If you consider yourself to be a fan of all things literary and would like to delve into the ancient architecture which has inspired your favourite scenes and characters, then a visit to a Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) church is sure to delight you.
Try the Thomas Hardy tour for starters, which runs on 26th September from 10.30am until 4.00pm. The Tour visits three churches near Dorchester, Dorset, two of which, Whitcombe Church and St Peter’s, Winterborne Came, have connections to the famous Hardy and Barnes. William Barnes, a close friend of Thomas Hardy, and one of Dorset’s most celebrated poets, preached his first and last sermons in Whitcombe Church. Barnes wrote over 800 poems, and was also an esteemed philologist and ordained minister. If you loved Tess of the d’Urbervilles, you can see the work of a young apprentice by the name of Thomas Hardy, who worked to restore St Peter’s church in 1856.
You can also visit the church where Shakespeare is thought to have married Anne Hathaway at the charming All Saints Church, near Stratford-Upon-Avon. Or let the church that inspired the graveyard scene in Great Expectations, St James, Cooling, Kent, provide some insight into the chilling atmosphere at the start of the story. The intriguing connections with Dickens don’t stop there. St Mary’s, Higham remains the unusual flint-based church which was his parish church in his later years.
Open to the public throughout the year, the churches offer a wealth of literature and history for the spontaneous day tripper to experience the heritage that makes England unique. Treasured writers and poets John Keeble, Samuel Johnson and William Morris, are also amongst the list of distinguished literary names who have been inspired by CCT churches.
Details of these and hundreds more historic churches can be found on The Churches Conservation Trust’s website: www.visitchurches.org.uk Visitors can plan their own day out or use the website to search for ideas, such as combinations of visits to The Trust’s churches with other historic attractions and gardens close by.
The CCT has saved over 340 churches in the past 40 years, preserving and restoring some remarkable examples of architecture, for future generations to enjoy. Churches cared for by The Trust are amongst the most historically significant in the country; all are listed and many are Scheduled Ancient Monuments. They can be found all over England: in the grounds of historic houses and stately homes; in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty; close to the coast; in deserted sites on hilltops, and in major cities and pretty villages.
