| Status: | Active, open to new members |
| Leader: | |
| When: | Monthly on Wednesdays 10:00 am April to October |
| Venue: | Varies |
The Church Crawlers Group is open for new members. The group, which has been running since 2016, meets on the third Wednesday of each month during the summer. There are obvious overlaps with the Church Visiting Group, but the format, and perhaps the ethos, of the Church Crawlers (an expression, incidentally, coined by John Betjeman!) are different. But the groups are, of course, complementary so you can easily enjoy both!
Each “crawl” normally involves visits to three churches. I have extensive knowledge of the development of English parish churches and am the owner and author of the popular website www.greatenglishchurches.co.uk. I have also visited many hundreds of churches. Church Crawler itineraries are created by myself to focus on particularly interesting architectural features and furnishings, mainly from the pre-Reformation era. At each one I give a short talk pointing out items of interest before leaving you to explore for yourselves. Over time, you should see a narrative emerging about how and why our parish churches developed in the way they did. You may see wall paintings, funerary monuments, misericords (google it!) tympana (ditto), Easter Sepulchres (and that!), mediaeval stained glass, Norman fonts, Anglo-Saxon doorways and a whole plethora of other extraordinary things that are so easily missed by the uninitiated. But what you get out of the days is entirely up to you. If you just like to look around old buildings then that’s just fine.
Each day includes lunch at a reasonably-priced pub. Many people see this as a very enjoyable part of the day, but you are free to make your own arrangements. A day typically runs from 11.00-4.00 and may involve up to an hour’s driving from Stamford to the first church, although most itineraries are closer to home. Lifts may be possible for non-drivers.
Church Crawls are great days out in often obscure locations. Have a look at my website Great English Churches to get a feel of what I’m about and if you like what you see and have any interest in parish churches (and who doesn’t?) give it a go.
Contact: Lionel Wall