Friday walk and Friends of Friendless Churches

Our Friday walk was in Essex this week and we enjoyed the warm spring sunshine as we exercised the dogs before starting our drive back to the south west. The Curate and I have had an excellent week visiting friends and family. The week started with a blanket of snow and ended with warm sunshine.... and there was very little rain all week. 

We have spent the week walking around the huge flat fields to the fishing lakes that were very near to our lovely cottage. The owners had told us about an abandoned church that could be reached by walking along the disused railway line. I am always intrigued by ruins and abandoned buildings and I have collected quite a portfolio of photographs  - often of houses in remote situations that I like to imagine myself living in!
This railway line was closed as part of the Beeching Axe in 1964. All over the country the remains of the rural railway lines can be seen. Some routes have been retained as footpaths or cycle ways and you can only imagine the scenic journeys that could have been enjoyed. The great advantage is that these derelict routes make excellent flat paths. It was along one of these branch lines that we walked up to St Peter's church which was set off the road, along a track. 

The dogs enjoyed the warm weather and we appreciated  the flat walk after all our climbs on Dartmoor. The Collie chased squirrels and rabbits, we enjoyed views of the surrounding countryside and the Lakeland was just grateful for an easier walk! There were few visible signs of spring - only the willow beginning to bud and the occasional snowdrop daring to show itself after the snowfall of last week. The landscape was dotted with huge oak trees that were tall and majestic and were hundreds of years old. The fields stretched into the distance and we saw flocks of Brent geese and the occasional Egyptian geese raiding the winter wheat crop.

After a short walk we saw the abandoned church across the field. The unkempt graveyard was carpeted with snowdrops but it did look in a sorry state. This church dates from the 12th Century but was declared redundant in 1970. In its remote situation this church had become a target for vandals and the window was smashed. I was interested to see the notice board  said that it was leased to the Friends of Friendless Churches. This is the first time I had heard of this group and  I was interested to see how they try to rescue neglected churches. I fear that there will be many more old church buildings that will fall into disuse as congregations shrink. The location of many of the historic churches, often outside the main residential areas, is not ideal for encouraging regular worship. They are historic buildings and a legacy that The Church of England has to deal with, so I am so glad that there are Friends of Friendless Churches.

 

We have had a lovely week in Essex. The Curate and I love the mud flats and the majestic barges. We appreciate the wide open skies and the never ending fields. We have enjoyed the company of old friends and family and we have enjoyed 'touching base' with where we both come from. 

 

 Are we ready to go back .......who knows?

A Small World

Winter Refit - James Dodds

Linocuts bring back memories of home made Christmas cards and  fingers cut, as I carved out the robins and holly on a lino tile in an effort to make a reasonable print on coloured sugar paper. Now The Curate and I are delighted to own this superb print by James Dodds, who comes from the area where The Curate and I grew up and met. All the paintings, prints and craft in our house reflect some point in our life together and  help to make our house a home.  

Two summers ago, The Curate and I wanted some art work that reminded us of the River Blackwater in Essex (in the south east England)- where we originally met. We searched the art galleries in Maldon and we could not agree on any one piece - until I spotted a few frames turned against the wall. They were waiting to be hung  and I asked if I could look at them. Immediately we recognised the location in 'Winter Refit' as being a very familiar old haunt on the River Blackwater.  There is was - the picture chose us!

On researching the artist, it appears that James Dodds served his time in the shipwright's trade in a yard where they refitted and rebuilt the huge wooden sailing barges that were familiar to the River Blackwater. Then I remembered my mother had given us a copy of 'The Shipwright's Trade' by Rudyard Kipling and illustrated with wood and linocuts by James Dodds. I looked at it again and discovered that the foreword is written by The Curate's old form teacher.

The Curate's Study

This large linocut hangs in The Curate's study now  - a long way from the location depicted in the print. Since becoming a curate, The Curate has met some delightful people who have migrated to this part of the world, from the East coast. The Curate used to visit a lady in our last parish, who grew up in the same area and it turned out that she went to the same school as The Curate. She left in 1947 - before The Curate was born. They spent afternoons together, talking about life in Essex. 

Last Sunday, I accompanied The Curate to two churches in our rural parishes. As I sat in the pew in the second church, a lady joined me and we started to talk. It turned out that she too, had grown up in the same village as The Curate and she had gone to the same school. This time, the lady had left in the mid 50s - a little before The Curate was born. 

One teacher was a common link for both these ladies and The Curate.  One particular teacher had begun his career when the lady from the North Coast went to Maldon Grammar and he retired while The Curate was still at school. These unexpected coincidences are a gift to us, as they have helped both The Curate and myself get to know new people in new places and those people get to know us.