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April 16, 2023

Clifton Campville, Staffordshire – St Andrew

Friday 31 March 2023 and we drove south of Derby to find three locked churches. Then we crossed the border into Staffordshire and Lichfield Diocese, and our luck changed. St Andrew’s Clifton Campville is in the centre of the village at SK252107, but I managed to find a parking space. Their website is https://measevalleychurches.com/our-churches/st-andrews-church-clifton-campville/. I will give them 10/10 for a website which says when the building is open, has some nice photos and a guide, and says “we have a disabled toilet and a movable ramp to aid wheelchair access through our main doors.” Unfortunately they lose marks...
Categories Staffordshire Comments: 0
March 26, 2023

Blore, Staffordshire – St Bartholomew

On Friday 17 March 2023 Julie had a dental appointment, so I drove to Ashbourne with some bags of books for the Oxfam shop. Then I thought I’d go and find a church to blog (even though I only had my mobile for photos). St Batholomew, Blore Ray, is just over the border into Staffordshire – SK 127492. They are on https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/4331/. Blore can best be described as a hamlet, and there wasn’t a lot of parking by the church. “It won’t be open” I thought as I walked up, noting the width of the east end of the...
Categories Staffordshire Comments: 2
October 28, 2021

Lichfield, Staffordshire – Cathedral church of St Chad, again

On Saturday 16 October 2021 we set off south to go to Bournville, but the A38 was closed at Fradley Junction. We had a guided tour of industrial estates, and then decided that Lichfield would be far enough. We managed to park not far from the Cathedral, and started with their café. I thought this was an interesting scaffolding buttress. Then we entered the Cathedral and could explore the Nave while a communion service went on at the East End. Lovely icons over both candle stands and the crucifix – worth having a read of www.patrickcomerford.com/2018/11/the-crucifixion-icon-completes-triptych.html. In brief, Gabriel...
Categories Cathedrals/Staffordshire Comments: 3
August 31, 2021

Alstonefield, Staffordshire – St Peter (again, for Lockdown Chronicles)

On Tuesday 31 August Caroline (our church administrator) was back after a week away, so we had a couple of hours trying to sort out where on earth we are! Then we drove north to High Peak Bookshop as Julie wants pictures for her blog – books and lunch. She was quite chuffed to find this book as her review is mentioned in its blurb. We had a beautiful drive through to Alstonefield and, like the last time I visited, struggled to find St Peter’s church. It’s on an earlier blog – http://www.northernvicar.co.uk/2018/12/04/alstonefield-staffordshire-st-peter/ Disabled access through the west door...
Categories Staffordshire/Uncategorized Comments: 0
September 23, 2020

northernvicarwalks August 2020

I’ve already blogged the National Memorial Arboretum and my 5 mile walk there on the 1st of the month. We opened St Edmund’s in Allestree on 2 August – so both my churches were open within three weeks of it being possible. I commented it would have been so helpful if the Church of England had provided all the signage we needed – which they did, in the middle of September (8 weeks after I’d needed them). After the service we drove to the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Railway for tea in Queen Victoria’s carriage. Built in 1885 for...
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Derbyshire/National Trust/Railway History/Staffordshire/Wales/Yorkshire Comments: 0
August 20, 2020

National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire – the Army

Let’s start this final section with one amazing memorial, then we’ll end our visit with another.  We should mention we enjoyed the gardens and the café – and look forward to coming back when the Remembrance section is open, an exhibition exploring how humanity remembers. There are also many memorials I didn’t photo, and others that I even failed to find (The Donor Family Network is an obvious one for me). We will be back. The Shot at Dawn memorial is one of those that makes you stand in silence. During WW1 309 British and Commonwealth soldiers were shot...
Categories Staffordshire/World War 1 Comments: 4
August 20, 2020

National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire – beside the river

Our next amble was from the Naval area up beside the River Tame to the railway, then back in the direction of the ‘Shot at Dawn’ memorial, which we’ll do in the next blog. Here are a selection of the memorials we passed. I ought to know more about the trees and the wildlife. ‘Every which way’ is the British Evacuees Association Memorial. It was unveiled in 2017 and the sculptor was Maurice Bilk. “Through the deliberate distortion of the figures; reversed hands and some torsos twisted 180 degrees, the memorial conveys some of the anxiety and confusion the...
Categories Railway History/Staffordshire/World War 1 Comments: 0
August 20, 2020

National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire – RAF, Far East, Land Girls and Navy

Having visited the Millennium Chapel, we started to explore the grounds. There is no way I will do all the memorials, so we will have a selection of them. The gardens are lovely, and there is a good variety of planting. I like the Alder Tree, although the Arboretum seems cut off from Alrewas by the A38. Access to the Arboretum by public transport is appalling. The RAF Halton Apprentices Memorial Garden has a centrepiece representing the wheel badge. The base in Buckinghamshire, was open in 1912 when forces from Aldershot needed somewhere to practice the defence of London...
Categories Personal/Staffordshire/World War 1 Comment: 1
August 20, 2020

National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire – Millennium Chapel

We haven’t be able to visit churches for the last few months, and I am aware that I have still not blogged my two or Derby Cathedral. On Saturday 1 August we went to the National Memorial Arboretum. Our friends Rob and Anne have sung its praises, but we were not convinced. We decided to pay a visit. We were very glad we did. We booked at 10, and the queue was well organised. The Arboretum was the brainchild of Commander David Childs CBE and planting began in 1997. The National Lottery paid 40%, and the public matched it....
Categories Staffordshire/World War 1 Comments: 0
February 7, 2020

northernvicarwalks – Etwall to Burton (William Stanley Way 2)

Tuesday 4 February. I have a free day, so I’ll leave Caroline to run the office and Julie to go to the Old People’s Lunch. I drove to Etwall, parked by the church and started walking. I have decided to call it the William Stanley Way – he was Earl of Derby and has been suggested as one of the authors of Shakespeare. You would think you would be able to reach the old railway path by walking through the grounds of Etwall Leisure Centre, but there is a fence to separate walkers from squash players. Better to access...
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Derbyshire/Railway History/Staffordshire Comments: 0