Churches of Britain and Ireland
|
Can you identify the following churches? A photograph of a church, perhaps taken in Victoria's reign, possibly either in Flintshire (maybe near Mold or Buckley), or Cumberland (perhaps in the Maryport/Dovenby/Little Broughton area). © David Knowles. An un-posted postcard, this one provides no clues at all. This Victorian silver box belonging to Peter Cameron has a church on the lid. Note the tower design. Can you name it? A Victorian watercolour. Can you help Geoff Upton with the church's identification? Two from Ray Harrington-Vail. The first, now solved, is of a church porch, in a photo dated 1968. Although the caption on the photo indicates it as being Lavenham, Ray thinks it isn't. He's right. Janet Gimber has identified it as being St. Peter and St. Paul, at Clare. Link. The second, of a church interior, could perhaps be in Kent or Surrey. Standing behind the Baptist Church in Crayford, Kent, is this building. Can you identify it? 177 TQ 511 748. © Dave Westrap. Janet Gimber has established that it is currently the church hall, but has it a previous use as a church? This one's going to be very difficult, but worth the effort! Simon Aldworth has asked for help in identifying the church in some wedding photos. Although they are in a wedding album, in the family's possession, he doesn't know the people involved, who are named as "Russie and Jack", and who seem to have been married April 29th, 1933. The firm of photographers is still in existence, but they have had no luck in finding out any details either. The church is not shown clearly, but the windows may be identifiable to someone who knows the church well. Photo 1. Photo2. The next two show groups walking up the churchyard path, and standing against what appears to be the churchyard railings. The buildings opposite suggest a large town, which might tie in with the photographer who was London-based. Photo 3. Photo 4. Paul Way is seeking help with the location of a church in a painting. It was handed down by a relative who lived in the Hove area, but of course it may not be from that area. The artist is unknown, but it probably dates from around 1850. Close-up. Roger Hopkins found a box of Victorian negatives, and the only clue to the whereabouts of the photos was one negative labelled "Moortown Church". Despite his searches through the numerous Moortown's in Britain and Ireland, he's been unable to identify the church. Can you help? Another one from the box is this church entrance. And lastly, an interior view. Either may or may not be of the same church. Church interior. This photo is taken from the better of a pair of stereo photos dating from about 1860-1880. From Alan Finn's Collection. Ian Lewis has sent in the unveiling of a war memorial. It may possibly be in Cumbria, but can you identify it? Another of Ian Lewis's war memorial ceremonies - but where is it?
These churches are all from Reg Dosell's Collection.
Church 4 may have a Surrey postmark.
These postcards offer no clues at all - 9, 10.
Some unknowns from Steve Bulman's postcard collection - 2 may be St. Andrew (from a partly-visible caption on the back), 3 has no clues, and 4 will be difficult. Probably of a well-known or popular church (an assumption - I have 2 copies of this particular postcard), it was printed at York. 5 and 6 also provide no clues. Janet Gimber has suggested that no. 5 has the appearance of Eastern European churches. It would be a real achievement if that could be confirmed, with a location!! 7 was posted to an address on Anglesey, stamped (though not franked) in the reign of Edward VII (1901-1910). Another war memorial from Ian Lewis. The gothic lettering at the lower right corner may provide a clue to someone!. Ian has also sent in this old photo in the hope of an identification. Solved Aldeburgh Moot Hall, Suffolk. Identified by Paul Norman - thank you Paul. Julie Reading thought it might be a church on account of the apparent cross at the far end of the roof. Alston. Ian Thirlwell had an old family photo he wanted identified. The sign next to the path says "Ladies Only", and the shop window awning has "J. Dawson", plus some other indeterminate text on it. May possibly be in Cumbria, as another photo from the same collection showed Alston church. Several correspondents came up with the same answer - it's Alston Town Hall. Altrincham, St. Margaret's