** Church of England Buildings' Significant History ** (page 2)

llbh

I

envy you, David, to be there with so much history

The sad thing is we take it for granted and do not appreciate it for what it is, the part of the patina of our country,

These Churches are everywhere here

David

FlyingHighNow

The sad thing is we take it for granted and do not appreciate it for what it is, the part of the patina of our country,
These Churches are everywhere here
David

I hear this a lot. I guess the same is true here. Some of us enjoy historical sites more than others. I love history.

Sad emo

Here ya go FHN: http://www.halifaxparishchurch.org.uk/

You can click one of the buttons down the left side of the page to read the history and take a 'tour'.

It dates back to at least Norman times although most of the building now standing belongs to the 1400's.

The one I attend 'only' dates back to the 1800's - like a lot of churches in Yorkshire and Lancashire, they were funded by local textile mill owners and doubled up as 'schools' for the employees children. The real underlying reason why mill owners did this was to keep their workers under control - fear of God and all that! But I guess it backfired on them because those lil' kids got edumacation too!

FlyingHighNow

Thank you, Emo. I am about to leave the house. But I am looking forward to come and look at your link. Thank you so much for sharing.

Galileo

FHN, you should read and will enjoy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pillars_of_the_Earth

I was going to suggest this book when I read the first post. It's fantastic. I'm about 90% through the sequel, "World Without End", right now. Both are fantastic for anyone interested in the medieval church and the development of architecture, medicine (in the sequel), etc.

edmond dantes

A few weeks ago I visited Rosslyn Chapel ,I heard about it through the media and how it has become a large tourist attraction because of the De Vinci code .When we arrived there it was fairly quiet and we went to see what all the fuss was about because we like visiting old Abbeys and churches .We were not dissapointed it was a remarkable place full of stone carvings each telling a story. ,the Bible in stone was one discription of it.We went up to the roof area which has a canopy over it, from up there could be seen a ruined castle that had fallen victim to Oliver Cromwell's army.Rosslyn started out as Catholic until the reformation, luckily it survived as is now protestant.

I have found the Church of England, thanks to the reformation,to be a very benign ,mild and slightly eccentric church.It's clergy seem to be slightly eccentric as well .If you have ever seen a Peter Sellers film called Heavens Above you will know what I mean.I always feel that for most part the Cof E is non threatning and the services are relaxing and refreshing.Very vicar of Dibley in it's mode of opperation, very civilised.

There are Victorian churches everywhere and some of the country parish churches are great if you are searching for ancestors.Some of the old ruins such as Fountains Abbey are in amazing peaceful and tranquil settings.In contrast there is Whitby Abbey set high on a hill overlooking the coast and where Bram Stoker saw the church yard and Abbey and was inspired to write Dracular.

For most part all the churches are kept unlocked in order thet they remain a retreat for those seeking peace and solace.

FlyingHighNow

Wow, thank you, Edmond. I love all the history you gave in your post. I grew up in the American branch of the Anglican church, the Episcopal church and thank goodness have returned to it as an adult. Eccentric is a good word to describe many of the vicars and priests I have known and still know. It's pretty much the opposite of JW's when it comes to control. And from what I've learned, the Church of England and its Anglican children are considered the middle ground (via media) between the Roman Church and the protestant faiths.

I have friends who travel to England and have been for the Cof E services there. They said that the churches they attended didn't do the kneeling Eucharist at the altar as we do here. I like kneeling for communion better than what some call drive-by communion. St. Mark's in Grand Rapids does both the communion rail and the drive-thru for elderly and people who do not wish to kneel.

Sad emo

Do different Episcopal churches have different worship styles like the Anglican church over here FHN?

Here it falls into 3 broad categories called low, middle and high - generally, how close they are to RC practice. So if you go to a high Anglican church, you might even think you'd walked into an RC church - they have the 'bells and smells' type of service, they have robed choirs, acolytes (altar servers) etc and the clergy are very anti-female clergy. Some of them 'defected' to the RC church when the laws were first changed. Having come from the RC church myself, I think these guys are actually more Catholic than the real ones lol!

