churchtourismstudy

I was here for a Church Tourism Conference – ‘Small things, big difference’ organised by the Diocese of Hereford. I couldn’t resist using it for my study though!

Leominster Priory

As I had hoped (and expected) this is well set up for the visitor.

The signs outside are not great and don’t give any visitor information but the Priory is open every day. A good welcome notice in the porch though.

There is plenty to see inside, including a large ducking stool which was last used in 1817 for a Sarah Leeke who was spared a ducking as the river was too low.

Sanctuary area at the Priory

The sanctuary area has been enhanced with a circular altar with seating around it. Also a lovely tapestry/ quilt? of local organisations. Very striking.

There is another bit of needlework on display – a ‘stained glass window’.

‘Window’ in Leominster Priory

There are other displays also – history and people, including one on the choir. This is the first like that I have come across.

Choir display

If you have a choir it seems sensible to celebrate it!

There is a nice childrens area all set up-

Priory childrens area

Also a votive stand to use and a prayer request board. The Lady Chapel is set aside for prayer and there was a prayer leaflet available.

Also there is a bookstall with a decent selection of books – children’s especially and cards etc. Used books for sale as well. The visitor’s book showed 42 during the last month. A good selection of leaflets. One nice one is entitled ‘Welcome to Leominster’ and list the different churches and other local information. A very good idea. Also a good one on weddings. I imagine they must get quite a few here. A further one reminds visitors that this is a house of prayer with some good prayer suggestions. The website is http://www.leominsterpriory.org.uk and clearly says that the church is open from 9am – 4pm, unless there is a funeral or other service.

I rate the Priory as very good – recommended.

And, the conference was very good also!

I went to the excellent Church Tourism Conference held in leominster Priory on the 25th April. I called in at Hereford on the way-

St. Peter’s, Hereford

St. Peter’s, Hereford

I must have just missed the opening times as the website (http://www.spsj.org.uk/) tells me that the church is open every day from 10am – 2pm. I was keen to look inside as this church has recently been re ordered to make it more usable. Behind the locked gates , is a good welcome sign. Not rated but will be worth another look. A useful reminder to check on teh website before visiting!

Entrance to St. Peter’s

A simpel but effective welcome

All Saints, Hereford

All Saints, High Street, Hereford

A very busy church on Hereford High Street. This also has been re ordered in recent years and a nice cafe and a mezzanine floor has been put in, as well as a lift and a modern toilet. Yet, this is still very much a living, worshipping church.

Look one way and there is the cafe –

Look the other –

And there is a church. It is very well done and very well used.There was plenty to see here on the day I visited. The South Chapel, which has a separate entrance onto the High Street was being used for a display and stall of Zimbabwean goods.

In the church itself I found both a guide book and a short guide – both very well done.Also, a simple ‘Information for visitors’ leaflet which outlines the work of this church and flags us All Saints as a place for refreshment of body (the Cafe), mind (discussion groups, study courses etc.) and soul ( a sacred place to pray). These 3 things they appear to do successfully.

The Lady Chapel –

Lady Chapel, All Saints

Set aside for prayer. Prayer is taken seriously here. There is their own version of Morning and Evening prayer, a votive stand and a prayer board to use.

Also a display of their Tanzanian link and local events. There is no visitors book but such would probably be impracticable here as so many people must come through the doors.

All Saints takes it’s visitor ministry very seriously and I rate this as very good – well worth a visit.

Hereford Cathedral

A bit outside my strict remit but worth a visit. A small and intimate cathedral with friendly staff, a small shop and a refectory. It was quite busy the day I went.

St Thomas Cantilupe’s Shrine

Altar and Corona at Hereford Cathedral

Hereford Cathedral

A short break in Minnis Bay enabled me to fit in another couple of churches. First up, in one of my favourite places-

St. Alphege, Whitstable

This lovely little church sits in the middle of the High Street. It is in a great position to welcome visitors – even on a cold April day there were plenty of people around. It is open every morning for a coffee shop. A simple sign outside says, ‘Coffee Shop Open.’ Inside, I found that this was in full swing and obviously is well used. A table was set up with cards and various other gifts for sale. I was welcomed by a friendly lady.There was a ‘Welcome Leaflet’ available which is very well done. I particularly like the picture of the congregation gathered outside the church. It is a good reminder that here is a living friendly church. This is also downloadable from the website. There is a visitors book but only 10 people had signed this since October.

