It is a wet, horrid summer and seems to have been grotty for the last few months. On Thursday 31 May Gareth was driving at Alston, so I went too. After one train ride down their new extension, I went for a drive.
These lovely buttercup meadows are on the very narrow road along the slopes of Alston Moor – round about NY705428. Garrigill, although in the Diocese of Newcastle, is in Cumbria – so my Pevsner is no good.
Typing “St John’s Garrigill” into google, the first hit is “St John’s heated swimming pool”, the highest heated swimming pool in Britain, situated in the grounds of the old St John’s Parsonage. It says something about our Society’s priorities that they have the highest heated swimming pool, but the church only has a service once a month. Perhaps they need to install a jacuzzi and sauna in church …
The old school has gone too, but the Post Office remains. I parked in the village centre, NY745414. The churchyard is a bit of a nature reserve, with some wonderful mosses on the trees.
It is an eighteenth century church, but has been much restored. The original building was four-square, a chancel was added later. The organ dates to 1894, and all the windows are Victorian (the North Window – which rather dominates – dates to 1904).
There is an illuminated roll of honour on the wall, and the reredos is in memory of those who died in the Great War. Far too many people for a hamlet of this size. I returned to Alston where the worst my son is coping with is a difficult diesel.
Surely it should be Garrigill
I could say it was the deliberate mistake to make sure someone’s reading it … Thanks Robert
Peter
Hello I am looking at your site as I am trying to find photos of the churches my ancestors were baptised or married in and this is one of them.
I wondered if you would be so kind as to let me copy wonderful photos.
I am enjoying looking at the site.
Kind Regards
Ruth
You are very welcome Ruth. If you every publish your family history, please credit me. If you publish and make millions – remember me!! Peter
Ha ha thank you very much. I will credit your photos anyway. I do have quite an interesting family history as I didn’t grow up with my Dad after the age of three and it turns out he had several families on the go at the same time and a bigamus marriage and at leasttwelve children that we now know of. I have a sister twenty five years older than me. Some of us from the different families have now met up recently whichhas been nice. I also found a newspaper article about him running away with all the takings from a hotel in Edinburgh where he worked as a porter in 1938 I think.
May be you should think of writing a book though – your photos and writing are great
Kind Regards
Ruth