May 31, 2022

northernvicarwalks – May 2022

May 2022, and I am actually blogging it on the last day of the month! It has been a month with the Peace Doves in Derby Cathedral – an installation by the artist Peter Walker, 8,000 doves (all made locally by schools, organisations, etc). Quite gorgeous – and the Cathedral servers are now carrying lamps in procession instead of lighted candles (can’t think why!). I have the pleasure of precenting Evensong about once a week – always a pleasure. I even managed some walking this month – bluebells in Allestree Park and at Renishaw. My first train ride –...
Categories Derbyshire/Railway History Comments: 0
May 28, 2022

London, St Peter’s Vauxhall

St Peter’s Vauxhall on 27 April for a conference, Historic Religious Buildings Alliance (which was excellent and remarkably positive) – one delegate there said “you’re Northern Vicar”! Lots of train rides too, but you can find them elsewhere. Vauxhall Manor originated as part of the Manor of South Lambet and gets its name from Faulkes de Breaute who married Margaret de Redbers in 1216. In 1326 Edward the Black Prince granted it to the Prior and Covent of Christ Church, Canterbury. Industry developed in the C17 with the Duke of Buckingham’s plate glasshouse, potteries, vinegar, glue and starch works,...
Categories London Comments: 0
May 27, 2022

Derby – St Anne’s

St Anne’s church on Whitecross Street is a typical High Church built in 1871-72 for the expanding town. Despite being a near-neighbour, it is under the Bishop of Ebbsfleet and I had never been in until an organ recital on Monday 28 March 2022. The original design was by Ordish and Traylen – rather depressing that when you search for them, nearly all the references are to churches they built that are now closed. I need to get a photo from a distance – from close up it is rather unprepossessing, though the side door is rather fun –...
Categories Derbyshire Comments: 4
May 27, 2022

Hadrian’s Wall Exploration – Animated altars

Before we moved south I walked the Wall and explored various other sites – click on the category of “Hadrian’s Wall Walk” on the right of the screen to find them all. In January 2022 we were on one of our regular trups north, and visited the Great North Museum in Newcastle again. It is a funny place, such a mix of stuff – local, anthropological and the Wall gallery. What I really wanted to see was the art exhibition involving projection onto seven of the altars. It was a stunning light show – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=558FKNwxUGQ. We watched it three...
Categories Hadrian's Wall Walk/Newcastle upon Tyne Comments: 2
May 27, 2022

Nantwich, Cheshire – St Mary’s (again)

We came to Nantwich in 2014 and I blogged it – before then it was when we were on a narrowboat in University days. Back in January 2022. The church of St Mary’s is rather gorgeous – last time there was a ramp to the Nave, now there is a wheelchair lift. The Queen’s Silver Jubilee Curtains are still rather stunning – even if they are 45 years old (am I really that old?). Lovely nativity. The 1985 window by Michael Farrar-Bell, in memory of Albert Bourne, a local farmer, is worth another photo. It depicts God’s creation, showing...
Categories Cheshire Comments: 2
May 27, 2022

Kirk Langley, Derbyshire – St Michael’s

St Michael Kirk Langley is at SK286388, just south of the main road. It is mainly C14, with a couple of Victorian restorations. Fascinating roof line, all bits and pieces out together – I like what I assume is a Victorian chimney. A rather wonderful memorial on the outside south wall. The main door is the west door, and I failed to get a photo of the interior of the church. I did look up to the roof. The font is C13 with a C17 cover. An interesting selection of memorials. This chest tomb is to Henry Pole (died...
Categories Derbyshire/Railway History Comments: 0
May 27, 2022

northernvicarwalks – December 2021 to April 2022

I started to write a monthly “northernvicarwalks” blog when church crawling was impossible during Covid, and it helped me keep my sanity. I hope it also proved to anyone who reads this blog that I am still active (or, more likely, sedentary). During Covid I did a daily facebook ramble, and this seemed a good place to store them – if posterity will be interested. I post less often now, and won’t be archiving these any more. But here I am at the end of May 2022, and I have not touched this blog for almost six months. I...
Categories Railway History Comment: 1
January 11, 2022

Wrexham, Clywd – St Giles

St Giles church Wrexham is just down from the centre of the town, not far from Central station. Central is now a terminus – in the old days the line went on east (indeed it cut through the churchyard). Church website https://stgilesparishchurchwrexham.org.uk/ A previous Rector is Geoffrey Marshall, who now lives in Derby and helps us out. He posted images of their angel festival on facebook, and I was really pleased to find it was still on. It has to be said that thousands of angels meant I missed some of the architectural gems of this church, but they...
Categories Wales Comments: 0
January 9, 2022

Hawarden, Clwyd – St Deiniol

Julie and I are staying at Gladstone’s Library – https://www.gladstoneslibrary.org/ – a residential library in Hawarden, just over the border into Wales, Clwyd (Flintshire). It is a wonderful place to go and do some work, so we started 2022 with three nights here. On Friday, the day after Epiphany, I went for a look at the church next door. They had just finished removing the Christmas Trees from a Festival – “you should have come yesterday” said one of the locals. I did think that if they had advertised their Festival (and yesterday’s Epiphany service) on a poster in...
Categories Wales Comments: 0
January 4, 2022

Parwich, Derbyshire – St Peter’s

We continued on to Parwich. St Peter’s church is in the middle of the village at SK 188 543, just behind The Sycamore Pub (which is one of those annoying places where the website says dogs are welcome, but makes no comment about accessibility for humans). The church has a page on the village website – https://parwich.org/category/church/. It is not accessible either. It is a late Victorian replacement of the Norman church (1872-3) – Pevsner describes it as “unfeelingly hard-edged and rock-faced”. The church was open, but there was no notice saying so. It was depressing seeing how many...
Categories Derbyshire Comments: 0