St Alphege, Whitstable

There is a sign into the church itself (there is a glazed screen to provide a narthex for the coffee shop) which simply says, ‘Church open for prayer.’. It is a peaceful, holy and well loved building with much of interest. There is a prayer book for visitors to enter prayer requests into – this was well used which is so good to see. Also a votive stand. There is a statue of St. Alphege stood in the sanctuary.

There wasn’t anything available on the Christian faith nor on St. Alphege – a story worth telling. Neither was there a church history.

However, this all looks set to change. The church website http://www.stalphege.org.uk gives some details, and a video clip, of an exciting project to tell his story in etched glass. A great idea.

All in all, I rate St. Alphege’s as good for the purposes of this study. It wouldn’t take much more to make it very good. Well worth a visit.

Christchurch, Herne Bay

A church just off Herne Bay’s High Street. It features a prominent welcome sign. This isn’t born out when I approached it. Firmly locked with no indication of how I might gain entry. Although there is a parish office so that might be possible. On looking through the glazed doors I could see a sign which says ‘Christ Church is Open’ so it must be sometimes. There was nothing to say when this might be. The website – http://www.parishofhernebay.org.uk gives no visitor information either. Could do much better!

Christ Church, Heren Bay

A trip to Oxford meant the opportunity to have a look at a few churches in my favourite city.

First of all a really famous Church –

The University Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Oxford

To many in the Church this is their spiritual home for this is where the Oxford movement started after John Keble’s famous ‘Assize Sermon’.

Outside I found a very clear welcome sign. Even on a cold March day there were plenty of visitors around Oxford. This is among the most visited of all Anglican parish churches.

Inside there was no visitors book – it might be impracticable here with the number of visitors. There is a small book shop with some touristy things for a sale and a small selection of Christian books. I didn’t see a guide book on the church itself.

There was a display of photos of some restoration work on the church and two votive stands to use. A number of friendly people were setting up the church for a concert. I also found a folder of historical information left on a table but this wasn’t labelled. Inside was all sorts of information about the church and people connected with it.

This is a great church to visit but I was a bit dissapointed with what I found. I do feel that there is a great opportunity here to tell an important story which isn’t being currently done.

The website is at http://www.university-church.ox.ac.uk/index.htm and does give a lot of history as well as visitor information.

Overall I rate St. Mary’s as good for the visitor but it wouldn’t take too much effort to make this very good or excellent.

St. Michael, Northgate

Another church which is open every day and was busy with visitors on my visit. Once again there is a very clear welcome from the signs outside

The church website is at http://www.smng.org.uk/ and is excellent with much useful information and some good pictures. They obviously take their many visitors seriously. There is also a good leaflet to take away about the church. I particularly like the section about ‘A moment’s calm’ which encourages visitors to take a moment to meditate and pray in the church. There was also a rack of ‘Discover Churches in Oxford’ which is well produced. The church is warm and there are lights on to give a welcoming atmosphere.

There is a prayer book and a votive stand to use near the font.

There is a children’s corner where they have been encouraged to draw a Saxon (the church is notable for it’s Saxon tower which visitors can climb for a small fee).

There is a manned bookshop here with a good selection of Christian books, cards etc as well as more touristy stock.

I like this church a lot and they have made a real effort to welcome visitors. I rate it as excellent.

St. Mary Magdalen’s Church, Magdalen Street

Another wonderful church to visit. There is an A frame sign to welcome visitors and a good welcome notice inside. There is a good selction of visitors leaflets which are available for a small charge. These are very good, one explains who Mary Magdalen was, another gives a clear account of Anglo-catholicism  and another gives a guide to the mass. There was a small display of children’s work and the visitors book had 34 entries so far this year. A prayer board and a votive stand are available for use too, as well as a holy water stoup.

The statues and crosses were all veiled for Passiontide.

The church’s website can be found at http://www.stmarymagdalenoxford.org.uk/ It gives clear visitor information and one very nice touch is that prayers can be emailed in to be prayed in the  Friday service.

I rate this church as very good – well worth visiting.

St. Frideswide

This Victorian church stands just along the Botley Road, a short walk west from the city centre. It is firmly locked. The website is at http://www.stfrideswideschurch.org.uk/index.html and this gives no visitor information, neither is the church listed in the ‘Discover Oxford Churches’ leaflet. I assume that it is only open for services.

A wasted chance in a busy place. I have to rate this as very poor.

St. Lawrence, North Hinksey

A delightful little church just off the busy A34. It is open everyday and is a haven of peace.

I can’t find a website but the church does have an entry on achurchnearyou. There is a good welcome notice outside. Inside I found a delightful, simple country church. There is a selection of the Oxford Diocesan leaflets (their office is next door so that is not surprising!) and a guide to walk around with as well as a pilgrimage map.

