Perp parclose screen in situ. In the floor under the carpet before the scren are large brasses to William Bassett late C15. No arch from the aisle into the chapel, just a change of roof line. The chapel itself is completely filled by the monument to William Bassett d1601, his wife d1640 and his son-in-law d1616. He lies elevated in the centre, the others left and right, with William's kneeling daughters at their heads. At both ends of the monument four coulumns supporting a double entablature on which are mounted large shields.

All Saints, Okeover, Staffordshire

2011-06-12T12:37:00.001+01:00

From the churchyard at Mapleton I could see a church tower across the Dove and the county boundary. All Saints is on the front lawn of Okeover Hall, and I parked on the road to Mayfield in the open surrounded by sheep and the only car parked anywhere. The road towards the church said Private, but I ventured towards the church. Slipping by the gates I walked into the churchyard towards the porch (part of Scott's retoration here). There were no notices and the door had a very rusty handle. On the stone seat sat a framed account of the history of the church where I discovered it was no longer in use and now belonged to the big house owners. I grabbed the handle, turned it, and the door opened. The church is not large, mainly C14, gone over by Scott. By the font on the north wall remains of a huge brass were mounted on a wooden board, with three complete canopies and a complete figure of a lady and partial remains of another figure. Fittings in the church are by Scott. On the north wall of the chancel is a magnificent wall memorial to Leak and Mary Okeover d1765 and d1764 resp. A large angel stands leaning on an urn with the portrait medallion of the couple on its base, the angel extinguishing a torch. The east window and a north chancel window have medieval stained glass.

Closing the door I walked back to the car past many little groups of sheep. There were a young pair relaxing right by my car, keeping an eye on it seemingly!

St Mary, Mapleton, Derbyshire

2011-06-09T00:05:00.003+01:00

Here was a little surprise, a miniature classical church in the countryside. It is a three-bayed rectangle with round arched windows, with a west tower capped by a small dome and lantern. The interior is charming with a west gallery, but a bit of a let down. Glass in the East window by A J Davies of Bromsgrove, and the font is a tiny octagonal bowl on a short Victorian gothic polished column with foliated capital and large base.

Holy Cross, Ilam, Staffordshire

2011-06-08T21:40:00.001+01:00

Situated in a lovely loop of the River Manifold as it heads towards a marriage with the River Dove at Thorpe. The scenery is stunning and Ilam itself is an estate village for the most part. The church lies on the lawn of Ilam Hall ( a rump of its former self , now a Youth Hostel, but owned and grounds managed by the National Trust). Lots of people out enjoying the parkland and walks, yet surprisingly I had the church pretty much to myself for the time of my visit. Parts of the church are medieval but you can be forgiven for thinking that the church is entirely C19, thanks to the energies of Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1855-56, and the colossal NE mortuary chapel of 1831. In the churchyard two Saxon cross shafts. The saddleback top to the tower is Scott's invention but it must ne C13 - see the lancet lower down.

The arcade is Scott's but the SE chapel is dated 1618 In the latter is the shrine of St Bertelin, just the base with open quatrefoils. Squeezed behind the organ is a splendid C17 monument with chest and two recumbent effigies and back wall under a canopy one large kneeling crowned lady and four (not three as Pevsner states) smaller frontally kneeling figures. It is a most unfortunately placed memorial which deserves a better position - the large kneeling lady looks at the corner of the chapel. Nothing to brace my erratically behaving camera on to get a decent picture of the whole, and the flash started to not fire at all, or randomly throw out either a blinding white light or next to nothing. The north chapel is a large vaulted octagon containing the tomb of David Pike Watts; the tableau presented, the work of Chantry 1831, is of him rising from his bed to greet his daughter and grand children, and it is subtlely lit from above. The chapel is locked off by a metal screen, so you can only see the scene as intended from the entrance and it is very very striking. The chief fitting to admire in the church proper is a superb Norman cauldron-shaped font, decorated with beasts and figures. [open]

