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July 24, 2015

Byrness – St Francis of Assisi

We continued north up the A68 and drove past Byrness church – NT771024. We turned round by the Forestry houses a mile or so further on. A very large timber lorry was parked in the laybye. After my recent incidents with other vehicles my wife asks, in her most solicitous voice, “you have seen that lorry, haven’t you”. We drove back to the church. It is locked. A posh noticeboard directs walkers on the Pennine Way to collect a church key at the Byrness Hotel across the road. The building that I think was the Byrness Hotel is looking...
Categories Northumberland/Railway History/World War 1 Comments: 4
July 24, 2015

Horsley – Holy Trinity

We continued up the A696, onto the A68 and stopped at Holy Trinity, Horsley – NY841972. The view across the valley, looking west, is lovely. The church is on the east side of the main road and there is little parking, just some hardcore on the verge. Much better to stop on your way south rather than north. My wife is disabled – and Horsley is not a church for her. Look at all those steps! The church was built in 1844 by J. and B. Green, at the instruction of Lord Redesdale. Pevsner says it is Neo-Norman. There...
Categories Northumberland/World War 1 Comments: 2
July 22, 2015

Kirkwhelpington – St Bartholomew

We decided it is a very long time since we have had a drive-round-Northumberland-and-find-lots-of-churches day. So on Saturday 11 July we drove north up the A696. There was a plan to do a tourist church trail along this road, here is my version – none of these churches I called into today can even muster a guidebook. On this occasion I found Kirkwhelpington, came into the village, jammed on the brakes and pulled onto the verge. I was yelled at by my passenger. “But, look, it’s a North Eastern Railway bench”. She wasn’t impressed. You do get some strange...
Categories Evetts' windows/Northumberland/Railway History/World War 1 Comments: 8
June 14, 2015

Corbridge – St Andrew

St Andrew’s church at Corbridge is in the middle of the village – NY987644. I like the church, have worshipped there, regularly lunch with David the Vicar, and they have an excellent website http:// www.corbridgechurch.org.uk/. You may enjoy their Chamber Music Festival in August – website – though I wish they would have an evening Choral service that I could get to. Julie and I like to stop in the village, but there is not a lot of disabled parking. We found a space on Wednesday 20 May – then I went round the church, and Julie went to Forum Books....
Categories Northumberland/World War 1 Comments: 0
May 27, 2015

Kirkharle – St Wilfrid

St Wilfrid’s church at Kirkharle is just off the main A696 – NZ012826. The courtyard has a variety of shops and a café. They have a website, but why, on the weekend of the second May bank holiday, is it still wishing us “a very Happy Easter break”? We avoided the shops and drove up the lane to the church. The present church was consecrated in the 14th century. It was one of three in the north east to have been run by the Premonstratensian monks of Blanchland Abbey (the others were at Heddon and Bywell). They probably continued...
Categories Northumberland Comments: 0
May 20, 2015

Cambo – Holy Trinity (again)

I visited this church in 2012 – it seems to be open during the day. We are having a week’s holiday in sunny Hexham, and on Monday 18 May we rose late and headed north. We stopped at Cambo church as one of my blog readers had asked “Is there a stained glass window in the Church dedicated to Charles Trevelyan who was the Permanent Secretary of the Treasury during the mid 1800’s?” Yes, there is, the west window under the tower.               According to the Wallington National Trust guidebook. Sir Charles Edward...
Categories National Trust/Northumberland Comments: 5
March 12, 2015

Whittingham – St Bartholomew (again)

I had a DAC visit to Whittingham to look at plans for a kitchen in the south transept. Since last visiting in May 2013 they have put a loo in the south west corner, and had the floors well-sorted. It was nice to go back. I was running a little early, so I stopped in the middle of the village to look at the Ravensworth Statue and Fountain – a grade II listed statue. It was built in 1905 in memory of Athole, 3rd Earl of Ravensworth, erected by the Countess Caroline, his wife. Some nice metal signs nearby....
Categories Northumberland/World War 1 Comments: 0
January 5, 2015

Birtley – St Giles

St Giles, Birtley stands high above the North Tyne – we crossed the bridge at Wark, crossed the old line that used to run north to Riccarton Junction – I have just typed that into google to check the spelling, and got “junction near Riccarton” and a link to the Punjabi Junction restaurant in Edinburgh. Isn’t the internet marvellous! Apparently there is a metal roadsign in Birtley still pointing to “Wark station” (I must go and look for it). The church is in a group with Chollerton and Gunnerton. It is on the right as you enter the village...
Categories Northumberland/Outside Northumberland/World War 1 Comments: 5
December 9, 2014

Blanchland – St Mary the Virgin

Friday 21 November 2014 was not the best day for a drive – rather grey and damp – but we headed south from Hexham to Blanchland. It is a lovely drive south. We parked in the centre of the village, and I wandered into the church – NY966504. There are some display boards, but no guidebook (how about a Benefice guide? – an attempt to link all the churches in the Moorlands benefice) and not much on any website. The village website says “the village owes its original existence to the foundation of the abbey in 1165. The church is a...
Categories Evetts' windows/Northumberland Comments: 0
October 27, 2014

Blyth – St Cuthbert

I think it has to be admitted that Blyth is not a Northumberland town that many tourists will ever go to, and I have never been into the town except on a railtour down to the docks. Today St Cuthbert’s church – NZ318815 – was open with an excellent exhibition about the First World War. ­­I walked in, and was greeted with “you’re the chap who helped us get those Lindisfarne Gospels panels last year”, which was a nice way to be greeted – good to know I’m appreciated. They have an excellent church guide, a guide to their...
Categories Northumberland/World War 1 Comments: 0