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Category: Churches

  1. Advent Day 9 - St Giles in Edinburgh

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    The High Kirk of St Giles is one of the landmarks of Edinburgh. But despite it's size, the church isn't a cathedral. Before the reformation the Cathedral for Edinburgh was actually at St Andrew's, while the reformed Church of Scotland has no bishops, and therefore cannot have a cathedral. The name "High Kirk" has been in use in Scotland for some time, and so St Giles' is known as the High Kirk of Edinburgh, rather than Edinburgh Cathedral. 

  2. Advent Day 8 - Brent Pelham Church

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    The church of St Mary the Virgin in the village of Brent Pelham in Hertfordshire looks rather unremarkable from the outside. Like a lot of churches in theBrent Pelham Church, Herts local area the walls are flint rubble, while the square tower has buttresses and a Hertfordshire spike. Inside the church is a collection of memorials, including one from the 17th century depicting Mary and Ann, the two wives of a man named John Rowley, and some 18th century marble memorials. 

  3. Advent Day 5 - Leigh on Sea

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    The town of Leigh on Sea in Essex has become a regular visiting spot of mine over the past year, as my fiancee's parents live there. While walking around the town with my fiancee we had a wander up to the local parish church. A building has stood here since the 13th century, but the current church was built in the 1500's, with additional works carried out in the 19th and 20th centuries. The position of the church means that it virtually looms over the area known as "Old Leigh", but the proximity to the Thames Estuary makes this quite an apt place for a type of memorial that I've never seen before - a Dunkirk memorial. 

  4. Advent Day 3 - Anstey Church

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    The church of St George stands in the village of Anstey in Hertfordshire. A church has been on the site since Saxon times, but was rebuilt by the Normans after the invasion of 1066, and then restored in the late 19th century by William Butterfield. Despite this restoration there are still remains of the old Norman structure, including part of the tower. Unusually for the area, the church is built as a cruciform, with the tower in the middle of the building. A south porch was added in the 15 century, and there is also remains of 14 century work, such as the corbels. 

  5. Advent Day 1 - Ashwell Church

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    If you've ever read up on medieval graffiti (especially if you got the incredible book "Medieval Graffiti: The Lost Voices of England's Churches" by Ashwell Church in HertfordshireMatthew Champion for last Christmas) then you'll probably have heard of the church at Ashwell. This small Hertfordshire village is full of unique historic property, with a high street showing houses from several eras. But this church itself is the real call for many, due to the extensive medieval graffiti you can find inside.