This summer saw two parishes in Romsey celebrate their heritage in different ways. Bishop Philip visited St Leonard’s, Sherfield English, to join the church community in commemorating St Leonard’s 120 year anniversary! Meanwhile, in the benefice of Ampfield, Chilworth, and North Baddesley, the churches of St John the Baptist and St Mark’s took part in Heritage Open Days for the first time, with two exhibitions falling under the banner of ‘Windows Into the Past’.
St Leonard’s, Sherfield English, Celebrates 120 Years Since Consecration
The parish of Sherfield English has welcomed its Diocesan Bishop for the first time in 120 years. Bishop Philip visited the church of St Leonard’s on Sunday 15 September, to conduct a service celebrating 120 years since its consecration.
It was a real pleasure to welcome Bishop Philip, and we’re very grateful to him for giving up his time and becoming the first Bishop of Winchester to visit since Bishop Herbert Ryle consecrated the church in 1904.
James Pitkin, Rector of St Leonard’s
The bishop had taken the time to read newspaper reports of the 1904 service (including those from the Hampshire Chronicle), and quoted excerpts from his predecessor’s sermon during his own light-hearted but thought-provoking address on the Prodigal Son. The service included hymns and readings used in the 1904 service of consecration and finished with tea and cake for the congregation of over 80 parishioners and visitors. Among those attending were local MP Caroline Nokes; leader of Hampshire County Council, Nick Adams-King; former rector, Christopher Pettet; and descendants of George Olden, who gave the land on which the church was built and who served as churchwarden for 50 years.
The service on Sunday afternoon was the culmination of a weekend of activities that saw the church open its doors on Saturday for an exhibition of its history and an ‘access all areas’ tour. Local resident, Caroline Tanner, had put together a comprehensive guide to the church’s fabric (including items brought over from the previous 13th century church), as well as details of Lady Louisa Ashburton, who paid for the current structure to be built.
The bell ringers provided an especially popular attraction on the day, with a live video link to the bell tower, enabling people in the church to see the ring of eight bells in action. Those brave and fit enough to tackle the steep, corkscrew staircase were invited up into the tower and given the chance to try their hands at ringing. On Sunday morning, the regular team of ringers successfully tackled a quarter peal to mark the celebratory weekend.
Despite the weekend’s success, churchwarden, Julia Noble, said the celebrations aren’t over yet. “We set ourselves the challenge of an event every month for 2024, so there’s still lots to come. Alongside our regular coffee mornings, we have a Harvest event in October and our bellringers are planning to ring 1,904 changes to mark our inaugural year. November is our ‘Month of Memories’ with several events planned, and our history exhibition proved so popular that we have been asked to provide a private tour for one local history group. The support from the local community has been incredible at a time when people are claiming that rural churches are moribund.”
This story can also be found via The Hampshire Chronicle.
The Benefice of Ampfield, Chilworth, and North Baddesley Share Their Heritage
For the first time, the Benefice of Ampfield, Chilworth, and North Baddesley decided to take part in Heritage Open Days, which this year took place between 6 and 15 September.
Heritage Open Days is an annual festival at which people are offered free access to some amazing places across the country to learn about the location’s heritage. This year’s theme was “Routes – Networks – Connections”, celebrating how people and ideas have moved around and come together throughout history. With this in mind St John the Baptist, North Baddesley, and St Mark’s, Ampfield, created two exhibitions entitled ‘Windows Into the Past’, letting the church’s stained glass windows offer a rich insight into the church’s history and heritage.
The exhibitions told the stories of those who lived centuries ago by looking into and through the many facets of art connected with these windows. St John’s looked back to the 14th century and the Knights Hospitallers and travelled to the present century with the stunning Baptism window designed by Sophie Hacker. The windows at St Mark’s, on the other hand, told some sad stories of two vicars of the parish who lost so many of their children in tragic circumstances. One of the children who survived went on to be the author of the Thomas the Tank Engine stories – the Revd V. Awdry – and this was celebrated with a display of books and toys!
People left some lovely heart-warming comments in both churches. One comment from St John’s read: “Really Excellent exhibition – fascinating! Well done”. At St Mark’s church, someone wrote: “Not only beautiful windows but amazing history on our doorsteps. Thank you for bringing it to life for us with your research and writings”. Many of the comments were in praise for keeping the church open.
While it’s impossible to know just how many people visited the exhibitions, as they were often open without stewards, it was important to offer the opportunity of seeing the rich heritage that the two churches offer.
