September 23, 2019

Hughenden, Buckinghamshire – St Michael and All Angels

On Friday 17 August 2019 we drove out of High Wycombe and spent the morning at Hughenden, the National Trust property which was the home of Benjamin Disraeli. Julie enjoyed the author links – although neither of us (and most of the visitors) have never read anything by Disraeli. There was a good exhibition upstairs about his life, politics and relationship with Queen Victoria. The best bit was the exhibition about the house in WW2 – bomber command had done all their map work there. The NT didn’t know this until they heard a visitor talking to his grandchild...
Categories Buckinghamshire/National Trust Comments: 0
September 23, 2019

High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire – All Saints’

Thursday 16 August 2019. We are in High Wycombe, having been to see Taming of the Shrew at Stratford last night, and off to see Evita at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre later today. We went for a walk into the town. All Saints’ church was wonderful. It’s at SU865930 and has a website – http://www.allsaintshighwycombe.org/ . Proper, inclusive, grown-up Christianity, which includes heritage, music, arts and spirituality on its website. It opens its building with the Mustard Seed café – they were very welcoming indeed. Disabled access was very easy – loos too. I only had my phone...
Categories Buckinghamshire/World War 1 Comments: 0
September 15, 2019

Cley, Norfolk – St Margaret

We had a good hour in Blakeney Church, then caught the bus the short hop to Cley. Cley windmill is rather nice b&b (a bit above my price range) with its own website – http://www.cleywindmill.co.uk/the-mill/history/. Probably built about 1819. We found a nice café, though it wouldn’t be Julie friendly. St Margaret’s church is to the south of the village – TG 048432. The parish website is at https://glavenvalleychurches.org.uk/cley-church/, and it is worth mentioning the wonderful Norfolk Churches site – http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/cley/cley.htm. When he visited in 2004, Simon Knott took many excellent photos, and told the story of the church...
Categories Norfolk Comments: 0
September 15, 2019

Blakeney, Norfolk – St Nicholas

In East Anglia on 29 July 2019, and the bus took us on through Wells – an interesting piece of driving. Then we changed onto the Coasthopper and continued east. The bus stops outside St Nicholas church, Blakeney – TG 033434, https://www.blakeneychurch.co.uk/ – and it is quite some church. A welcoming noticeboard and a lovely guide. The first evidence of a church here is in Domesday, but no evidence of this building has been found. The oldest part of the current building is C13, Early English style – wonderful stone vaulting in the Chancel dates to 1240. If I...
Categories Norfolk Comments: 0
September 15, 2019

Burnham Market, Norfolk – St Mary the Virgin

On Monday 29 July 2019 I had a day in East Anglia. The 0621 from East Midlands Parkway, meet Elaine at Ely, get into King’s Lynn at 0902, and catch the 0930 bus along the coast. There is a £10 bus ticket valid on all the services – it really is a bargain. The Coastliner 36 bus came into Burnham Market at 1110, past St Mary the Virgin church – TF 830421 – and it looked busy. We needed coffee, so off the bus and into a café! Then through the market and the church has a flea market...
Categories Norfolk Comments: 0
September 11, 2019

Crich, Derbyshire – St Mary the Virgin

Last summer my blog readers will remember that I did a lot of work on The Carriage of Mail on Trams for an exhibition at the Tramway Museum at Crich. Over the winter they made it into an exhibition. I went over on Wednesday 17 July – and was given a tour. I was impressed with what they have done. It’s well worth a visit. I stopped at the parish church on my way home – SK348546. I have driven past it many times. It is a church with a permanent Easter Garden – that’s class. I am going...
Categories Derbyshire/Trams/World War 1 Comments: 2
September 2, 2019

Dronfield, Derbyshire – St Andrew’s Community Church

My evening engagement on Thursday 20 June was at St Andrew’s Community church in Dronfield where I was to be at the licensing of the Reverend Paul Mellars as Team Vicar. This is a church which includes the grid reference on the invitation – respect! SK 337783 (they must have known they would be on Northernvicar’s blog). They have a website, http://staccd.org.uk/, and you can read their full parish profile. The Local Ecumenical Project was founded in 1971, originally meeting in people’s homes, the church was built in 1973, and is physically connected to the school. We got a...
Categories Derbyshire Comments: 0
September 2, 2019

Edensor, Derbyshire – St Peter

On Thursday 20 June I had to drive north for a licensing at Dronfield, and had supper with Hannah en route at the Fox Inn. On the way there I pulled in opposite Chatsworth to visit the church of St Peter, Edensor – SK 251698. They have a guide page on their website – http://stpetersedensor.org/page5.html  – and a page about the monuments. At the front of the church there are ferocious steps. There is no sign (or anything on the website) which tells you there is flatter access round the back (but they are an “inclusive congregation” … anyone...
Categories Derbyshire/World War 1 Comments: 0
August 23, 2019

Kirkharle, Northumberland – St Wilfrid

A couple of days in Newcastle, and on Thursday 11 July we had a drive through Northumberland. One of the churches worth re-blogging is St Wilfrid’s church Kirkharle, just off the main A696 at NZ 012826. I last visited in 2015, moaned about the website, and commented “It is a lovely spot, but it is only used for one service a month. They are talking about an improved heating system, but can that really be justified for a building used so rarely. How can we get the tourism and the visitors going to the shops up to the church...
Categories Northumberland Comments: 2
August 23, 2019

Breadsall, Derbyshire – All Saints

The Churchwardens were sworn in at a service at All Saints church, Breadsall, on Tuesday 18 June. It’s a church close to home, with a lovely spire that looks down on the Derwent valley. SK 371398. They have a website – https://www.breadsallchurch.org.uk/  – which has a section on disabled access, but it makes nothing of the history of this Grade 1 church, and has no comments as to when it is unlocked. The two noticeboards in the churchyard have no contact details at all. There are details of the church at https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101328833-church-of-all-saints-breadsall. I went back on another occasion to...
Categories Derbyshire/World War 1 Comment: 1