Church. This has now been identified by Martha Appleberry as St. Margaret in Altrincham, Greater Manchester (Cheshire as was). From an old postcard, Bulman Collection. Link1. Link2. Arksey - see Sprotbrough below. Ashburton, Devon, St. Andrew. Identified by the indefatigable Janet Gimber from an old postcard with no identification clues. Ashton Hayes (prior to 2004, it was plain Ashton), St. John the Evangelist. This old postcard from Reg Dosell's Collectin was identified by Bill Davison. Compare with the photo on this link - when did it lose the small pinnacles on the tower? Astley Church - postmarked Manchester. From an old postcard, Bulman Collection. Thanks to Alan Nixon for his probable identification of this as St. Stephen, Astley, Greater Manchester. It was burnt down 18th June 1961, and replaced by another nearby. Bagshot, Surrey, St. Anne, An old postcard from Reg Dosell's Collection, "Reigate" had been hand-written on the back. Thanks to Janet Gimber for discovering the real location. Link. Baldock, St. Mary. Ian Lewis sent in a scan of an old postcard, which he thought might possibly be in Hertfordshire. I thought this one might take quite a while to identify, but both Garry Barr and Janet Gimber have advised that it is St. Mary in Baldock, which is indeed in Herts. Link (see the Picture Gallery). Barnham Church. No postmark. A close-up of the church. From an old postcard, Bulman Collection. Thanks to Noel Walley for identifying this as St. Mary the Virgin at Barnham in West Sussex. Barton, St. Lawrence. An old postcard without any clues, from Reg Dosell's Collection, and identified by Janet Gimber. Belvoir: An old postcard with the unhelpful title "Distant View Of Church". A close-up. The card has "Belvoir" hand-written in pencil on the back, but no other inscriptions or postmarks. Aidan Thomson has identified this as All Saints, Knipton. This photo confirms the identification. Bolton, Christ's Church at Harwood. An old postcard, from Reg Dosell's Collection - clearly labelled "Harwood". I was unable to determine which of the numerous Harwood's it is. Thanks to Janet Gimber for the identification. Bonchurch, Isle of Wight. A small church, not seen in its entirety. Probably from around 1932. From the Colin Waters Collection. Thanks to Bill Davison who has identified it. Bray, Co. Wicklow. This one is clearly labelled Church of the Holy Redeemer, Bray. I thought this was probably the Bray in County Wicklow, since it has a church of the same name, though different appearance. This link says the church was given a new facade sometime in the 20th century. And Janet Gimber has confirmed that this is the correct identification. Brecon Cathedral. This sketch of a church has recently come into Bob Sendall's possession. Aidan Thompson has advised that it is Brecon Cathedral, although the artist has taken some liberties in his interpretation. Link. Broadstairs, "St. Peter's Church, from the Broadstairs Road" was obviously in Kent. Indeed, Colin Waters, whose collection this old (1865) engraving is in, added further that it was in the Isle of Thanet, but where exactly? Thanks to Thomas Curtis who identified it as St. Peter-in-Thanet, at Broadstairs. Canwick, Lincs., All Saints. This old postcard is from Reg Dosell's Collection, and from some slight clues, was thought to possibly be in Yorkshire. However, Janet Gimber has shown that it is of Canwick Church. This link shows some minor changes over the years. Coalville, Leics. Allegedly of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, this old postcard from Reg Dosell's Collection is in fact of Mount St. Bernard Abbey at Coalville. Thanks to Bill Davison for the identification. Link. Cockington, Devon, St. George and St. Mary. Rescued from destruction by Ian Lewis, these three photos had no clues at all to their location. Janet Gimber has identified 1 and 3 as St. Wyllow, Lanteglos-by-Fowey, Cornwall, and 2 as Cockington. Colliers Wood, Greater London, Christ Church: An unknown of long-standing, from an old postcard, Steve Bulman's Collection. A church with an unusual spire - and the sender has written this - "I daresay you recognize the old church, although they have omitted to print the name....". Although originally identified as St. Augustine in Dudley, it certainly wasn't that, since a photo has now been sent in, and it can be seen on the