General Chat

Been walking round London today and obviously you see a lot of churches - every time I go, almost all of them are shut up. I think that's a real shame, even if only from a family history point of view, but also it seems very unfriendly and unwelcoming in general. I sometimes feel like churches do everything they can to isolate themselves from the general public

A couple of exceptions I've come across in the past in London that I know of are St Clement Danes, which is open to visitors, and St Silas Clerkenwell, where the vicar was there and a really friendly and welcoming bloke

I've tried (twice) to get in to St Sepulchres - no luck as yet, but St Martins in the Fields was open - probably because its on the tourist trail!

Hello, Uggers. I went to the church where a lot of my family were hatched matched and dispatched and it was locked. When I went to the vicar's house he refused to come and unlock it for me. It was only over the road from him and I was very disappointed. In Leeds I went to St Peter's Cathedral and a couple of ladies showed me all around the church and allowed us to take a photo of the altar. We've had mixed success getting into churches. In Salisbury we were made very welcome in the cathedral for the Sunday service and were lucky enough to hear a visiting choir.

Sue xx

It's so disappointing not to be able to get the 'feel' of where our ancestors were baptised, married and buried by not being able to enter the church when we are on one of our walkabouts (:

Simon, the vicar of St Silas, was absolutely wonderful and showed me the entry in the register that contained my baptism and then made a photocopy for me.

That was another very special day for me :)

Unfortunately Lynda we found that a number of the larger cathedrals are now charging. York Minster, Lincoln Cathedral. Durham Cathedral ask for a donation which we willingly gave but when 4 people go to a cathedral 40 pounds is a lot to pay out.

Sue xx

Just remembered St James Clerkenwell was open too wasn't it Jean:)

Sheila, St Sepulchre is always shut up every time I go by there - the only time I've seen it unlocked was when Songs of Praise was being filmed there but we weren't allowed in:)

Rach, that's the thing - a lot of people would like to go into passing churches for religious reasons too but it's just so rare you can:( Doesn't say a lot for religion these days

Sue, we had a peek in St Paul's but I resent the entry fee - seems very wrong to me.

Sorry Sheila, yeh St Martins in the Fields is always open too and St Margarets Westminster obviously.

Mac, we went to St Giles once but it was shut up so you were lucky - we were told by some churchgoers that the vicar is normally not very obliging lol

Oh Mac.... we visited St Giles in the Fields a few months ago on a Saturday but it was all locked up. I would have loved to seen inside. I have quite a few ancestors that used that church.

I think St Pauls is a rip off and it really annoys me that we are expected to pay to see around the church. I'm sure Sir Christopher Wren never intended that when he designed and built it.

We did find that the office staff of one church were prepared to look at the layout of the churchyard and find out where my grandparents and brother were buried which pleased my mother. All the gravestones had been removed and she was distressed at not remembering where her first born was buried with my father's parents. They were very helpful and respectful and even gave Mum a cup of tea.

Sue xx

we went in that one at Bow too didn't we, the one in the middle of the road - is it St Mary? some of Jean's were 'done' there I think.

I agree, it's very disappointing not to be able to get in, and it's not just in the city either, most of the little country churches are locked up now. you have to be very lucky to get in any church at all outside service times these days.

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When we were in York we were walking around the Shambles - as you do - and a gentleman came up and asked us if we'd seen this little church in the middle of the shopping area. I think we must of looked like tourists lol. We looked and looked before we found this tiny church and went inside and had a look. It was so quiet and peaceful after all the noise of the people outside. The vicar was there and very proud of his church. Another beautiful church is St Oswald's in Grasmere in the Lakes District. William Wordsworth is buried there with family members. The vicar there is also very proud and he gave me a lovely card with a poem and little gold cross which I carry everywhere with me.

Sue xx

My Platts used that church Maz and it still has the font dating back to the mid 1800's. That church will stand in the middle of the Olympic Highway and should look quite spectacular for people attending the Olympics.

It's not that the churches are unfriendly all the time you know. It's the amount of theft and vandalism that goes on.

