Church

BENEFICE CHOIR PRACTICES. The next rehearsals for the Benefice Choir will be on Tuesdays 28th July, 4th and 11th August in Norton Church at 8.00pm. We shall be rehearsing to sing at the Songs of Praise service in Norton on Sunday, 16th August at 6.30pm. This is always a joyful occasion and will be the first time the Benefice Choir will have sung as part of it. You are very welcome to come and join us! Chris Denman.

QUIET MORNING. By the kind invitation of Christabel Cumberlege we shall be holding a ‘Quiet Morning’ on Wednesday, July 29th at Carpenters in Higher Street, Norton from 10.00am - 12.00 noon. Although there will be some ‘input’ to help lead our thoughts, the main purpose is to have time for prayer and reflection in a beautiful garden. Please let Peter (881202) or Christabel (881255) know if you intend to attend. Drinks will be available. If the weather is fine you could bring sandwiches to eat together at the end of the morning. (There will also be a ‘quiet morning’ at the Rectory in September).

SUMMER STORY HUT. The ‘African Hut’ in the Rectory front garden (Cat Street, Chiselborough) will become a ‘Story Hut’ on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons - in fine weather - starting on July 21st and right through the summer holidays. The story time will start at 2.00pm with stories specially aimed at ‘tinies’, and stories for older children will be from 2.20 - 3.00pm. Do you love stories? This is for you! There will be books available, but bring along your own if you like! There will be games to play and things to do too! Enjoy an hour in the shade of the African hut, sharing a love of stories. All are welcome - no charge - just look for the Story Hut sign showing the hut is open. (Under 8s to be accompanied please). Contact Anne 881202 for more details.,

NORTON CHURCHYARD. The suggestion has been put to the Parochial Church Council that an area of the Churchyard should be set aside as a ‘Wild Garden’. This does not simply mean not mowing one section. Such a garden needs to be maintained, and advice is available on this. The PCC has identified an area where this might be done - to the north of the church where no burials are known over the past 100 years. If you would be interested in maintaining such an area could you please let Denis Cannon or Peter Thomas know. “More than 6,000 British churchyards run their small plots of land as sacred eco-systems - without pesticides, and mowing the grass only once a year, ensuring that birds, reptiles, insects and flowers can thrive. The scheme has been outstandingly successful for several reasons. Firstly because it immediately makes sense, secondly because it is simple to execute, thirdly because it is theologically sound, and fourthly because it enables people to be involved in a manageable environmental project” - Quote from the Living Churchyard Scheme.

CHURCH FLOODLIGHTING. Bearing in mind the need to reduce unnecessary carbon footprint, it has been decided by the PCC to turn on the floodlighting between Advent Sunday and Epiphany only (early December through to early January).

BURIALS IN THE CHURCHYARD. During the summer I have prepared charts for the churchyards in Chiselborough and Norton based mainly on work done by Sir Melvyn Mendlycott around 2000. These charts, together with a book containing various documents including photographs of headstones, will be kept in the churches. However, I have discovered that there are a large number of unmarked burials in both churchyards. Some of these have small flower pots, some with flowers in, but no names. If anyone is aware of the location of any unmarked burials, including those of cremated remains, can they please let me know so that records can be updated . Church burial registers have not, until now, had any record of locations. Peter Thomas.

Home Communion. It is the practice of the Church of England to offer people who cannot come to church the opportunity occasionally to receive Holy Communion at home. This will apply to people who are housebound or experiencing times of illness. I am happy to undertake these services - it would be good to know of people who might benefit from this ministry. Peter.

WEDDINGS IN CHURCH. You may know that the regulations about who can marry in a Church of England Church building are just about to change. In July 2007, the General Synod overwhelmingly passed the Church of England Marriage Measure and it received the Royal Assent on the 22^nd May. The Archbishops have now signed an instrument bringing all the provisions of the Measure into force from 1^st October 2008. The measure seeks to respond to changing social conditions and in particular to the increasing mobility of our society today. It does not affect the existing right of parishioners. A couple continue to have the right to be married in the parish church of a parish where one or both of them are resident or entered on the electoral roll (The present regulations). However, some people would like to marry in a church because it has special significance for them, even though it is not where they live. This measure enables a church to offer the same welcome to a couple who wish to marry there and who can demonstrate a straightforward connection with the parish as it does to those who live in the parish itself, without the couple having to apply for a special licence. A person has a Qualifying Connection with a parish if that person:

was baptised in the parish, or

had his or her confirmation entered in a church register book of a church or chapel in the parish, or

has at any time had his or her usual place of residence in the parish for at least six months, or

has at any time habitually attended public worship in the parish for at least six months, or

a Parent of that person has at any time during that person’s lifetime:

had his or her usual place of residence in the parish for at least six months, or

habitually attended public worship in the parish for at least six months, or

a Parent or Grandparent of that person was married in the parish.

In all cases involving church services, i.e. coming to/going to/attending normal church services, baptism, confirmation or marriage - this applies only to Church of England services.

More information can be gained from the church website www.nortonchurch .org.uk

The Church of St. Mary The Virgin

The Perpendicular church of St Mary the Virgin is sometimes described as a miniature cathedral. It is mainly early 16th century, built on the site of an earlier Norman church of which the porch remains. In the southwest corner of the churchyard is the round dovecote typical of the 15th and 16th centuries.

The Nave and Isles

Being 36 feet wide but 50 feet high gives the nave a very lofty feel, reinforced by the graceful and equally lofty Perpendicular arcades to the north and south aisles and the beautiful perpendicular west window. The chancel arch and paneled perpendicular tower arch both rise so close to the roof as to almost pass unnoticed. The wagon roof has delightful carved corbels of figures holding shields and the main timbers of the aisle roofs spring from corbels on pilasters reaching all the way to the floor and effectively separating the large windows.

There is a modern decorative ironwork rood screen and matching pulpit on a stone base. Modern stone screens at the eastern end of both aisles forms small chapels; the north chapel dedicated to St Saviour now houses the organ while the simple chapel or 'Our Lady of Pity' remains in the south.

The chancel

The beautiful Perpendicular east window dominates the chancel but the reredos, built into the wall above the altar, is flanked by large, ornately canopied niches with double pilasters. A trefoil-headed piscina is in the east wall.

The tower

This tower, 96 feet high, is associated with those at Shepton Beauchamp and Hinton St George and was probably built by the same team of artisans. The chief feature in common is the single two-light bell opening of the top stage projecting down into the third stage and containing West Somerset tracery. The setback buttresses step at each stage and terminate at the top of the third stage. Pilasters continue to the top of the canopy becoming a pair of short crocketed pinnacles in each corner. A similar short pinnacle arises from each centre merion and each of these has a subsidiary outrigger pinnacle. Unlike Shepton Beauchamp, the transom of the bell openings does not align with the string-course course.

The tower still bears the marks of being struck by lightning on 29th July 1894 when many memorials and the 16th century bells were destroyed. The repairs took exactly one year to complete and Tower Day is commemorated each year with a service of thanksgiving partly held on the top of the tower. The west doors were damaged at the same time and a local craftsman, Arthur Parkin, made new ones. They are carved with small animals and a row of armorials - Cardinal Wolsey, