Black and white church
St Oswald’s church at Lower Peover in Cheshire is one of
the last remaining black and white, timber framed churches in the country. It was built in 1269 and the stone tower was
added some 300 years later.
Lower Peover Church
One of its
notable possessions is a ‘bog-oak, dug out’ chest with five locks securing a
huge lid. Local legend has it that at
one time, any prospective bride of a Cheshire farmer was required to be able to
lift the heavy lid with one hand.
Adel Church
The church of St John the Baptist
at Adel on the north western outskirts of Leeds, is one of the finest Norman
churches in Yorkshire with many fine stone carvings and is renowned for its carved doorway illustrating St
John’s vision in the Book of Revelations. It dates to 1150 and is a Grade 1 listed building .
St John's Church
The huge bronze ring on the door is a Sanctuary Ring some 700 years old.
It is made up of a circular plaque on which the head of a beast about to swallow a man, has a
moveable ring through its mouth. Once a
miscreant had grasped this handle he had the right to demand sanctuary. A
similar ring can be seen on the doorway at Durham Cathedral and at All Saints Church in York..
There are several old stones
in the churchyard and one of them is
very similar in appearance to the
sanctuary seat at Beverley.
Nigg Old Church
This redundant church at Nigg in north Eastern Scotland preserves a very fine Pictish cross
slab which was formerly in the churchyard. See www.niggoldtrust.org.uk
There is also a fine survivor from former times in the shape of a 'Poor Loft' which is now blocked off. This area was not for poor people - quite the opposite. People occupying these pews in the 19th century paid a 'pew rent' which was a way of raising money for the Parish Poor Fund. Poor people had to stand in the body of the church.
Nigg Old Church
The Pictish cross
The Poor Loft
Deserted village and church
It is believed that there are more than 3,000 deserted medieval villages in England and the sites of some of them have been destroyed by modern development. Wharram Percy on the Yorkshire Wolds, 6 miles S.E of Malton on the B1248, is one of the best preserved deserted villages in the country. From a reasonably prosperous village in the 14th century with two manors, this village declined through the next 150 years until it was finally deserted c1500. The only remaining building of that time is the ruined church. The site is now in the care of English Heritage.
Warram Percy
War damaged church
A plaque on the wall of the bombed church of St Martin-Le-Grand in Coney Street, York reads :
'This ancient church of St Martin
gave the message of Salvation and
hope to York from earliest days until 1942.
From 29 April 1942 until 28 April 1968 she
slept in ruins, almost destroyed by incendiary
bombs, disturbed only by the pigeons.
On 28 April 1968 she awoke from her sleep
to guard this Sacred plot when she was re-hallowed
at the hands of the Archbishop of York to become a
Shrine of Remembrance for all who died in the two
world wars, a Chapel of peace and reconciliation
between Nations and between men, surrrounded by
a garden of rest for the weary in the heart of York.
The unique organ was presented by the
German Government and the German Evangelical
Church and was warmly received as a token of
such reconciliation'.
The church was badly damaged in an air raid of 1942.
In the 1960's it was decided to salvage as much as possible of the church and a small chapel was constructed to house the donated organ and the 32 foot stained glass early 15th century window which had mercifully been removed for preservation in 1940.
The remainder of the ground became the garden of rest.
St Martin's Church
The church is well known for its distinctive double sided clock topped by the 'Little Admiral'.
With a trtaditional turret movement it was the last of its kind to be installed in England.
It dates to 1668 and was damaged in the 1942 raid. The clock survived the fire in 1942 and was returned to its original position in 1966. It was restored in 2011.
Largest
Parish Church
The Parish Church of St
Nicholas at Great Yarmouth in Norfolk is said to be the biggest parish church
in the country, now rebuilt after it was destroyed by enemy action in WW2, it
is a very fine edifice. Some unusual entries from the old church register make
interesting reading.
St Nicholas Church
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