At our out of town very pretty church we had so many burglaries that we unfortunately had to lock up when the building was not in use. During the summer we used to ask for volunteers to come and sit in whilst the church was open for people to look round. We would love to leave it open all year round but simply cannot take the risks involved.

I know of a grandfather clock, silverware, furniture etc being stolen. At one church I know which was open, thieves walked in, rolled up the aisle carpet and walked out!! There has been damage to altars, the brasswork, and I've even heard of cases where there has been complete desecration of things considered holy to many people.

Lead is being constantly taken from church roofs and we even had the York stone pathway stolen in sections. We eventually took it up ourselve and had it relaid with paving stones.

The insurance costs for churches are literally 'through the roof' and churches have to take every precaution to abide by the criteria. The cost of alarm systems for churches is 'alarming!'

Even now, at our present church, we know of one young man who comes in looking for cash to steal. He obviously has 'a problem' but we have to be on guard all of the time.

Vicars really cannot spend all their time showing folk round their churches much as they would like to. If they can involve some of their parishioners to help out that's great, but many are either working or too old to do much.

Closed churches? Sad sign of the times I'm afraid.

It is very sad when they have to be kept closed. I have always liked looking in churches (and graveyards lol) and even my son does.

When I am down in London I try to get over to Westminster Cathedral, it is just by where my grandfather worked as hall porter (Carlisle Mansions) and being a Catholic he would have gone there, really has a 'feel' to it for me :))

It is sad that there is a need to lock the churches. No different here in Australia I'm afraid. We have a huge cemetary not far from where I live and the number of times graves have been desecrated is dreadful. Usually found on Sunday mornings by families which is distressing and you know it's usually done by revellers from Saturday night.

Sue xx

There is a custom in parts of Devon for Churches to be open when a few Parishoners, with an hour or more to spare, sit somewhere inside to keep 'an eye' on the place while visitors come & go. It seems to work.

Here in Norwich there are lots of churches in the city centre, due to the monastic history of the city. Two cathedrals complete the scene, one built in the late 19th century.

Many of the old churches are no longer used for worship, some have been abandoned for worship for more than 100 years. They are medieval buildings of flint and stone.

Luckily there are many organisations who now use the buildings for other purposes. One is a puppet theatre, another is a stained glass museum, another is used by the UEA Arts for exhibitions etc.

Those church buildings that are still in use for worship, also serve other functions, some being community centres/cafes, others for other purposes. Those regularly used most, as we come away from the city centre, tend to be locked when not open for services, which is sad, but unfortunately they cannot be left open these days, or they will be ransacked in no time. Sad reflection of society.

Hi Sue,I love York,its one of my most favorite places In the world:-))
Its really odd too, way before I started my research I loved York, then while doing my research I found out I had a direct link to the 66th archbishop of York,it gave me a goosebumps:-)

Ive walked round York Minister so many times never knowing My great ++++++++ dont know how many greats lol Grandfather had walked there.

xx

Dear All

Hello,

I was invited to a special service at Westminster Cathedral.

Outside, one of the senior priests gave blessings.
He was not bothered what religious beliefs people had.

I remember when this lovely priest held my hand and
gave a sincere warm blesssing to me and my family.

It was a lovely, cherished moment.

I suppose it really depends on the priest at the church.

Some go out of their way to make people welcome,
particularly to those researching family history.

Sadly, most of the churches and missions in my area are
locked up.

Even on Ash Wednesday, they were all closed.

If you want to see a church where your ancestors worshipped or where baptised etc, perhaps you could contact before the visit.

That way maybe the Vicar or churchwarden would be more helpful.

Best wishes to all.
xx

You have to pay to go into Winchester Cathedral now - and last time I tried to go in they didn't even have a 'postcode exemption' (Where, if you're a local you can get in free). I'm not going to pay to enter my local church out of 'service' hours - it's a historical monument and, like museums, should be free!
I was in Cornwall last month and found the church my g grandmother, her brother and my gg grandmother were buried in. The church was a mile down a single track road - and was open!
Found the same in Suffolk a few years ago,