Great St. Mary, Sawbridgeworth
Sawbridgeworth is a quaint little place and the church must rank as one of the most peaceful I have ever been in. Some places have a definite atmosphere and that is certainly the case here. There is just the gentle ticking of the tower clock.
Inside, I found a guide and some prayer cards. There is a prayer board and a votive stand to use, as well as some good prayer ideas to guide people. This is a church notable for it’s many monuments, some of which are very interesting. It is also very well looked after. The website at http://www.sawbridgeworthchurch.com doesn’t give any visitor information but is otherwise informative. A church well worth a look at and I rate it as very good for this study.
St. Jame’s, Thorley
On the outskirts of Bishop’s Stortford is Thorley. The website (http://www.stjames-church-bishops-stortford.org.uk) says this;
‘This wonderful church is where we hold formal services each Sunday in a traditional Anglican style. It also open for personal prayer most days between 9.00am and 4.00pm. In a busy world, resting in the stillness of St James’, one is aware of the presence of God and millions of prayers that have been offered here during the ages.’
And so I found it. It is well signed of
f the main road and there was an open church sign outside the door. Some lights had been left on and there were some ‘bats’ which explain a bit about the church. It is obviously a busy place but I did feel that a bit more could have been done to cater for those who drop in. Somewhere to leave prayer requests would be good and some guidance on how to pray. But at least St. Jame’s is open! An interesting place to look at.
Holy Trinity, Bishop’s Stortford
I spent an enjoyable day visiting some of the churches around Bishop’s Stortford as part of my study of Hertfordshire. I was surprised to find most of the churches open and met some friendly and interesting people. One that wasn’t open was Holy Trinity. Luckily, I turned up just as the mid week service had ended which meant that I could have a look inside. It is a nice church which has been sensitively re ordered and is inviting. I was told that they couldn’t leave it open because of where they were. The other two Anglican churches in the town are open every day! There is some education to do here I think. The noticeboard gives a church website (www.holytrinitybs.org.uk) but this seems to be defunct. I noticed a votive stand and a prayer board in the church but these don’t seem very useful when it isn’t open.
St. Lawrence, Abbots Langley
St. Lawrence was open with a welcome notice on an A frame. This is an interesting church to visit. There are some ‘bats’ to take around and a ‘Detective Trail’ which is aimed at children but interesting for adults too! On sale are postcards, notelets etc. Also some gospels and ‘Our Daily Bread’ to take away. Some lights are left on and there is a votive stand and prayer board to use. The sacrament is reserved here. There was a good leaflet of prayers.
This is a lovely, simple church, with some good modern furnishings.
The church website is at http://abbotslangley.org.uk/ and this gives very clear visitor information. St. Lawrence is a good church to visit.
Church of the Ascension, Bedmond
This little church is a delightful example of a ‘tin tabernacle’. Few are left as they rusted away but this one has been lovingly cared for and extensively repaired in recent years. It wasn’t open which is a great shame as I love these buildings.
The website is at http://www.abbotslangley.org.uk which gives details of services and some history and also contact details to arrange a visit inside.
St. Peter’s, Bushey Mill Lane, Watford
There are quite a number of Anglican churches in the Watford area, most of them seem to be closed mid week. I haven’t listed them all on this site but one or two will serve as examples.
St. Peter’s is one. It is an interesting 1960’s design with a lovely window which was made at Buckfast Abbey. It isn’t open and the web site, which contains much of interest (see https://stpeterschurchwatford.wordpress.com/) , doesn’t give any details of if it is ever open.
Another example is:-
St. Matthew’s, Oxhey
St. Matthew’s is a huge building which is very prominent. This was locked and doesn’t ever appear to be open. The website is at http://www.stmatthewsoxhey.org.uk/index.html and this does give visitor information but this only appears to be for Sunday visitors. The picture isn’t great it was difficult to get a good one as the sun was wrong!
Both are a wasted opportunity really and I am surprised that St. Matthew’s isn’t open
St. Paul’s, Bushey
St. Paul’s is a lovely little church and dates from 1904. Again, it was open on a Wednesday morning for tea, coffee and cake. They were a friendly crowd of people and the cake was good! It is a simple church and very well cared for. There is a dish of sand to leave tea light in for prayer – this was used. Very much a community church and I am glad I was able to call in.
The website is at http://www.busheyparish.org
St. James, Bushey
St. James is open each day and is well visited – several people came in whilst I was looking around. The visitors book only showed 5 entries for July, which goes to show how poor a guide to numbers these are, although one of the people did write in it and put ‘I love this church’. The door was left open which does tempt people in. There can be a reluctance to open the door for the first time. Inside, there are some guides and a small library which simply says ‘Please take and read’. Some lights were left on which helps to give a welcoming feel as well. There is a guide book and a good welcome leaflet which outlines the many activities that go on here. This appears to be a church which tries hard to be at the centre of the community here. There are two votive stands to use and an open bible as well as the ‘Saints and Pilgrims’ book. One thing which I thought was a good idea was some prayer boards made around a pillar. There were sections ‘In Thanksgiving, The Departed, The Sick…, Special Needs or Concerns’. There is a picture below.
The parish website is at http://www.busheyparish.org which gives details of the 3 churches in Bushey – visitor information is shown.
St. John the Apostle & Evangelist
St. John’s is in a quiet street not far from the town centre. I found an A frame welcome sign in the porch saying that the church was open for peace and prayer. It is open every Wednesday morning with free tea, coffee and biscuits. Normally it is locked so I was lucky to arrive on the time it was open. A friendly lady made me a tea and talked about her church – with real pride. The interior is spotless and there is parquet flooring, some of which is loose and clicks when you walk on it! There are a selection of Gospel Imprint leaflets and some Church Union Tufton Leaflets which I haven’t seen in a church for some time. They are well produced. The church web site is at http://www.saintjohnswatford.org.uk/ This is a good site and gives details of the Weds coffee morning. Well worth visiting.
St. Mary’s, Watford
St. Mary’s sits at the heart of bustling Watford. It is open every day.
Inside, I found some prayer leaflets, various others and some copies of the ‘Grace’ booklets to take away. The St. Alban’s Diocese ‘Saints & Pilgrims’ book was displayed. Morning prayer was being said in a side chapel and two people were in church praying, this is after all one of the big benefits of being open each day, especially in the context of a place like Watford. The visitors book showed 22 visitors for July but I expect that the majority who come into here are regulars and work or live locally.There is a prayer request box too.
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