St Leonard, Thorpe, Derbyshire

2011-06-08T18:02:00.001+01:00

The church at the entrance to Dovedale has a Norman west tower and nave, and an unfortunate Victorian chancel. Yet another open church, but with the number of walkers and tourists that come here to see Dovedale not surprising. Not a great deal here to detain you long, there is a slim goblet shaped Norman font and C17 Communion Rail. In the sanctuary the remains of a C17 monument with standing figures. I came to Thorpe in 1982 but did the walk up Dovedale and not the church, it was a pleasure to do the church and ignore Dovedale which on a summer Saturday would not be as peaceful an experience as my previous visit. The scenery however is awesome, and you will see a bit of this at my next church.

St Edmund, Fenny Bentley, Derbyshire

2011-06-08T09:22:00.002+01:00

The Victorian embellishments, enlargement and restoration makes this church appear to be totally C19. However the tower (but not the spire) is said to be original as must be the south wall of the church with its varied windows, and probably the chancel east window with strange intersecting tracery. The interior consequently is a little disappointing but repays closer inspection because the fittings are what is important here. Both screens contain old work, there is an old ches and the font again not in Pevsner is of an unusual design and difficult to date (?C17, earlier?). However the church is on the tourist trail for a special monument. Two effigies lie on a tomb chest, completely bundled up in shrouds. They represent Thomas Beresford d1473 and his wife, but the whole monument was made a hundred years later in Elizabethan times. The panels of the chest equally have the children and mourners incised and all of these are in shrouds like the effigies. Quite a spooky memorial, and a reason for the lack of faces is that no likenesses of the family survived for the later craftsmen to work with. Equally odd is the erection of such a memorial so long after their deaths.

All Saints, Bradbourne, Derbyshire

2011-06-08T08:36:00.002+01:00

A lovely hillside setting with views across to the Dales, All Saints is a place of considerable antiquity. Before the church door is reached the visitor is confronted by an AngloSaxon cross shaft dating from c800 complete with a relief of The Crucifixion. In fact part of the nave's north wall contains Saxon long and short work. Next comes the west tower in age a bulky Norman structure of three stages with original corbel table but later battlements. It has two doorways, a small plain west door and an elaborate south door unusually. The church was rebuilt in the C13 as evidenced by lancet windows and enlarged c1300 by the south aisle. Strange tracery in a south chancel window, which also has some unusual stained glass (by whom?), and another odd window to its east, square headed but with a detached shaft dividing the recess in half. Two fonts, one broken Victorian bowl lies on the floor by a big bulky square font decorated with quatrefoils; is this one old too? By the south door in the aisle a painted text set amid turrets and towers, unusual and Pevsner reckons this is C17.

All Saints, Ballidon, Derbyshire

2011-06-08T00:00:00.002+01:00

In a field above the road. It is approached through a stile and following a short uphill path. The churchyard was unkempt and a notice was attached to the padlocked outer porch door "Dangerous Structure". I went in the porch but the church door itself was locked tight. Another notice says that the Lord Bishop of Derby is seeking the church's redundancy at a hearing on the 13th June 2011. It seems the congregation has abandoned it some time ago. Looking through a broken pane into the chancel many of the fittings are covered up and the organ have been stripped out already. The north side of the church has no windows and the churchyard had several feet of undergrowth. I risked pointing the camera through the nave west window for an interior - and the result is shown. The font is apparently Perp. The church is Norman in origin but the doorway and chancel arch have been completely retooled. As i sat on the churchyard wall I was aware of being watched. A pair of beady eyes and wind-ruffled feathers watched me intently, I suspect it thought it was hidden among the foliage! Perhaps a not so wise owl - smile please!

