January 1, 2016

Monkwearmouth, Tyne & Wear – St Peter

St Peter’s, Monkwearmouth is a few minutes walk from the metro station, at grid reference NZ402578. Just above the River Wear it is now surrounded by University buildings and a large grassed area where the monastery was – it would be lovely on a warm, sunny afternoon. Richard from Ponteland told me that he was one of those who worked on the excavations – and that it was a very noisy job as the shipyards alongside the river in those days caused a tremendous din. There is lots of wonderful film of Clyde shipyards on the website of Panamint...
Categories Durham/Evetts' windows/Outside Northumberland Comments: 0
December 28, 2015

Shilbottle, Northumberland – St James

  I have driven up and down the A1 many times, but have never turned off into Shilbottle village. This was a mining village between 1728 and 1981, which is very hard to believe in this day and age – there are some good photos of the mine and the railway network at this flickr site (but do they really need to have “copyright” printed all over them?). A DAC visit to St James church, on a rather dull afternoon. The former vicarage is Peel House, next door – I want one. The medieval tower was added to in 1863...
Categories Northumberland/Railway History/World War 1 Comments: 2
December 28, 2015

North Sunderland, Northumberland – St Paul (again)

At the end of November I had a trip to North Sunderland for a DAC  visit as they want to do some work on the west end of the church. When I visited in September I got quite a few photos, there are some lovely Evetts windows (look back to see the rest), and another interesting one. On my last visit I missed the NER benches on the pavement outside. You can watch the branch line in a 1928 silent film on the British Pathe website.    
Categories Evetts' windows/Northumberland/Railway History Comments: 0
December 28, 2015

Bradford, West Yorkshire – Cathedral

Bradford is the one Cathedral I have never been to – to be precise, the one English Anglican cathedral I have never been to. We had a free Thursday (19 November), so drove south. We went via the A1, M1, M62, M606 and entered the city from the south. The cathedral is not signposted, but we found the car park for the new Broadway shopping centre. I’m not a great shopper, but survived. Indeed, it was such fun I’ll even include a link to their website! It’s the modern complex on the right of this photo. The Cathedral is not far...
Categories Cathedrals/Outside Northumberland/World War 1 Comments: 0
November 20, 2015

Stow, Lincolnshire – St Mary the Virgin

We are driving through Lincolnshire, and I saw the sign to Stow. I decided to divert via the stunning Saxon church – the church of St Mary. Last time I came here was on preaching experience while at Theological College – I seem to recall comments about waving my arms round too much. I cannot find a website for this church, and have failed to find any sites about church tourism in Lincolnshire. The Diocesean website does not seem to suggest that churches are worth visiting. I am prepared to be proved wrong on this quick google – but...
Categories Lincolnshire/Outside Northumberland Comments: 0
November 19, 2015

Ripon Cathedral, North Yorkshire – East End

I hope you enjoyed the West End of this lovely Cathedral in the last blog. Now let’s enjoy the East End of the Cathedral. On the south side of the Quire is the Chapel of the Holy Spirit. The screen and altar rail was made by Leslie Durbin, 1970 – this is the craftsman who made the Stalingrad sword of honour and designed the first £1 coins – would you believe it is over 30 years since pound coins were first introduced (his obituary is aon the Guardian website). The screen combines a striking lightning-bolt motif, with flames symbolizing...
Categories Cathedrals/Outside Northumberland/World War 1 Comments: 0
November 18, 2015

Ripon Cathedral, North Yorkshire – West End

Ripon Cathedral. SE314712 – website. I have 138 photos – do you remember those days when we went on holiday with one 24 exposure film? Here are a selection of them – it is a lovely Cathedral, and we had a marvellous afternoon there. The Cathedral was founded by St Wilfrid (c 634-709). He bought craftsmen from Europe to build a new stone church on this site, dedicated to St Peter. We will visit the Saxon crypt shortly. The transepts date from late 1100s, with a mixture of rounded Norman arches and later pointed gothic arches. The West Front,...
Categories Cathedrals/Outside Northumberland Comments: 0
November 17, 2015

Aldborough, North Yorkshire – St Andrew

Aldborough is a Roman town, although it is many years since I have visited the English Heritage site – website – I’ll have to wait until next Spring. The church of St Andrew is in the middle of the town at  SE406664 – website. This is the third church on the site, and there may have been a Roman temple here too. We are in the middle of the Roman town of Isurium Brigantum. The Saxon church had a huge parish, stretching from the Wharfe to the Ure. A Norman church was built, which was destroyed by the Scots...
Categories Outside Northumberland/Railway History Comments: 0
November 16, 2015

Skelton-cum-Newby, North Yorkshire – Christ the Consoler

The Church of Christ the Consoler, Skelton-cum-Newby, North Yorkshire is at SE360679, between the village and Newby Hall. The Hall looks well worth a visit – website – so I’ll put that on the list for next year. It is a Churches Conservation Trust church – website. The church was built after an awful event. George Frederick Robinson (1827-1909) became the first Marquess of Ripon in 1873, inheriting a lot of land, including Fountains Abbey to the west of Ripon and Newby to the west. In 1870 his 23 year old neighbour and brother-in-law Frederick Grantham Vyner was travelling...
Categories Churches Conservation Trust/Outside Northumberland Comments: 0
November 15, 2015

Dersingham, Norfolk – St Nicholas

At Shernborne I said “now two Norfolk churches”. I gave you Shernborne followed by Mickley in Northumberland … . Sorry, Cambridge Geography degree should know the difference between Nor-folk and Nor-thumberland. We now have a quick trip back to Norfolk for the second of our churches. Dersingham is a much larger community than Shernborne. St Nicholas church is at TF694304. You can’t miss the fact that the church is open. They have a website. A nice leaflet about the church, and a quiz sheet – simple to do, easy to produce, an excellent idea.  The posters in the porch show...
Categories Norfolk/Outside Northumberland/World War 1 Comments: 3