Holy Trinity, Potten End
I found this church quite surprising. It is in the centre of the village, next to the school and is open each day. It is open and well worth calling into. It was built in 1868. The website is at http://www.holytrinitypottenend.org.uk
There is a sign outside which says that the church is open every day for quiet and prayer. There were some of the Gospel Imprint leaflets and 2 visitors in the book for May. In the porch is a box to put prayer requests into which I thought was a very good idea to encourage people to do so.
Holy Trinity is well loved and, with it’s apse, is an unusual building. Recommended.
St. Peter & St. Paul, Little Gaddesden
On the day of my visit I found the church decorated for a wedding – it looked lovely. This is a delightful church in a good setting. There are all sorts of interesting monuments in the church, mostly to the past inhabitants of nearby Ashridge.
Inside, I found a quiz sheet and a guide. There was a nice welcome notice in the porch. Also, the usual (for Herts) ‘Saints and Pilgrims’ and a prayer board and votive stand. A bible was open.
All in all, a lovely little church which is both atmospheric, interesting and well cared for. Don’t take my word for it though, go and have a look.
St. John the Baptist, Great Gaddesden
The sign outside gives the usual information about services and clergy. Inside, I found a guide at only 50p some postcards for sale and ‘bats’ to carry about. There is a good welcome notice.There are also some Gospel Imprint leaflets. The visitors book showed only 5 visitors for the whole of May.
It is always important to show how a church is not just a heritage site but a living place of worship. Here I found a display of church life which showed plenty going on. There is a prayer request book and the usual ‘Saints and Pilgrim’s which is a feature of most churches in Herts. There is a side chapel, The Halsey Chapel, which is used for small services by the look of it. This would be a good place to use as a quiet space.
What these few words can’t convey is the atmosphere of St. John’s. This is a lovely church with a real sense of peace. All you can hear is the slow ticking of the clock. A wonderful place to visit.
St. Lawrence, Nettleden
A church in a beautiful setting but unfortunately firmly locked. There doesn’t seem to be a particular website but there is a presence on a church near you. It is a pity that the church isn’t open – a wasted opportunity.
All Saints, Berkhamsted
An unusual church shared with the Methodists. It is open each day with a good welcome sign outside. Inside is a history and the church has been turned around and now has two altars, one at each end. It is a lovely church and very well cared for. I found some history leaflets which tell me that All Saints was built in 1905 and re built in 1980. There is even a leaflet giving the reasoning behind the sanctuary design.
The usual Diocesan ‘Saints and Pilgrims’ book was on display and a nice little quiet prayer corner has been created with some laminated prayers to use. There is a visitors book but this showed not entries for May. The website is at http://www.allsaintsberkhamsted.org.uk/ and this clearly shows how the church is open each day. A very interesting church to visit.
St. Peter’s, Berkhamsted
This church sits on the middle of Berkhamsted and was well visited at the time of my visit. There is a welcome notice and the doorway is kept open. Inside, the church is an interesting mix of old and new. The visitors book showed only 3 entries for May but I expect, as in many places, that this is a church where it is mainly locals calling in and they wouldn’t write in it.It is ‘there church’ after all. There was a selection of Gospel Imprint leaflets (these are very good and can be downloaded for free – see http://www.gospelimprint.com/). There is no guide book but some laminated sheets to carry around on a visit.
There is a prayer board and it is made clear that these prayers are taken seriously and prayed at the services here. ‘Saints and Pilgrims’ was on display – a St. Albans Diocese book of saints etc for each day. The Lady Chapel is set aside for prayer and a votive stand to light candles.
The church website is at http://www.stpetersberkhamsted.org.uk/ This has a good section where prayers can be left to be prayed. Well worth looking at.
An interesting church to visit – go and have a look! Here are some photos of the interior to wet your appetite.
St. Michael & All Angels, Sunnyside
The church of St. Michael’s sits up the hill from the main centre of Berkhampstead. It looks like an old church but was only consecrated on 30th June 1909. It is open each day and is very well signed from the town (it would be difficult to find without these signs).
I found a good range of the church’s own leaflets on a range of issues and a history one. There is also a couple of locally produced books ‘The Story of Sunnyside’ and ‘The Way of the Cross’, both of which look very good. There is a prayer board to use and a Bible is left open – this is always a good idea. Sometimes we can be too tidy! The Lady Chapel has a prayer area and candles to light. I met two very friendly people here who spoke with evident pride of their church. Perhaps not the most atmospheric of places but it is well kept and well loved. There is a website on http://www.sunnysidechurch.org.uk/ This gives lots of information on the many things that are happening here but no mid week visitor information.
St. Mary Magdalene, Flaunden
A delightful little church which is something of an ecclesiastical oddity. The church is in Hertfordshire but is linked with the Chenies Benefice which is in Buckinghamshire and a part of the Diocese of Oxford. It was built in 1838 and is George Gilbert Scott’s first church, built for his Uncle who was Rector.
Unfortunately it wasn’t open but is open for Teas on a Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday over the summer months. There is a website at http://www.cheniesbenefice.org which gives a good history of the church and details of when it is open. Worth a look.
St. Lawrence, Bovingdon
St. Lawrence is set amongst a large churchyard with an avenue of yew trees.
Unfortunately, I found the church locked. Looking at the website, http://stlawrencebovingdon.com/, which is very well produced I found a church history to download and an article about the World War 1 memorial but no details of if the church is ever open other than for a service, or even if a visit could be arranged. It also says ‘We hope that St Lawrence will always be a welcoming place where everyone can feel at home.’ I would think that the best way of welcoming people would be by opening the doors wide and letting them come in – even if this was only on an afternoon a week, as long as it is advertised.
I have to rate St. Lawrence as very poor which is a shame as this is a church which would be well worth visiting, a wasted opportunity.
St. Paul’s, Chipperfield
St. Paul’s is open and situated on the village green. There were lots of people around when I visited. The external noticeboard just mentions service times and events. This really is a lovely church which is very well cared for. It dates from 1837.
Inside, I found the Diocese of St. Albans ‘Saints and Pilgrims’ book and a Remembrance book in which to write details of those who had been involved in World War 1. This is a very good idea that I have not seen before and a lot of people had written entries in it. Worth copying! There is a range of guides for sale as well as notelets and the ‘Word for Today’ booklets (which are simple Bible study guides and very good). Only 2 people had signed the visitors book for May. There is a website at http://www.hcsp.net/ but there is no visitor information as such. I leave you with some pictures of the lovely interior of St. Paul’s. I rate this as OK for this study.
Stunning West Window
churchtourismstudy 