Dudley page. Thanks are due to Garry Barr for providing the final identification, and this confirmatory Link. Colne, Lancs., St. Bartholomew. An old postcard from Steve Bulman's Collection (franked 1904) was identified by Janet Gimber. Corseyard Farm and Dairy, near Gatehouse of Fleet, Dumfries & Galloway. John Bowdler had sent in some photos (1, 2) of a possible church, probably in the Dumfries & Galloway area. Even if it isn't a church, it's certainly an interesting building! Both Janet Gimber and Bill Davison have advised that it's a model dairy farm, dating from 1911-1914, and known locally as the "coo palace". Bill gives a reference in John R. Hume's book "Dumfries and Galloway - an Illustrated Architectural Guide". See also "Highlight 4" on this link. Crosby Garrett, Cumbria. Peter Amsden's Unknown church, probably in south Cumbria or North Yorkshire has been identified by Peter Marshall as Crosby Garret in Cumbria, St. Andrew. Donegal Town. This distinctive Irish Church shouldn't be too hard to place. The postcard title is "St. Patrick's Church, Donegal", but is this Donegal town? The postcard is unused. Thanks to Janet Gimber for confirming that it is indeed in Donegal town. From an old postcard, Bulman Collection. East Keal, Lincs., St. Helen. Identified by Janet Gimber. From Reg Dosell's old postcard collection. Everton, Beds., St. Mary. This postcard (From Reg Dosell's Collection) is helpfully labelled "Everton Church" - but which Everton (my road atlas lists Everton's in Hampshire, Merseyside and Nottinghamshire), and which church? Garry Barr has kindly emailed to identify this church, which looks rather different to what it is on the postcard. Compare with this link. He has also advised of this link which explains that the church tower was largely destroyed by lightning in 1974. It was decided to shorten the tower when re-building. Eydon, Northants., St. Nicholas - identified by Janet Gimber. From an old postcard, Bulman Collection. Farmington, Gloucs. Artist Jack Schuller from New Mexico had used this church in several paintings, but couldn't remember where it was. It was taken in the late 1970's. A friend of his managed to identify it as Farmington. Finningham, St. Bartholomew. Elizabeth bought this picture of a church, believing it to be in West Suffolk, but it proved not to be the church it was advertised as. Thanks are due to Janet Gimber for her marathon efforts - this one wasn't easy, as some of the porch details have changed since the postcard photo was taken. Link. Fotheringhay, Northants, St. Mary. Originally thought to be perhaps in the Maghull area (Lancs.), this drawing of a church once belonged to an ancestor of Ken Edwards. Aidan Thomson said that the building, and the situation on the ground with the river, bore a great similarity to Fotheringhay in Northamptonshire. Further work by Janet Gimber means that this identification is now a certainty. The drawing is thought to be about 180 years old. Gretton, Gloucs., Christ Church. Robin Harrison in Canada was trying to identify this church. The text "J. Burton, Birmingham" is printed at the bottom. A rather handsome church - and thanks to Mark Turbott for identifying it. Harlaxton, Lincs. Richard Higgins had taken a photo of St. Mary & St. Peter, but omitted to make a note of it's location. Janet Gimber has identified it as Harlaxton. Hawes, NYorks. Robin O'Neill was looking for help in identifying the location of the graveyard in this old photo. He knows a relative is buried there, but doesn't know the exact location. It might be somewhere near Kirkby Stephen or Brough in Cumbria, but might be in the larger area of Lancashire, Cumbria or Durham. This graveyard has been identified as the Methodist Cemetery at Hawes. Hawkshead, Cumbria. D. Smith had a photo of a church he wanted identified. Thanks to Ian Lewis for naming it as Hawkshead Church, Cumbria. Heckington, Lincs. Another example of an incorrectly labelled postcard, Reg Dosell's old postcard clearly says Quarrington Church near Seaford. I could only find two Quarrington's, one in Durham (Quarrington Hill) and one in Lincolnshire, which is near Sleaford, not Seaford. Assuming it is this Quarrington, which church is it? According to the OS map, it only has one church, but there is already an entry for Quarrington, Lincs. on the website, and the two churches are clearly different. Janet