Holme next the Sea, Norfolk

St Mary's church in Holme next the Sea is a light and airy church in a quiet village not far from the coast.  It is close to the top end of the Pedder's Way, which is a very old track.

The church has a fine 15th century tower although the church was extensively restored in 1888. At that time much was pulled down as it was very expensive to keep going.  A church at Holme was first mentioned in the 12th century.

The font used today, made of Bath Stone on marble pillars, is one dating from 1885 built in memory of the then vicar by his wife. Apparently there are two others in the church, although we did not see them.

The church is unusual as entering the main door one enters a porch which turns right to enter the main church. On the left in the porch is a wheeled bier to carry coffins.

The east window in the main part of the church was built in the Victorian restoration.

The brass plaque to Henry of Notingham (sic) was moved when the south aisle was removed in Victorian times.

For food there is plenty of choice in nearby Hunstanton or at Drove Orchard Farm Shop. There are no shops in the village itself.

The church is on a quiet backroad called Kirkgate.

Apparently pilgrims held scallop shells when praying. There are scallop shells in the nave still.

The church had a good feeling. We liked it a lot: simple and light.

See http://www.saxonshorebenefice.co.uk/holments.htm

Chippenham, St Margaret's

Chippenham is a sleepy village in east Cambridgeshire. There is a bigger Chippenham in Wiltshire, which is confusing.

The church dates from the 13th century. It contains a chapel used by the Knights Hospitallers, which was an order founded in the 1100s. There was a bad fire in the 15th century, after which the church was rebuilt. The tower was restored in 1994.

Cleaning of very old wall paintings started in the 1970s.

The Puritans destroyed stained glass in 1643. These days we would call them vandals destroying history.

On the north wall is the Tharp chapel. The local pub is the Tharp Arms. John Tharp became the owner of Chippenham Park in 1791. He made his money in sugar.

Located in the village is Chippenham Park (sometimes known as Hare Park), which opens to the public from time-to-time and La Hogue farm shop and café. The latter is actually about a mile out of the village, The café is now very popular.

When we visited the church was unlocked.

See http://chippenhamcambs.info/
See http://chippenhamcambs.info/church/
See http://www.lahogue.co.uk/
See http://www.thetharparms.com/index

Snailwell, St Peter's

Today we visited 3 nearby churches including this one at Snailwell. Unlike many churches in this county (Cambridgeshire) it has a round tower, much like many churches in nearby Norfolk. This is a small church, and has fame in our household as the first place our grandson rang a tower bell. The church was founded in the 11th century. It was renovated in the late 1800s after falling into disrepair. The oldest part is the round tower.The tower once had a spire too.

It  had several daffodils growing in the churchyard heralding spring (we visited in mid February) as well as many snowdrops.

The church was not locked when we visited.

See http://www.druidic.org/camchurch/churches/snailwell.htm

Cambridge Leper Chapel

This updates a much earlier post in Feb 2015.

This dates from 1125AD and is situated on Newmarket Road on the way out of Cambridge just after crossing the railway line at Barnwell Bridge. Every September there is a fair held on Stourbridge Common that is almost as old as the chapel. At one time this was the largest fair in Europe.

In the old days, until 1259, lepers worshipped at this chapel, which formed part of a leprosy hospital. Bodies were buried under what is Cambridge United's football stadium.

Although we had been past this many times, today was the first time inside it. It consists on a very simple building with whitewashed walls and nothing of great merit within.

A grade 1 listed building, it is maintained by the Cambridge Preservation Society. Occasional services are held there.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leper_Chapel,_Cambridge .

Grantchester St Mary and St Andrew

Grantchester was the village of WW1 war poet Rupert Brooke.

It is also the focus of the TV series "Grantchester" starring James Norton. It is just a waterside walk along the Cam from Cambridge. It is famous for its Orchard Tea Rooms which have been there since 1897. Mind the wasps in autumn!

Grantchester is also the home of Jeffery and Mary Archer. There are more Nobel prize winners living here than anywhere else on Earth. Byron's Pool is also in Grantchester. As a village, it is nothing special. Yes there are thatched cottages, but it is really more famous for its past and present inhabitants.

This church dates from the 14th century although the south aisle dates from the 19th century. The font is believed to be Norman.  The aisle windows are Victorian.

When we visited the church was unlocked.

See http://church.grantchester.org.uk/

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grantchester

Mildenhall, St Mary, Suffolk

Mildenhall is probably best known for its USAF airbase, although it is actually a fine Suffolk town with a fine church and some lovely old buildings. It should not be dismissed.

The church is famous for its nave roof. Back in the 1600s people were paid to destroy the roof.  The supporters of Cromwell have a lot to answer for at that time! There was later restoration of the angels. Back in the 1600s there was vandalism on a truly massive scale in many churches.  I hope we learn from history: even if not our history we should always respect work done long ago by others, even if not our faith. 

Nave roof with angels.

A medieval charnel house stands beside the south side. Corpses were buried for 30 years, then dug up and placed in a vault to make room for more corpses in the small churchyard. After the Reformation this ceased in the main.

Nave

In the largely flat countryside, the church can be seen from miles around. According to Simon Knott it is the largest church in Suffolk.

When we were there, there was an exhibition to celebrate the queen's 90th birthday.

Exhibition about the Queen

Font

See http://www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/mildenhallcofe.htm . This is the Simon Knott page. He writes the very best on East Anglian churches. If you are interested, I highly recommend his pages.

Museum

We also visited the small, free, museum in Mildenhall. This is worth a visit but as it is run by volunteers check opening days and times.

Merton, St Peter, Norfolk

Merton is a small village just south of Watton. The church is just within the park grounds and sadly was locked when we visited on a July Saturday.

Most of the church dates from Norman times. The tower dates from the 14th century although the lower part of the (round) tower is pre-Conquest i.e. before 1066AD. This is a typical Norfolk church with a round tower. Its isolated position is probably why it was locked. The church stands on a ridge overlooking the main house in the grounds and its lake. Walking to the "other" side of the church and seeing the lake in the distance was quite a surprise. The de Gray family own the park. There is a 6 sided font.

We ate at Hingham which is about 10 miles away at the Lincoln Tea Shoppe. We have eaten here before and never been disappointed.

I am sure not being able to go inside the church we missed a lot.