The 'low' end tends to be the 'evangelical' wing (NOT to be confused with the US type!!) - in these, the Anglican service structure and rules are broadly adhered to. They are more concerned with adhering to Bible teaching than rules (although because church and state are linked here, some rules HAVE to be obeyed).

The 'middle' basically covers everything in between - some have straightforward services, no bells and smells, others are slightly freer in their worship styles, they might have a mixture of styles - this is what the church I attend does, it would probably classed as the lower end of middle church! Middle churches are where you find the eccentric clergy who might have 'odd' theological views on specific issues!

HB

Hi FHN,

You would probably like the local Parish Church (St Mary the Virgin, Bramshott) in my village which has lots of history. The original chancel was built in 1220 as a private chapel for the Lord of the Manor who lived next door.

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In the Doomsday Book of the 11th century (compiled for William the Conqueror), Bramshott was known as Brembesete, (Seat of the Brembe family) but the Church was yet to be built at the time.

Over the centuries, the nave, the transepts, a belfry (yes, now complete with bats!) and a spire were added. The roof is timbered and dates from the 15th century. The North and South Aisles are supported by large round pillars and have graceful arches.

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There is a pretty Lychgate

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The church is situated in a hamlet surrounded by narrow leafy lanes. These lanes are very picturesque as they are sunken below the level of the surrounding fields by up to about 10 feet, due to centuries of wagon and coach wheels creating deep tracks before they were tarmaced.

Nearby, wedged between three lanes in the middle of a triangular 'roundabout' is a cottage built in the shape of a coffin, complete with skulls and gargoyles. It was the home of Boris Karloff (Frankenstein's Monster) during his last years. He left a legacy to Bramshott Church which enabled the six bells dating from 1784 to be rehung in 1989. I sometimes feel sorry for the people who live in surrounding cottages as they can never have a quiet lie-in on a Sunday morning as the bells are rung regularly! I once had a go at bellringing but it is very difficult to do well.

The stained glass East Window is a tribute to the Canadian troops stationed nearby during both world wars and the kneelers all depict Canadian flowers and the flag. The beautiful carved wooden canopy over the priest's stall depicts beavers.

Outside is the largest cemetary in Hampshire. It has a separate section which contains 318 graves of Canadian soldiers who died of the flu after the first world war. Most of the graves show the Maple leaf although a few have the Jewish Star of David.

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There are 95 more WW1 Canadian soldiers buried in the Catholic Church in a nearby village.

I only go to the Church once a year for Remembrance Service (commemorating those who died in the wars) and it is especially moving that when we gather round the war memorial outside to lay poppy wreaths, a local lady brings along a mule decorated with red poppies on his bridle to commemorate all the animals that have died as a result of war.

The oldest part of the graveyard has lots of very old leaning crosses and ancient tombstones covered in moss and ivy and looks like the set of a spooky film. Bramshott is reputed to be one of the most haunted villages in Britain but that's another story.

How old are the oldest Churches in the USA, and what is the average age of the majority of small-town churches?

Heather

(PS Hope the pictures appear as this is my first attempt at adding any!)

digderidoo

The link below shows the St. Mary Magdelene church that is opposite to my old house. I lived here for around six years sharing the place with my brother, the photo was taken from just outside my front door. My house was built in the seventeenth century and was originally the local villages fire station! Horses were kept there to pull the fire cart!

http://www.albrighton.eu/history/churches.asp

If you click the below link you will see the Shrewsbury Arms pub that is on the opposite corner to my old house, you can just just make out the building on the left of the photo. My brother still lives there.

http://www.francisfrith.com/search/england/shropshire/albrighton/photos/albrighton_A24076.htm

It may sound idyllic living next to a medieval church, however when your trying to relax and want a bit of peace, the last thing you want, is to hear church bells on the hour! Even through the night! You soon get sick of it.

In the back garden there is an entrance to a passage (now blocked up) that links to the church, which in turn links to White Ladies Priory http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Ladies_Priory , a medieval convent about 2 miles away, who hid Charles II after he fled from the Battle of Worcester. Which in turn is by to Boscobel House http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boscobel_House , where Charles II hid in an Oak.

All these places were linked to my back garden!

Hope you find it interesting.

Paul

** Church of England Buildings' Significant History **

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Church of England Buildings' Significant History