Visiting historic churches

Takethedogalong
Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,027 ✭✭✭
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edited February 15 in UK Campsites & Touring #1

Here’s a link to some very old churches to visit for anyone who enjoys this sort of thing, like us. These are very old, sometimes part of a much younger building, but full of interest for history lovers.

https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/explore/story/oldest

 

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  • Wherenext
    Wherenext Club Member Posts: 10,585 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 15 #2

    I use their website when visiting new places.

    I also managed to pick up Collins Guide to Parish Churches of England and Wales with a very long foreword from John Betjeman, published in 1958 for £1 in a second hand bookshop last year. Obviously not going to be out of date bearing in mind the subject matter. It's brilliant.

    They are not just of religious importance but also packed full of local and sometimes National History.

  • eurortraveller
    eurortraveller Club Member Posts: 6,828 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 15 #3

    There has been a church in this village in Cornwall since Norman times -it’s architecture is grade one listed and there is a record of vicars since the year 1260.  

    But a few years ago things reached a point where the  Bishop could no longer provide a resident vicar,  and the village could no longer provide a big enough congregation with funding to repair the roof.

    Since then the church has been closed and the door locked. It is now in the care of a body called the Churches Conservation Trust but the future of the building is not known .

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 13,636 ✭
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    edited February 15 #4

    Thanks, tda, I have Bookmarked it for future reference.

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,027 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 16 #5

    There’s a few churches in Cornwall under the care of The Churches Conservation Trust, many more around rest of England. Sometimes you can get access, and some have regular open days if there are volunteers to be there. 
    When we used to spend a lot of time around Fowey and Lostwithiel, a good wet day drive for us, was to get up onto Bodmin Moor up a tiny little lane close to Trago Mills, and then we would hop from village to village looking at the churches. Altarnun is very famous, but we found one with an eccentric vicar who had cardboards cut outs as his congregation, might have been Warleggan I think. The small churches around Fowey, Lanteglos, Lantivet, St Winnow, etc… are fabulous, and a welcome stop off on some of the lovely walks. We don’t half miss our visits down there. I like the Templar churches, and of course there is the village of Temple on East side of A30. We used to dodge off dual carriageway there (if not towing) and beat the traffic sometimes. Happy days😁 

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,027 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 16 #6

    We are working our way through Simon Jenkin’s 1000 best churches book! 

  • richardandros
    richardandros Club Member Posts: 2,681 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 16 #7

    ttda - Have you been to St Maurice's in Horkstow (near to Barton on Humber)?  That's Grade 1 Listed and originates from the 12th / 13th century and is reputed to have been built by the Knights Templar. Only reason I know is because, quite a few years ago, I organised our annual Order of St John service there - when I worked for St John Ambulance.

    I won't forget that day in a hurry.  Our County Chaplain who was supposed to be conducting the service, got his dates mixed up and didn't turn up so I had to cajole one of the visiting Chaplains from another county to stand in!

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,027 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 16 #8

    Oo, no, not been there. We usually have a few nights at Alkborough each year, so will put this on our list. Have been to Whitton and Winteringham churches, and of course Alkborough. We cycled across to a few more as well. We had a day out around East Yorkshire last time we were there, some great churches there, Patrington was a gem. Not managed to get into the Ossary Church yet either at Barton, we don’t time it well. But the other church in Barton is interesting.

    Yorkshire has some lovely churches, tiny village ones, right up to the mighty York Minster. Ripon is one of my favourites.

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 13,636 ✭
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    edited February 16 #9

    Herefordshire has some great village churches, including the Templars Church at Garway, Kilpeck Church with its stone carvings all round the outside, and the Italianate St Catherine's Hoarwithy.

    Others can be found here :- https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/17763712.10-herefordshires-beautiful-historic-churches/

     

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,144 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 17 #10

    Great church in Gloucestershire 

    https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/st-marys-church-kempley/

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,027 ✭✭✭
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    edited February 18 #11

    Thank you OP, another of great interest to visit. Always find churches with wall paintings very rewarding. Our favourite so far is Pickering Church, North Yorks. Bible stories, but the people and stories depicted are what would have been contemporary at the time of painting, so they are clothed in fashions and armour from around the late medieval period. 

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