The visitors book had only been signed by 4 visitors so far this year but this church must get more than that!

There is also this delightful window – Eunice and Timothy.

There you have it! A few more churches to add to the list. I hope to add a good few more as this year progresses.

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A half term visit to relatives in Suffolk has enabled me to fit in a few more churches, just to keep the project going really as well as being an excuse to go to some favourite churches.

First up is the lovely, haunting;

St. Andrew’s, Covehithe

A church within a church. The original was a huge 15th century church probably financed by the wealthy incumbent, William Yarmouth. It was always far too big for such a tiny place. In 1672 the parishioners built a much smaller church within the shell of the old one by using materials from it. The large tower was preserved as a sailor’s landmark and still contains a ring of five bells. This really is a lovely spot but the sea is fast enroaching on this bit of the coast and I wonder how long it will be before St. Andrew’s succumbs as many other places have to the restless North Sea. Visit it whilst you can!

St. Andrew’s, Covehithe. A church within a church

There is no church sign but in the porch is a welcome notice and another that the church is open each day. It receives many visitors as a lot of walkers pass this lovely spot. The visitor’s book had 43 entries in the last month which is very good for an isolated church in October. There is a guide too buy, post cards, Christmas cards, fridge magnets and tea towels. Also some used books at 50p each. I rate St. Andrew’s as Okay for the visitor. It really is worth a visit.

The website is at http://www.standrewcovehithe.net/

and does say that the church is open daily.

St. Andrew’s, Covehithe

St. Edmund’s, Southwold

St. Edmund’s, Southwold

St. Edmund’s is open every day and the sign outside is very good as it tells all comers that this is the case. At this time of year, it is open 10am – 4pm, longer in the summer.

There is plenty to see here. It is worth starting any visit by looking carefully at the outside of the church. The flush flint work is spectacular. Inside, there was a steward on duty, a very friendly lady. Displays of church life and the people of the church are arranged at the back. There is a well stocked book stall and a Traid Craft stall with fair trade goods. An excellent guide book is on sale for £5 and some inexpensive ones as well. For children, there is a small book stall and toys and books are left out to keep younger visitors busy.

St. Edmund’s interior

The Diocese of St. Edmundsbury and Ipswich have featured an event called ‘Angels & Pinnacles’ , which has been mentioned on some of my earlier posts. In Southwold there was a photographic display which had resulted from a workshop. Some excellent photos could be viewed. The lovely Lady Chapel is set aside for prayer and there are some prayer cards, a prayer tree and a votive stand to use. Also a lovely prayer which visitors are encouraged to take away. A Bible is left open in the church also.

71 visitors had signed the book in the last month.

It was nice to see some children’s artwork displayed which had been done by a local school. All in all a great church to visit. Recommended and I rate this as very good.

Holy Trinity, Blyburgh

Blyburgh

A famous church, often know as the ‘cathedral of the marshes’ due to it’s position on a low hill overlooking the Blyth estuary. The church is open every day but the sign outside is very simple and doesn’t mention this.

Inside there are various gifts for sale as well as cards, postcards, a good guide and, even better, a ‘Junior Trail’. These are, sadly, seldom seen. A free church plan is provided for visitors as well. There is a range of Tim Tiley booklets on the Christian faith as well as some prayer cards for sale.

A lot of thought has gone into welcoming visitors and providing for them here as there is also a laminated prayer walk around the church. Very well done.

Angel roof at Blyburgh

There is a Priest’s Room above the porch (a Parvais chamber) and this is open to visitors which is quite an unusual feature. A lovely peaceful place for quiet and meditation with the Blessed Sacrament being here also.

The Hopton Chapel in the main part of the church has a votive stand and prayer board to use.

112 visitors had signed the visitors book in the last month so Holy Trinity receives a fair few visitors and rightly so as it is well worth seeing.

I rate this church as very good for visitors. It is nearly an excellent but the sign outside does let it down somewhat.

Chapel at Blyburgh

Both Southwold and Blyburgh are part of the Sole Bay Team and their website is at-

http://www.solebayteamministry.co.uk/

It doesn’t say anything about visitors.

All Saints and St. Margaret’s, Pakefield, Lowestoft

All Saints & St. Margaret’s, Pakefield

Not many churches in Lowestoft are open to visitors but Pakefield has recently started to do so. It is a lovely church with a thatched roof on a low cliff overlooking the North Sea. The churchyard grass is kept down by two sheep, Rosie and Lucy, which seem to be popular with both visitors and locals.