St Peter, Parwich, Derbyshire

2011-06-07T23:49:00.001+01:00

In the centre of the village stands the parish church, a neo-Norman affair, quite large, dating from 1873-74. The church it replaced was quite small in comparison, but its north doorway and chancel arch were incorporated into the tower, both original Norman work. Sadly the tympanum which was once sheltered has become weathered since it was exposed to the elements, and inside the church a copy of it has been made and is on display, after it was reluctantly agreed it would be over-costly to swap the tympana around. These features of course dictated the style of the church itself, although the tower is more EE with a broach spire. It is rather competent but dull. Also from the old church, the Norman font and the Royal Arms over the chancel arch, neither mentioned in Pevsner.

Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Parwich, Derbyshire

2011-06-07T23:24:00.002+01:00

On my way into Parwich I spotted this small Wesleyan chapel set high above the road. It looked disused, no current signs about services, and no sign of conversion. It would make a good home. The stone in the centre is inscribed 1849.

St Michael, Alsop en le Dale, Derbyshire

2011-06-07T22:06:00.003+01:00

Heading back south and this was the first village off the Ashbourne Road. A sign by the roadside advertised "Norman Church Open". It was, but it was more neo-Norman than Norman! Original seemingly only the south door, parts of the chancel arch and possibly walling. The west tower is completely new, there was no tower before the C19. Inside there is a very bulky Victorian pulpit with crocketed buttressing and cusped ogee arches, and the east window has glass by Henry Haig to commemorate the Millenium installed in 2001.

St Giles, Hartington, Derbyshire

2011-06-07T11:11:00.002+01:00

4th June 2011 - I was the only one of my friends staying in the hotel, and the following morning opened with a cloudless sky. I breakfasted looking out across the Market Place to the church. Posters told me that the church was having a flower festival, but it was an essential visit anyhow. At least admission was still free. The church is set on a hillside and there are lovely views across the village and towards the Dales. The C14 church is quite odd in plan, a very wide and short nave with transepts opening off it, the south with a western aisle, and normal aisles to the west. The south porch is a continuation of the transept wall. The west tower is later, Perp. The chancel is long and aisleless as so often around here. The south transept has a tomb recess with a stone slab with just the feet, head shoulders and arms of a lady carved into it - she holds her heart. Not mentioned in Pevsner are the twelve painted boards mounted in the south transept depicting the twelve tribes of Israel. Some sources list these as medieval, but they have English texts and I suspect they are later C17 or C18 but certainly odd! [open]

St Mary and St Barlok, Norbury, Derbyshire

2011-06-07T08:39:00.002+01:00

This church was my main target for the day, and it proved rather difficult to find. When I first spotted it I was walking across someone's garden. The owner said he gets it all the time and invited me to park on his drive! Behind his house is the Manor House of the Fitzherbert family, rebuilt mid C15 and again in 1680, with the hall closest to the church dating back to the C13.

The earliest part of the church surprisingly is the chancel, which is large and grand early C14 work; the large external buttresses may indicate a plan to vault. The rest of the church is about the same length, nave with south porch tower, a chapel to the east and west, a north aisle, and all dating from a century or so later. There is no chancel arch and the later Perp roof extends throughout. The nave and aisle offer as much interest as in many churches; the font is C13 EE, there is a stone effigy of a cross-legged knight Sir Henry Fitzherbert d1315 his shield jauntily on his left shoulder and both hands on his sword ready to draw it, and two Saxon cross shafts with interlacing. In the chapel east of the tower medieval glass in both windows with complete figures and below kneeling families of the donors. The screen between nave and chancel is in part C15, thin and delicate. And then into the chancel with its side windows still with their original glass, mainly grisaille and shields, and sadly all looking rather grubby with dulled colours. The glass in the east window consists of strips of medieval glass gathered from the windows in the nave and aisles. The side walls below the windows have stone seating and blank arcading; on the south side below the third bay the arcading and seats have arm rests and to the east a double piscina, oddly not in the sanctuary bay. Two superbly detailed alabaster tomb chests freestanding are also placed in this third bay (were they originally placed against the east wall as the east faces of both are blank). The weepers and detailing of both are really fine. On the floor between them C16 brasses to the Sir Anthony Fitzherbert d1538, and wife, with the children grouped as kneelers below. To the west of the tombs two incised alabaster slabs to Fitzherbert wives, one completely shrouded. [open]

It was hard to drag myself away from all of this interest and splendour, but it was helped once I had realised that whilst I was inside the sun had gone. This was the last church visited for the day and I made my way north through Ashbourne (driving right past the churches) to my hotel in Hartington and my meeting with colleagues.

