Haughley is another village I know very well, I lived just a couple of miles from the village centre and spent many evenings hanging around there and going to youth club when I was 13 and 14. Oddly though, because I didn't go to primary school there, I'd never been in the church until Son and DiL moved there and I went with them to Christmas Fairs and other fund raising events held in the church..
This time I remembered the camera to take some photos, but because of the flower arrangements and teas and cakes being served and many people inside I didn't take as many photos as usual.
Haughley church dedication is to The Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary, usually just known as St Mary's as are so many in Suffolk and is one of a few in Suffolk with a the tower on the South side where it acts as a porch and entrance too.
Just a couple of the flower arrangements that were in the church at the same time as the open gardens event around the village
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Always a sad tale on the war memorials but a handsome piece of statuary. It seems to have always been well looked after that church.
ReplyDeleteA much used church for all sorts of events and still has a proper gown wearing choir.
DeleteI like it when churches display the tapestry kneeler like that. So much work goes into them, it seems a shame that most of the time they are hidden under pews. Our Parish Church has bats, so apart from Sundays, everything is swathed in polythene sheets
ReplyDeleteIt was strange when I visited churches during the Covid aftermath and kneelers were piled up and covered over to stop people catching covid through their knees!!
DeleteSo quintessentially English. I like to visit old churches when I visit Blighty. You don't see such grand buildings being built any more.
ReplyDeleteWondering why you always say Blighty? The only other time I've come across this is in books about war time when servicemen overseas used it. A curious word for 2024. Or am I being totally ignorant! - that's quite likely!
DeleteIt's an affectionate name for the old country: England. Much better than the UK.
DeleteThe kneelers are really striking. It's a lovely 'open' church.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good size and often used for all sorts of events - plenty of room with a kitchen at the back to serve up teas and cakes
DeleteThose puritans didn't have much faith in the Lord to preserve them when it came to going up ladders to destroy angels. They were all very brave about smashing a bit of glass but usually just left instructions for the church wardens to destroy anything on high. Often the church wardens seem to have been equally timid about going up ladders.
ReplyDeleteIt occurred to me recently that the reason the glass in the windows of King's College Chapel survived may be because if you started smashing windows at ground level you'd be rained upon by lumps of jagged glass falling from 70 or 80 feet above.
I'd not thought about that - must have been very dangerous as well as being so sad. William Dowsing - the man who went about instructing what was to be destroyed in C17 apparently missed out Haughley but did lots of damage in nearby Wetherden
DeleteWhat a beautifully presented church.
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
The light in this church is amazing. Light and bright is not a feature in most churches. The stained glass is lovely. The acoustics for the organ seem perfect. The church looks well cared and must have a very supportive membership.
ReplyDeleteI like how the kneelers are on display in the pews.
ReplyDeleteThat ceiling is amazing!!! I'm trying to imagine the work involved in putting the proper curve in all that wood. And the kneelers are wonderful! They tie the age of the church to the here and now. The windows provide such a brightness to the space. Sometimes the old churches are such dark places.
ReplyDeleteI love the kneelers and what a stunning variety. The flowers are lovely too. Catriona
ReplyDeleteThe flowers and kneelers have given the church a colourful and friendly vibe that seems to welcome you into it :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely church. The needlework kneelers (is that what they are called?) are really bright and colourful. Good that the war memorial got a nice cleaning.
ReplyDeleteThat's a lovely, light and airy church, with vibrant colours to lift it. But... I thought only Roman Catholic Churches were dedicated to the Assumption? Presumably it originally was "St Mary the Virgin" or similar?
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