The signs here are very good making it very clear that this is a church open each day and that visitors are welcome.

Pakefield interior

Inside there is a small room open for children with the usual toys and books etc. There is a guide book, mugs and post cards for sale. Also, a rack of home produced prayer cards with a good variety of prayers, Psalms, poems and Bible passages on them. A good idea that doesn’t take too much effort to do and is I am sure appreciated.

This church was originally two, semi detached, buildings hence the double dedication. The St. Margaret’s Chancel is used for prayer and there is a prayer request board and a sand tray for votive candles. This is very much living church and there is a good selection of banners around. It is also well cared for.

I rate this church as very good and worth a visit.

Rosie and Lucy at Pakefield

I had to go near to Cookham so this was a good chance to have a look at

Holy Trinity Cookham. Situated in a picturesque spot near the River Thames and the bridge over it. Cookham attracts many visitors because of both it’s beauty and because of the association with Stanley Spencer who based many of his paintings around the village that he loved so much. His ashes are buried in the churchyard. A copy of his painting of the Last Supper hangs in the church.

Holy Trinity has a nice new sign board outside with all sorts of information on it. It doesn’t mention about opening times however. The church website – http://www.holytrinitycookham.org.uk also has much of interest in it but nothing regarding visitors.

The church is open every day though and there is much of interest to see here. Some lights are left on otherwise the interior would be rather gloomy and uninviting. There are cards, post cards and a guide for sale as well as some history ‘bats’ to guide visitors around the church. Holy Trinity is featured in the Diocese of Oxford Pilgrim Project and there are leaflets about this as well as some of the ‘A simple guide’ range. Here I saw ‘Reading the Bible’ and ‘Christianity’. These are good and it would be interesting to know how many are picked up by visitors.

There is a votive stand here as well. This is in a side chapel in which the blessed sacrament is reserved. There are some cards and a booklet with prayers in to guide pilgrims.

Prayer chapel at Cookham

The guide book ‘Holy Trinity, Cookham … in ages past’ brings some of the areas history to life by means of some stories of notable people. It is very well done and at £1 very good value.

This is a church well worth visiting (as is Cookham itself) and I rate it as good.

Interior of Holy Trinity, Cookham

A wonderful, but all too short time at the Friary, Hilfield. I redeemed the journey home by visiting some churches on the way back, some I had planned to see, and some that I just happened along…

St. Michael & All Angels, Gussage

St. Michael & All Angels, Gussage

I travelled past this lovely little church so stopped and went in. The sign outside just gave some details of the next Sunday’s service.

Inside there was a simple guide which emphasises the simplicity and serenity of this church. The visitors book reveals 4 visitors in the last month. There is an Interesting folder containing details and photos of the colourful kneelers here. There is a children’s area also.

A simple country church which I rate as Okay but is worth seeing.

All Saints, Gussage

All Saints, Gussage

I hadn’t intended visiting this one either but as I was going past…

A very different story to it’s neighbour. Firmly locked with absolutely no indication of when it might be open nor any contact details. The sign board outside just gave details of next Sunday’s service and one or two notices.

Very poor.

Wimborne St. Giles Church

Wimborne St Giles

I had definitely intended visiting here. They make much of the fact that Ninian Comper restored the church after a disasterous fire in 1908. He is quoted as saying ‘the whole church has become a lantern and the altar is the flame within it.’ It is a very interesting church to visit and a surprising find in a small Dorset village. It is also beautifully kept. The sign outside is simple with the usual details. Inside there is a guide booka book of poems, a nice line drawing in the interior and a leaflet on Lord Shaftesbury’s memorial in Piccadilly Circus. There are some boards with a history on them to wander around with. But, there is one other thing that really sets this church apart. The children of the local school have produced some simple and colourful ‘bats’ which highlight various features of interest, such as a robin on a memorial. These are very well done and the first I have come across – very good and an idea worth copying.

Children’s mini guides

Pilgrim’s will find a votive stand in front of a Madonna and a prayer book to enter prayers into. There are a lot of memorials here which also add interest.

This is quite a church and well worth visiting. I rate it as very good. 37 visitors in the book in the last month.

Wimborne St. Giles

St. Mary & St. Bartholomew, Cranborne

Cranborne

Another church I had intended visiting. John Betjeman rates this one highly. It is in a lovely setting just off the village centre with a well cared for churchyard and a friendly black cat!

This church was once part of the Abbey of Cranborne.

The sign outside is simple with the usual details but there is a nice welcome notice on the main door.

