This year marks the 900th anniversary of St Nicholas Church, Newnham, and the church community held a service of thanksgiving to celebrate the history and legacy of their church! 2025 is also a significant milestone for St Thomas Church, Lymington, celebrating 775 years this year. The Friends of St Thomas have commissioned a sculpture to commemorate the anniversary, the Lymington Christus, by renowned sculptor Peter Eugene Ball.
St Nicholas Newnham
The Bishop of Winchester has helped St Nicholas in Newnham mark its 900th anniversary, with a service of thanksgiving to celebrate the life and ministry of the church.
Revd Debbie Veel explained, “We’re really excited to be celebrating our 900th anniversary today. There are probably Saxon origins here, we think we’ve got a Saxon crypt, but we’ve got a definite Norman arch that has been dated between 1124 and 1125. St Nicholas’ Day is obviously the 6th December, but we decided that isn’t a great time for a celebration, so we’ve moved it to the summer months.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming everybody, having a great afternoon in the sun, worshipping, being a community together and thanking the Lord for 900 years and asking him for 900 more.”
St Nicholas is one of 12 North Hampshire Downs churches. Members of clergy from across the benefice joined the service along with former ministers from St Nicholas. The local community and residents of nearby Rowan Lodge care home came along, and the service was also attended by the Mayor of Basingstoke.
Revd Chris Dudgeon, Rector of the North Hampshire Downs Benefice, said, “It’s so exciting to have the community gathering as they have over so many centuries. I think the enthusiasm that everyone has for this service today really shows both how alive the church is here, but also a wonderful strong sense of community. Huge thanks to Debbie Veel, who’s our curate here, for all her immaculate arrangements. She’s done a great job with the church wardens and it’s lovely to be here with the bishop.”
The service included hymns, prayers, readings and anthems by the choir. Bishop Philip’s sermon focused on the prodigal son, a story of renewal and fresh starts, building on the past in confidence with the father’s blessing.
The celebration brought together the village of Newnham and neighbouring communities, with many people helping to arrange and taking part in the celebration.
Young children handed out special gifts of Newnham 900 candles.
Church warden Richard Fouracre said “I’m 81 years old and was christened here on 24th July 1944. It’s marvellous to have this celebration and for the Bishop of Winchester to join us. It’s going to be very special. This church means a lot to the community.”
Al Richmond, Chair of the Newnham 900 Committee, added, “1125, when the church was consecrated, effectively denotes the birth of the whole village and the whole community so I think it’s something that we should celebrate. If you look in the national diary of events, there aren’t many that would otherwise bring the village together, so it’s a good opportunity to really connect the community.
“The church is hugely important to the community. There are so many people who live here, who were christened here, or maybe their parents, grandparents are buried here. It’s at the very heart of our village. It’s key in these days, when I think maybe there’s a slightly lower sense of community, to have events that bring everybody together in a common act of worship.”
Later everyone gathered at nearby Manor Farm Barn where a team of church members served homemade sandwiches and cake.
The service is part of several events to mark the 900th celebrations. There have been talks, the publication of a history book, and in September the community will gather for a fete on the village green, including re-enactments and living history displays.
Revd Debbie added, “I think it’s important to mark 900 years because I think it shows people that faith has been important throughout history. We’ve had some talks on the Tudors and the Normans, and they all show just how important faith was to people in those days. It’s important that we keep it going and that we have this for generations to come, because in a world that’s very unstable, faith is something stable that people can hold on to.”
Bishop Philip commented, “It’s been an absolute joy to be here today at St Nicholas, Newnham to celebrate 900 years of this church. We’ve had a wonderful service with people from across the local community, the village of Newnham and beyond as well. I’ve just met a lady who was baptised here but lives in Romford now, and so many other people have gathered together.
“What is lovely is that the church has a strap line for its anniversary which is ‘celebrating the past, building the future’. One of the things I said in my sermon was that this church was built to proclaim the good news of Jesus, and we want to go into the next 900 years with the same intent, acting in faith and love, living and proclaiming the good news of Jesus. There’s no greater way that we can bless this local community in the wider world than by doing just that.”
St Thomas Church Lymington
This year, St. Thomas Church celebrates 775 years at the heart of Lymington. Built around 1250, with the Courteney Chapel added in 1325, the church has endured French raids in the 14th and 15th centuries and fortification by Parliamentarian soldiers during the Civil War. In 1670, the current tower was constructed, serving as both a watchtower over the Solent and home to a peal of originally six (and since 1901) eight bells. The tower is crowned by its distinctive Georgian cupola, housing the town bell cast in 1688. Throughout its history, the people of Lymington have found the resources to rebuild and enhance this cherished parish church and landmark.
To commemorate the 775th anniversary of St Thomas Church, the Friends of St Thomas commissioned a sculpture, the Lymington Christus, by renowned sculptor Peter Eugene Ball. It will be installed in the Courteney Chapel, and dedicated by Bishop Rhiannon on 6 July at 10am.
Revd Lee Thompson, Vicar of Lymington Benefice, said, “We are delighted and grateful to the Friends of St. Thomas for commissioning this sculpture by Peter Eugene Ball. His work, found in cathedrals and cherished churches nationwide, lends itself to quiet contemplation. Visitors to our church often seek a moment of prayer or calm amidst the busyness and concerns of the world. I am confident that many will find peace and comfort in the presence of the Lymington Christus.”
