Our final Cambridgeshire church stop was All Saints’, Harston – just across the A10, next to the river – TL418509. This is one of three churches in the Benefice of Harston, Hauxton and Newton – and they do have one website http://www.harstonhauxtonnewton.org.uk/welcome.htm. However the magazine for Harston and Hauxton does not contain any Newton news (they have their own magazine) and the weekly notice sheet has four sections – one per village and one for the benefice. This means that details of the Benefice Songs of Praise is printed four times … . Look folks, I know every village wants their own Vicar and wants to pretend that we are back in the Nineteenth Century where every village had a parson. Sorry, those days are not coming back. If you want a vicar, work together – otherwise you’ll find that no-one wants to be your vicar.
They have produced a leaflet “From medieval to modern; making your parish church fit for another 500 years”, and have the church watertight and mended the tower. They have plans for a server and a loo, then want to renew the seating and re-decorate the interior.
It is a Grade 2* church, 14th century, restored in 1853. A high church, with a wonderful contraption to stop the organist falling off. I hate orange plastic chairs! I’m not very keen on the orange painting over the door either. Interesting plaster moulding of the flight into Egypt, and interesting painting on the organist’s cupboard.
The Chancel is new 1853 work, with some pleasant carving behind the altar.
The churchyard runs down to the river – the River Rhea, one of the branches of the Cam. There’s a lot about it, and about more Cambridgeshire local history, on this blog http://jonathanspain.wordpress.com/2011/01/07/river-cam-or-rhee-some-notes-on-the-naming/
