September 28, 2017

Gedling, Nottinghamshire – All Hallows

We drove across Nottingham to Gedling. I think I came to Gedling colliery on a railtour in the early 1990s, a day exploring colliery lines which started at Newark Castle. All Hallows church is on the main road at SK617426. There is a website here. The church has a collection box by the entrance (I wonder if they’ve ever had anything), and a lot of steps. I left Julie in the car, “I’ll be quick”, I said. I climbed the steps, admired the font outside, and looked up at the 89 foot tower and 91 foot high spire (Newark...
Categories Nottinghamshire/World War 1 Comments: 0
September 26, 2017

Beeston, Nottinghamshire – St John the Baptist

Friday 8 September and it is Heritage Open Days weekend. I had a funeral visit first thing. Then we drove across to Nottingham and tried to find Beeston Parish Church. We found a parking space, and a main shopping street, and the trams, and then realised that I’d been past the church on the tram the previous day. We crossed the tracks and entered the church of St John the Baptist – SK 527366. They advertised themselves on the HODs website “Come and see your re-furbished Parish Church! A warm welcome awaits you. Refreshment available.” They were right – two...
Categories Nottinghamshire/World War 1 Comments: 0
September 24, 2017

Cambridge, Cambridgeshire – All Saints’

All Saints’ is in the middle of Cambridge, just across the road from Jesus College – TL 452587 – but, despite living in Cambridge for the first 20 odd years of my life, I can’t recall having visited (though I’m sure mum and dad must have taken me in). It is a Churches’ Conservation Trust church, and was opened and staffed – though they had run out of guidebooks – good website. The church was built in the 1860s to the plans of the famous nineteenth-century architect G.F. Bodley, and, as the website says  “is a triumph of Victorian...
Categories Cambridgeshire Comments: 6
September 22, 2017

northernvicarwalks July and August

My hope was to walk 1,000 miles this year. By the end of June I had walked 355 miles. I planned to make it up while on holiday, and failed. By the end of July I had walked 396 miles. By the end of August I had walked 434 – here are a few August photos which aren’t necessarily walking! My 55th birthday party on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, with fish and chips afterwards. Later in the month I had a Sunday afternoon walk to Duffield, photographing on the line. David Redfern, one of our organists at St Edmund’s, is a...
Categories 1,000 mile walking/Derbyshire/Personal/Railway History Comments: 0
September 21, 2017

Harewood, Yorkshire – All Saints’

Tuesday 29 August was a day for a drive. Harewood House near Leeds has some of the costumes from Victoria, the TV series which will bring beauty to my Sunday evenings now Demelza Poldark has finished. Julie was keen to go, and researched disabled access and ticket prices – it isn’t NT – website. The house itself has a disabled lift to get in, and then the whole place was on the flat. There was a sequence of rooms to follow, and lovely rooms they are too. Amazing ceilings, furniture, and so much to look at. Owls and chess pieces, Chinese...
Categories World War 1/Yorkshire Comment: 1
September 8, 2017

Huddersfield, Yorkshire – St Peter

It was a pleasant surprise to find St Peter’s church open. Grid reference SE146167, website. They have obviously spent the last decade and a bit sorting out the building; postcards state very clearly that they are “Open, Warm and Welcoming”, and ask “Did you know we are your Church for Weddings, Baptisms and Funerals? We are open every day.” Looking at the list of services, I see that Simon the vicar was in the year above me at Lincoln Theological College – it is good to see someone else keeping the Lincoln tradition of serving all. There was discrete...
Categories Yorkshire Comments: 2
September 8, 2017

Huddersfield, Yorkshire – a transport explore

On Monday 21 August Alex and I had a day chasing trains. For various reasons, we started at Burton on Trent. I had had a search yesterday and found that a return to Huddersfield was valid via Birmingham and Manchester, and via Sheffield (indeed even Sheffield and Leeds) – so we caught the first train after 0930 and went south. They may have spent a fortune on the top of Birmingham New Street, but the platforms are just as grotty as ever. We headed north to Manchester, then caught a Trans Pennine up through Stalybridge. That’s another fascinating line that...
Categories Railway History/Yorkshire Comments: 0
September 6, 2017

Shirley, Derbyshire – St Michael

On the afternoon of Friday 11 August we went for a drive, and ended up at the village and church of Shirley – St Michael’s, SK 218416. It is part of the Brailsford benefice, with this website – click on it just to see the name! A pile of church and village guides produced in 1991 – not a lot has happened since then (or has it?, read on). Sewallis, a Saxon Thane, held land at the Norman Conquest. At Domesday Henry de Ferrers was Sewallis’ overlord, and Sewallis’ son Fulcer had a mill and four oxgangs. Fulcher’s son,...
Categories Derbyshire/World War 1 Comments: 0
September 5, 2017

Lichfield, Staffordshire – Cathedral church of St Chad, the East end

Here we are in grey Lichfield (grey because of the weather). Having done the Nave and the Transepts (see the last blog), it is time to move east. The bust by the entrance to the Chapter House is of Bishop Woods, bishop during WW2, by Jacob Epstein. They often have a copy of the St Chad Gospels, an Anglo-Saxon treasure, on display – but the electronic version is probably safer to look at. There is a pdf about it here. I also need to “do” the Staffordshire Horde – website. The Chapter House was built in the 1240s. It...
Categories Personal/Staffordshire Comments: 0
September 4, 2017

Lichfield, Staffordshire – Cathedral church of St Chad, Nave and Transepts

Lichfield Cathedral is located at SK 116097, dedicated to St Chad, website here. You can read the whole of the Victoria County history here, but sadly a 360 degree panorama shot by the BBC here no longer seems to be available. Julie and I first visited when we were young and in love. I went on a Precentors’ Conference visit when I was at Bury, and we have been back once since. Today was a chance to have a proper look round. Outside was a bit grey, so we need to go back and walk round properly. Having entered...
Categories Staffordshire/World War 1 Comments: 0