Having dropped Julie at work, Elaine and I drove to Cragside – stopping to photograph these bluebells just north of Netherwitton. Then the tulips and rhododendrons of Cragside itself – to say nothing of a good National Trust scone.
We headed back to collect Julie in Morpeth and, as she was working late, diverted off the A1 to Felton. I would have liked time to wander across the bridge (15th century), visit the bakery, find the mill, even walk up to the church-with-a-spire marked on the OS map (the 1857 Catholic church of St Mary, in the grounds of Felton Hall) – and Pevsner mentions “an interesting mid-C 19 rural Gasworks”.
Instead we limited ourselves to the church of St Michael and All Angels (NU182003) – “A happy puzzle for the antiquarian and an impressive, if a little incongruous, sight for the layman” (Pevsner). I may have done 67 blogs about Northumberland churches, but I think I still count as a layman. Let’s just enjoy it!
It is a lovely strong porch, with a very informative noticeboard inside – history to the right, forthcoming events to the left.
Inside the back of the church has been partitioned off with a glass screen and all the furniture, the cupboards, the kitchen/loo – for this relief much thanks. It has been done superbly well – when, I wonder? I’ll use the same phrase about all their publicity material, annual report, magazine … it is really well produced. Obviously a church with a lot going on.
I liked this window – Michael and Gabriel. Not sure what date it is, or who made it. I like the fact Gabriel is holding a lily to give to Mary, and Michael is very much the medieval warrior. Opposite it stands a war memorial window, with several marker crosses – presumably from the original burial plots in Europe. This memorial was also quite moving.
This is C14 effigy of a priest, and this monument to Robert Lisle (who died in 1800) was made by T. King of Bath. My questioning mind asks how on earth a memorial to someone in Felton was made in Bath – how did they check/agree it in the days before a decent postal service, and how did they get it here and installed before the railways?
We wandered round the outside, admired the gardening and the prayer walk, and the apple blossom. Then went to collect the worker.
Another wonderfully ancient looking church! Great pics!