St. Andrew’s, Hertford

St. Andrew’s, Hertford

St. Andrew’s is a large church in the centre of Hertford. It is open each day. There is no guide book but there was an interesting one on the people named on the World War 1 memorial. This has become quite common and is to be welcomed as it brings that awful conflict to life. There is a large children’s area with colouring materials left out – too many churches tidy everything away and I have often seen children busy doing something whilst an adult looks around a church.

A prayer board and tree, and some ideas for prayer are near the entrance – another good idea. The diocesan ‘Saints and Pilgrims’ book is displayed and there is the Blessed Sacrament chapel for a space to be quiet in.

A children’s group were using an adjacent room whilst I was there. As they came out of that and through the church, it was interesting to see how some spent time looking at things before leaving. Churches need to aware of the possibilities that visitors to the rest of the building offer.

The church website – http://www.hertfordstandrews.co.uk gives clear visitor information. This is a church where effort has gone into providing for the needs of visitors.