St Andrew, Cubley, Derbyshire

2011-06-06T19:29:00.003+01:00

Driving north on the Ashbourne road I glimpsed this church seemingly all on its own across the valley. When I got here, it is all on its own to the south of its village, and it seems to be burrowing into the hillside. The walls of the nave and south aisle are C17 with square-headed windows, later than the splendid Perp west tower. The chancel is C13 with a large five-light window with intersecting tracery. The restorer here was J P St Aubyn, and he seems to have conserved rather than made good and improved as happened so often elsewhere. Even more surprising is to enter and find a Norman arcade and its clerestory inside the church. Pevsner does not mention the clerestory, nor does he mention the tiny effigy in the sanctuary.

The chancel is raised five steps above the nave and there are a further four steps until you reach the sanctuary. The south side lancets are filed with medieval glass fragments. Two once splendid alabaster tombs here, one with a very damaged effigy of a knight. The font is Norman but plain and there are some surviving painted decoration on the arcade arches, especially the eastern one. It oozes charm and antiquity, and has an air of genteel neglect. Long may it remain in such a state.[open]

All Saints, Sudbury, Derbyshire

2011-06-06T19:08:00.001+01:00

I crossed over the Dove into Derbyshire, and immediately turned left into the village of Sudbury. I drove through the village and past the National Trust's Sudbury Hall, where there was an unbelieveable amount of cars parked. No church spotted. Never mind, I have invested in one of those new phones and can get OS Maps on them. Problem with the signal meant a hit and miss service. I turned round and drove back into the village and parked. I asked a local and got some bum information so I risked asking another. Sure enough, as I thought, the church was alongside the Hall. So in the end I gave up and parked with the masses. Now the NT has two things here, the C17 Hall, and the Museum of Childhood. As I walked to the church and Hall I kept an eye on the front door of the house and not many people were going in here whereas most people were going to the far end and the Museum. So I also went round the hall, a good decision as the interiors are spectacular. It was the home of the Vernon family, and they have left their mark through monuments in the church.

The church itself is quite large, and I really liked it but I am a sucker for big Decorated east windows. Most of the monuments are tucked into the north chapel, from C14 worn effigies of ladies clutching their hearts, to the grandiose effigies and superstructure of John Vernon d1600 and his wife and the opulent freestanding urn to Margaret Vernon d1675. However the most touching memorial is to two Vernon children at the back of the church by the font, a plaque showing two sleeping children and foliage dating from 1862. The south sanctuary window has an unusual subject, commemorating war-time evacuated Manchester children. It dates from 2001 and is by Michael Stokes.

Christ Church, Needwood Forest, Newchurch, Staffordshire

2011-06-06T15:01:00.004+01:00

A red brick church of 1809, which was altered c1880 (window tracery). Swooshed back curtains and velux windows in the roof indicate plainly that this is no longer a church but a private house. And further proof is found around the side where the name "The Sanctuary" appears in elaborate ironwork.

Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Barton under Needwood, Staffs

2011-06-06T14:55:00.003+01:00

From the parish church I set off for a walk around the small town centre, half a mind on having something to eat or drink. The High Street was rather characterless and both pubs were closed and obviously not in regular use currently. As sign pointed down a sign road to the catholic church. It was built in the year 2000, the architects were Hulme Upright (Ltd?). Unlike the parish church normally, I found this open. It is a simple rectangle with triangular side dormer windows and at the street end a tower like bay with tall round headed windows which has an internal gallery above a baptistry. The altar is in the centre of the long wall opposite the entrance vestibule, which has community rooms wcs etc leading off it. Simple, functional, and rather pleasant.