There is a guide book some postcards and a few New Testaments. 29 visitors in the book over the last month. Quite a bit of thought has gone into making the church available for prayer. There is a side altar for prayer, along with various resources, including the Diocese of Oxford, ‘Prayer, a simple guide’, which is the first time I have seen this used outside of that Diocese. Local children had written some very good prayers which are in a folder. There is also a prayer book to enter requests into. All very well done. Elsewhere a Bible is left open. Also there is an explanation of the modern East window.

Prayers at St. Mary & St. Bartholomew, Cranborne

I rate this church as good for the visitor.

St. James, Alderholt

St. James, Alderholt

I hadn’t heard of this church but there was a simple sign outside which said ‘Open for prayer’. Quickly stopping and turning around I decided to investigate. I’m glad I did. This is a delightful little church. There is an open gate and an open door. Inside I found postcards for sale, a guide ‘Information for Visitors’ and a leaflet on ‘Children and Church’ . There are also copies of some sermons. For children there are a couple of boxes of toys and books around.

18 visitors had signed the book in the last month. This church also features a ‘living churchyard project’ and there is information about this on display.

Alderholt

This is am impressive little church. Spotless and welcoming. The guide says, ‘Its design is simple and unpretentious. Many visitors comment on its peaceful and holy atmosphere. It is, indeed, a prayed-in place.’ I would very much agree with that. There is a nice little prayer area where candles can be lit. The church website is on http://www.stjamesalderholt.org.uk

This is a good example of what can be done for visitors in a little country church. I rate it as very good, and was pleased to come across it.

St. Mary’s, Fordingbridge

St. Mary’s, Fordingbridge

This church is open every day. The sign outside doesn’t say as much but there is a good welcome one in the porch. It is an interesting church to visit. Inside the pews have been replaced by good quality chairs and the whole church has a light and airy feel to it. There didn’t appear to be a guide book but there were some cards and postcards on sale. I counted 17 visitors in the book in the last month.

For children there are some boxes of toys etc. around.

One nice little touch was a display of the weeks saints, Just a brief biography of each, and a longer one on St. Mary. There was an open prayer book in the Lady Chapel and some prayer slips and a tray in which to light candles (a kind of fire pit). The last Sunday’s intercessions are displayed as well which reveals that visitors prayers are prayed by the congregation.

St. Mary’s, Fordingbridge

There is also some information displayed about the tower and bells.

All in all I rate St. Mary’s as good. A guide of some sort would be a good idea.

St. Mary’s, Andover

St. Mary’s, Andover

This is a most impressive building which stands above the small town of Andover. The signs outside give details of the regular services and also of an Alpha course. But it isn’t open which is a shame as it is the sort of building that people would go into. The churchyard was busy with people.

A look at the website when I got home (http://www.stmarys-andover.org.uk/) shows a link saying ‘Visitors welcome’ but this just refers to Sunday worship.

I feel that this really is a wasted opportunity to show the love of God to the people of Andover. I have to rate it as very poor.

All Hallows, Whitchurch

All Hallows, Whitchurch

This is much better! The church is open every day. There is a simple sign outside which doesn’t give visitor information. 18 visitors had signed the book in the last month. There is a guide to purchase. This is a good one which gives more details than many do as well as pointing out that the church is the people who worship God through Jesus Christ. There is a display of parish life and a short history on a pillar.

One item that caught my eye is a book below the war memorial for the Second World War. This has pictures of those commemorated on the memorial. This really helps to bring home the reality of war. These were real people like you and I and not just names. Very moving.

A prayer book features here too.

There is an uncompleted jigsaw on a table with an explanation that this represents the broken world and that, by placing pieces in it, this can be a symbol of the healing that he brings to the world. A nice, thought provoking idea.

Whitchurch

I rate All Hallows as good.

St. Mary’s, Old Basing

St. Mary’s, Old Basing

The final visit today. This church is open every day and the signs outside make this very clear.

The church was busy today as there was a pram service on in the adjacent Church Centre.

There appeared to be no guide but there are postcards to buy. For children there is a laminated card about some kneelers featuring animals, along with an accompanying book mark. A good idea for younger children.

There is a votive stand as well as a prayer board. Also some holding crosses to use for prayer.

Bolton Chapel at St. Mary’s, Old Basing

The Bolton Chapel is used for smaller services and has a good prayerful atmosphere. There is a rosary on the wall which has come from France. The various tombs in this large church are labelled up. There is also a small display about baptism near the font and photos of those being married here this year.

The church website is a http://www.stmarysoldbasing.org.uk/ This makes it very clear that the church is open for prayer and for visitors.

I rate St. Mary’s as good.