Gimber's detective work has paid off again - she has identified it as Heckington, St. Andrew. Horsington, Lincs., All Saints. An old postcard from Reg Dosell's Collection. Although originally thought to be one of several Holbeach's, Janet Gimber has shown that it is in fact of Horsington. Note the changes to the building's appearance (compare with this link), particularly the windows in the tower. Hubberholme, NYorks. David Read is keen find a name for this church, photographed in 1971. Probably in the Yorkshire Dales, or the neighbouring areas of Cumbria, David thinks that it might possibly have an altar brought from an Oxford College. Additional photos are available on the North Yorkshire page. Huntington (now part of York), All Saints. From an old postcard in Reg Dosell's Collection, identified by Garry Barr. Hursley, Hants., All Saints. This postcard (from Reg Dosell's Collection) is clearly marked as Horsley Church, but I was unable to connect it to any of the several Horsley's around the country. Both Bill Davison and Janet Gimber have shown that it is of All Saints, Hursley. This link shows the church as re-built by John Keble, but the spire was removed and other changes made in 1959. A modern photo shows it looking more like the church it was before the Keble work was carried out. Kettering, Northants. A church with a handsome spire, but no identification clues. The indefatigable Janet Gimber has identified this church as St. Peter & St. Paul, Kettering. From Steve Bulman's Collection. Jeff Holmes had been looking for help in identifying a church from un-labelled photos of 25 years or so ago. He's managed to solve this one himself - it's St. Andrew at Kimbolton, in Cambridgeshire. Link. Lanteglos-by-Fowey, Cornwall, St. Wyllow. Rescued from destruction by Ian Lewis, these three photos had no clues at all to their location. Janet Gimber has identified 1 and 3 as St. Wyllow, and 2 as Cockington, Devon. Leigh, Wesleyan Church. This old postcard is unused, so there is no indication of which of the several Leighs this might be. From an old postcard, Bulman Collection. Thanks to Alan Nixon again for identifying this as the now demolished King Street Methodist Church in Leigh, Greater Manchester. The site was re-used for the Kingsleigh Methodist Church. Little Stanmore. This old postcard is of Whitchurch, but which one? Janet Gimber has located this church at Little Stanmore, Greater London - the church is St. Lawrence Whitchurch. Llandaff Cathedral, severely damaged following a fire caused by bombing. This photo shows Canadian Gary Martin's grandfather, who was stationed in England for five years during WWII, and later spent a little time on the continent after D-Day. Thanks to Tim Hollinghurst for identifying it. Llansteffan, Carmarthenshire, St. Stephen. Previously in the "Unknown section, this old postcard from Reg Dosell's Collection was identified by Janet Gimber and Garry Barr. Lower Darwen, Lancs. An old postcard of Blackamoor Church. Janet Gimber has located a Blackamoor being part of Blackburn. Such limited information we've been able to find suggests that this is St. James, Lower Darwen, which was demolished in 1969. Definitive confirmation would be welcome!! Lutton, St. Peter. Thanks to Nigel Brooks for identifying this as the Northamptonshire Lutton.
Maesteg, St. David.
Thanks to Janet Gimber for positively
identifying this church as being in Maesteg, on Talbot St. However, she was less
than 100% certain of the dedication, and it was tentatively identified as St.
David. Meerbrook, Staffs., St. Matthew. From an old postcard in Reg Dosell's Collection, this was identified by Bill Davison, despite the misleading "Sturton" written on the back. Orcheston, Wilts, St. Mary. Janet Gimber identified this church from Reg Dosell's postcard collection. Link. Oughtershaw, NYorks. Thought to possibly be a church (undoubtedly looking like one), Bill McKenzie took this photo in "Upper Wharfedale" in NYorks. Bill Davison has advised that it's not a church, but a school, reputedly designed by John Ruskin. SD 870 815 Pembroke, St. Michael and All Angels. From Reg Dosell's Collection, this postcard is by a Pembroke photographer, and was identified by Janet Gimber, She advises that it was largely re-built in 1835 and again in 1887. It seems likely that the postcard photograph was taken before 1887. Link1. Link2.
