On my Baslow-Grindleford circular walk, see the last blog, I stopped at St Helen’s church – SK 246779. It is one of the churches open on the Peak Pilgrimage – website – with a welcomed loo. It is also on the Derbyshire churches website.
The church was started about 1910, and was going to be a large Gothic revival church. The chancel was finished, the First World War intervened, and the rest was never completed. The guide leaflet says it “would have been a fine building. It would also have been expensive to maintain and difficult to heat.” It’s a nice Lady Chapel – the architects were “Sutton and Gregory” says derbyshirechurches – but I have no idea who they were. The nave and entrance were added later.
They have got a building that is probably the right size. It is open and welcoming, can be used for exhibitions, concerts and meetings. I am not sure about the cross design on the pulpit fall and altar cloths – I think the design is too cluttered.
The glass is by Arthur Anselm Orr, and there are some lovely photos here. There are a few references to him on line, but nothing that tells me much about him without subscribing or digging a lot deeper.
Grindleford Community Shop is in the church vestry – and they do not close at 5. I appreciated tea and cake, and a nice welcome. Go and say Hello.
You mentioned Arthur Anselm Orr. I too have an interest in him and his work, mainly because the great Irish stained glass artist Harry Clarke worked with him in Harrow as an apprentice. For the past few years I’ve been trying to gain access to the Borough archives of Harrow but they’ve been inaccessible for some little while due to funding issues and now Covid. If I find out more, I’ll let you know. Henry Wyatt
I love the way that a blog I did three years ago pops up to remind me of a lovely walk. Hope you can get to the records at some point, and it will be lovely to hear from you. Cheers, Peter