| St Andrew's Church |
| Services in October |
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| 5th | 9.15 am | Holy Communion (at East Haddon) |
| 7th | 11.00 am | United Benefice Eucharist (at Norton) |
| 14th | 9.15 am | Eucharist (at Harlestone) |
| 14th | 4.00 pm | Harvest Festival for All followed by tea and cakes |
| 21st | 11.00 am | Eucharist (at Brampton) |
| 28th | 6.00 pm | Eucharist |
| Full details of all services and locations for October here |
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| Services in November |
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| To be advised |
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It has been a busy period for us. Following completion of some minor repairs to the roof we then had a long period when it did not rain so we were unable to test the work! At the same time we completed some work in the churchyard and some of you may have noted that the dead tree is no longer there. Roy has kept on top of the grass and Helen has been busy watering and weeding the corner flower bed.
A big thank you to the Barn Dance Organising Committee who donated £845 from their event.
We held a Christening Service for the Davies Family, hosted a renewal of wedding vows for a couple who were unable to use Norton Church (of which more later) and then the wedding of Shane Walker and Jessica Hawkins.
We will be hosting the Benefice Service at 11.00 am on 7 October. Our next service after that will be a Harvest Celebration on 14 October. We will move the time of this service to 4.00 pm and serve tea and cakes in the church afterwards. On 11 November the country will be marking the 100th Anniversary of the end of the First World War and we plan to hold an event to commemorate this. More details will be published nearer the time.
Our Christmas plans are not yet finalised but we intend to repeat the successful Christmas Tree Festival and will be holding our Carol Service on 16 December.
Our normal pattern of services is a Worship for All on the second Sunday of the month at 11.00 am and a Eucharist at 6.00 pm on the fourth. Sadly, attendance at the Worship for All Service is quite low and the PCC has debated whether this should be continued. We will keep it in the calendar for now but it remains under review so we hope that villagers will support this service as frankly it will be dropped if attendances do not improve.
Now with reference to my earlier remarks about Norton Church. Unfortunately, they suffered from the theft of metal from the roof which has caused damage. The building is no longer watertight, currently is not fit to hold services and its future as an active church is now in doubt. The thieves were able to work undisturbed for two nights before the theft was reported, despite the fact that the church is in the centre of the village! We must remain alert to the continued threat posed by metal thieves to our own church building and ask that you remain vigilant and report anything suspicious to the police.
Linda and l are always open to suggestions about future services, events and how we can help the community.
Jon Brierley on 843380 or email
Linda Treacy on 07752 885900 or email
Churchwardens
Dedicated to St Andrew, the parish church is one of six within the Spencer Benefice of the Diocese of Peterborough. Built in the 12th/13thcentury the only original parts of the building remaining are the base of the tower and parts of the nave. The remainder of the nave and the upper parts of the tower were built in the later part of the 18th century. A ring of 6 bells was given in 1777 by the patron of the time ~ William Lucas Rose ~ who also paid for their installation and the building work. In 1779 he also gave a gift of communion vessels which are still in use today.
Considerable restoration work was carried out in 1878/9 when the chancel was reconstructed and the vestry and organ aisles added. Most of the existing windows were also restored. The tower and nave roofs were restored in 1957/8.
The east window contains the only stained glass in the building – the subject is Christ’s Crucifixion and dates from 1878. It is believed to be the work of Burlerison and Gryll – the purple/blue colouring being typical of their work and the stained glass designs used based on those of Germany and the Netherlands around 1500.
The Reredos behind the altar is a picture in mosaic depicting the Last Supper – a copy of the painting by Leonardo da Vinci, with the inscription beneath “Do this in remembrance of me”. The mosaic continues on either side depicting on one side ears of wheat, and on the other a grapevine.
The church clock is unusual as it was originally a one handed clock divided into ¼ hours and therefore does not have 60 minutes.
The church is surrounded by a churchyard of 0.649 acres with lovely country views looking eastwards. The earliest known gravestone is that of Thomas Embry Woolwinder who died in 1687.
In April 1994 the 6 bells and the frame were removed. The bells were taken to Whitechapel foundry in London, recast, and 2 new bells added to make a ring of 8.Tenor weight 13-1-5.
All the bells have inscriptions on them. The treble having “The Rose Bell, in memory of William Lucas Rose who gave the original six bells in 1777”. The new bells were rung for the first time on August 13th for a village wedding and were dedicated by the Bishop of Peterborough at a special service on September 29th1994.
The Bellringers practise on Monday evenings 7.45 to 9.00 pm. Anyone from 10 years can learn to ring – contact Justin Baker on 01327 844263 (e-mail) or Janet Bowers on 01327 842851 (email).
Visiting bands of ringers please contact the tower correspondent Janet on 01327 842851 (email).
St Andrew's is a small church with a friendly atmosphere which welcomes you to any of the services.
Special services include Pet Blessing, Christingle and others which rotate around the Benefice.