Pennington
Church - but which one of the several candidates? From an old postcard, Bulman
Collection. Pirton, Herts. An old postcard showing Great Offley church (Reg Dosell's collection) has been shown by Janet Gimber to be of Pirton, St. Mary the Virgin. Reydon, Suffolk. This old postcard from Geoff Watt's Collection is allegedly of Raydon Church. However, I've been to Raydon Church in Suffolk (photo on the website), and it looks nothing like the postcard, nor could I find another Raydon. Doubting my own sanity for a moment, I did manage to find photos on the wider web, which confirm that I had indeed been to Raydon (relief!!), so this appears to be another example of a wrongly named postcard. But where is it?? Janet Gimber has identified it as a small typo - in fact it's Reydon Church, also in Suffolk. Thank you Janet! Ringstead(?) Church. The text on the postcard isn't clear, but Ringstead is probably right. As above, of the several candidates, which one is it? The postmark offers no help as it is unreadable. Many thanks to James Fielding for confirming that this is the Ringstead in Norfolk. The church is therefore St. Andrew. From an old postcard, Bulman Collection. Link. St. Germans, Cornwall. Where is St. German's church? The only clue is that the postcard was posted, possibly from Horsham, to an address in Petersfield. This distinctive church shouldn't be too difficult to place. Janet Gimber has pointed out that it's St. Germanus' church in St. Germans in Cornwall. From an old postcard (franked 1907), Bulman Collection. Shellingford, Oxon., St. Faith. Labelled as Stamford in the Vale, both Janet Gimber and Garry Barr has identified this old postcard from Reg Dosell's Collection. Link. Shildon, St. John, County Durham. This old postcard (posted in 1908), is from Andrew McGarrigle's Collection. The building to the right of the church has a sign reading "York City and County Banking Ltd." There were no other clues, but Tony Preston advised that the YCCB ultimately became the property of the HSBC bank, and he put me in touch with Sara Kinsey, archivist at the HSBC. She identified it as Shildon, which allowed me to find the appended link, which named the church as St. John. My thanks to Tony and Sara for their help! Link. Shirley
Church. From the postmark (Birmingham), this is probably the Shirley neat
Solihull, but can you identify it? Sprotborough. Although this old postcard (from Kevin Gordon's Collection) is clearly marked "Arksey Church", it bears no similarity to Arksey church in South Yorkshire, and neither he nor I could find another Arksey. That indefatigueable detective Janet Gimber has identified the church as Sprotbrough in South Yorkshire, so this is a faulty postcard. Sutton, Surrey, St. Nicholas. Labelled only as Sutton Parish Church, I (wrongly) thought this postcard (from Reg Dosell's Collection) would be fairly easy to identify. Initially "solved" as Boldmere Church (which admittedly looks very similar), thanks are due to Pete Knight for finally unravelling this mystery. Tanya Rundle wanted help in identifying this church, which she thought was probably in the Salcombe (Devon) area. She was right, as Janet Gimber has identified it as Thurlestone, Devon, All Saints. Tur Langton, St. Andrew. An old postcard from Reg Dosell's Collection had no clues to its identity. Thanks to Janet Gimber for naming it!! Mike Dodd has an old family photograph of a church which he thinks may be in Cheshire, possibly near Winsford. Can you identify it? Aidan Thomson thinks that this is probably St. Chad at Over, near Winsford. This photo is indeed very similar, and I think this identification is almost certainly correct. Nigel Brooks has confirmed that it is indeed St. Chad, and provided this link. This unused postcard is titled "Forest Church, Horsham" and hand-written on the back is "Sussex". There is a Horsham in the current county of West Sussex, but also ones in Worcestershire and in Norfolk. Can you identify this church, and give it a Saint? Janet Gimber has confirmed that this is indeed the one in West Sussex, but hadn't been able to find a dedication. Thanks to Janet, and to Dan Gregory for identifying it as St. John at Doomsday Green. Brian Curtis (thanks Brian) has identified the building on this old postcard, which had to be rather heavily processed to obtain a reasonable image. It's not a church, but the tower of Magdalen College in Oxford, from St. John's quad. This grade II listed building was (understandably) suspected of being a church. It stands in Bexley (Greater London) and is close to the A2 at 177 TQ 472 742. © Dave Westrap. I'm grateful to Charles Amis and Janet Gimber