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August 27, 2015

Berrington, Shropshire – All Saints

Thursday morning – let’s have an explore of village churches south of Shrewsbury. We started at All Saints, Berrington SJ530069. Narrow roads past lovely houses bought us to this church with a nice solid tower. It is in a circular churchyard – a pre-Christian sacred grove? The church was mentioned in Domesday, and the font is probably from a similar time. Seven heads accompanied by a lighted candle, a beast of some form, and a cockerel. Light of the world, beast perhaps equals lion (“Your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion” 1 Peter), and denial of Christ. High up...
Categories Outside Northumberland/Shropshire Comments: 0
August 26, 2015

Wroxeter, Shropshire – St Andrew

After Julie had been in every shop in Shrewsbury, we went out to Wroxeter Roman Site, which was fascinating (English Heritage). It was the fourth largest city in Roman Britain, and must have been quite a place. Website. Then down to have a look at Wroxeter church – St Andrew’s SJ564083. I had noticed the roman columns now gateposts when we drove past the other evening. I was surprised to find this is also in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. The name means “the fort by the Wrekin”, and this church stands in what would have been the...
Categories Churches Conservation Trust/Outside Northumberland/Shropshire Comments: 5
August 25, 2015

Shrewsbury, Shropshire – St Mary the Virgin

I met Julie back in town and we went to St Mary the Virgin – a Churches Conservation Trust church SJ492126 with café attached. The website is here. We started with lunch – very nice. The only problem is that the café needs to take over more of the church, it is rather cramped in the corner. Then we had a good explore. Nice volunteers and plenty to see. The guidebook is a beautifully produced 26 page colour book. The church has Saxon roots, traditionally founded by King Edgar. The Normans rebuilt it from 1150 – the red sandstone...
Categories Churches Conservation Trust/Outside Northumberland/Shropshire/World War 1 Comments: 0
August 24, 2015

Shrewsbury Abbey, Shropshire

Julie decided we needed to go to Shrewsbury. We got a Shopmobility buggy, did a few shops, then I escaped and walked down to Shrewsbury Abbey. Beautiful and welcoming, with a good website and excellent guidebook. I’ll use the guide as the basis for this blog. Grid reference SJ498125. As you walk from the town you cross the River Severn, go under the railway – I would suggest the Church of England looks after its infrastructure rather better than Network Rail. Up to the west door of the Abbey. Good welcoming noticeboard, into the Abbey, and a welcome in the Shop....
Categories Outside Northumberland/Railway History/Shropshire/World War 1 Comment: 1
August 24, 2015

Benthall, Shropshire – St Bartholomew

Driving from Much Wenlock to Ironbridge we saw a National Trust sign to Benthall Hall – I hadn’t even noticed this in the handbook (£6.40 each saved) – here is the Trust’s website. The car park surface and gravelled path to the Hall were horrendous for us wheelchair pushers – one hopes that the Trust’s disability advisor was not involved. Reception is in the church of St Bartholomew, so I can blog this one too (although my camera has died so it’s a phone camera job, plus a few photos from the www – if I have offended anyone’s copyright,...
Categories National Trust/Outside Northumberland/Shropshire Comment: 1
August 23, 2015

Much Wenlock, Shropshire – Holy Trinity

It’s Tuesday 4 August 2015 and we drove south from Ironbridge to Much Wenlock, found a parking space, and had a wander round this lovely town. First stop was a lovely second hand bookshop – website – I had to return to the car once we’d been there.  We walked to the parish church of the Holy Trinity – open and beautiful. It is just north of the town square at SJ624000, and has two websites, one for the parish, another for the team. In the Diocese of Hereford, it is in a team of 12 parishes, served by two...
Categories Outside Northumberland/Shropshire Comments: 0
August 9, 2015

Ironbridge, Shropshire – St Luke

The other reason for a holiday in Shropshire is an exhibition at Coalbrookdale Gallery “To check the tide of prejudice: John Cooke Bourne and the London & Birmingham Railway” – website. I wrote an essay for my York Railway Course on this early railway artist, and met Matt Thompson, the curator of this exhibition, last time I came here (October 2012). It was an excellent exhibition, although only one room. There was some of Carmichael’s early work I had never seen, some beautiful doodles of workmen and their animals, the L&B lithographs and some watercolours that went with them. This is a watercolour of...
Categories Outside Northumberland/Railway History/Shropshire Comments: 0
August 9, 2015

Llanfair Caereinion, Powys – St Mary the Virgin

I start my holiday on my birthday (Monday 3 August) and we arranged to meet Roger and Julie (Roger is my Julie’s cousin) at the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway. It is a long way from Ponteland. I set the alarm for 0545, but Julie was awake earlier, so we were away by 0537 (I remembered to turn off the alarm). We entered Wales soon after 0900. Through Welshpool, and we were at Llanfair Caereinion and my favourite railway by 1030. What a wonderful place to spend my birthday. Before we went for a train ride, we walked up into the...
Categories Outside Northumberland/Railway History Comments: 0
July 21, 2015

Hunstanworth, Durham – St James

On Thursday 9 July we went for a drive down to Hunstanworth, leaving the County as we did so. St James Hunstanworth – NY 949490 – is in County Durham, but in the Diocese of Newcastle. The church, vicarage, school and cottages were rebuilt at one go in 1862-3 for the Reverend Daniel Capper. He was born on 28 October 1804 at St Pancras, moved to Cheltenham at the age of 12, and entered Queens College, Cambridge, in 1823. He graduated in 1828 and the following year married Anne Saunders. Her father was rector of St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe in London. The...
Categories Durham/Outside Northumberland/World War 1 Comments: 0
July 8, 2015

Staindrop, Durham – St Mary the Virgin

I wanted to visit Staindrop church to catch up with Ralph Neville, Earl of Westmorland – see my blog on Great Salkeld. We were driving south down the A68 to go and see friends living in Yorkshire, so turned off and came down into Staindrop – St Mary’s church is on the right, just beside Raby Castle. That looks well worth a visit – website. The church has its own website – and its grid reference is NZ132206. At this point I pause to wonder how many northernvicar readers use the grid references – but as a Cambridge Geographer (OK, Part I...
Categories Durham/Outside Northumberland/World War 1 Comments: 3