for advising that despite it being known locally as Chapel House, it has never been a church. The spire was added to a cottage to make the view from the then new Danson House more interesting - this was in the 1770's. The view was obstructed in the 1960's when the A2 was made a dual carriageway. There's even a large stone in the garden which can be mistaken for a tombstone, but is in fact a cover for a well. Thanks to Michael Royalton-Kisch has identifying this church as St. Margaret at Leigh Delamere in Wiltshire. Original entry read as follows - "This old church postcard had nothing to indicate the name of the church, but someone has written on the back "This is our church St. Margaret". Unfortunately it was never posted. Can you place St. Margaret?" Mytton Church. Janet Gimber has identified this church as All Hallows, Mitton, Lancashire. Thank you Janet! From an old postcard, Bulman Collection. Link. Stoke Church. There are dozens of places either called Stoke, or Stoke something. Which is this one? Janet Gimber has placed this church at Stoke in Devon, St. Nectan. From an old postcard, Bulman Collection. Link1. Link2. The postcard of Stebbings Church had been on the website for rather a long time, listed under Stebbing, Essex. The Rev. Tim Goodbody, of Stebbing, has been in touch to say that this isn't his church. I listed it under Stebbing rather than Stebbings because I couldn't find any trace of a Stebbings place-name in the UK, and under Essex, because I could find only one Stebbing. We have Sue Hedger to thank for solving this mystery - it is in fact Stubbings, in Berkshire (St. James the Less). Sue says she isn't aware of a name change, so the error has to be lain at the door of the postcard manufacturer for getting it wrong! From an old postcard, Bulman Collection. Link1. Link2 (See photos under "Remembrance Sunday"). St. Margaret, with a squat tower. The postcard was written from Cragg End in 1907, and perhaps posted from Oakworth (the frank is unclear). There is an Oakworth in West Yorkshire. In fact this church is St. Margaret of Antioch at St. Margaret's at Cliffe, in Kent. Thanks to Michael Bourne for identifying it. From an old postcard, Bulman Collection. Link. Another postcard view - a church with a distinctive spire, and possibly of flint - maybe East Anglia? Rick Williams has suggested Worth in East Sussex, and he has supplied a photo, from a different angle to the mystery church. At first glance, the spires certainly look similar. However, as pointed out by Janet Gimber, the spire is in line with the central axis of the church, and the mystery church has the spire off to one side. Another problem is with the small features just above the base of the spire in the mystery church, absent from Worth, and another possible problem is the windows just below the base of the spire, which (assuming the usual pattern), are absent from the mystery church. Any other suggestions? Thanks to John Vigar for putting this one to bed. It's St. Mary the Virgin at Fordwich in Kent. There's already another old postcard available on the Kent page, and despite the different viewpoints, it clearly is the same church. This postcard is of St. Mary's church, Wilby, but which Wilby? The design of the church looks fairly distinctive. ACNY lists 3 Wilby's - Norfolk, Suffolk, and another which must be Northamptonshire. Norfolk can be discounted, but the other two are both listed as St. Mary. From a postcard in Reg Dosell's collection. My appreciation to Janet Gimber for positively identifying this as the Northants Wilby. Winterbourne, Gloucs. Susan Sinclair believed it was in the Frampton Cotterell area. Janet Gimber has identified it as the Ebenezer Chapel at Winterbourne, on York Gardens and Court Road (just a mile or two from Frampton Cotterell). Janet advises that it is in a parlous condition. © Susan Sinclair. A postcard view of a church and graveyard, now identified as St. Mary, Newchurch-in-Pendle, Lancashire, thanks to Bryan McCahey. Link1. Link2. Westham, East Sussex, St. Mary. Nick Benning had asked for help in identifying a village scene from the family album. The church is only partially seen, but it is fairly distinctive - note the massive diagonal buttresses on the squat tower. Thanks again to Janet Gimber for her identification. Wych Cross, East Sussex. At first glance this church looks a bit like Whippingham on the Isle of Wight, but it isn't. Diana Bond had asked for help in identifying it. Paul Smith has advised that Wych Cross Church, which was dedicated to St. Richard de Wych, although never consecrated, was built in 1866 and demolished in 1975.
|
||
28 June 2009
© Steve Bulman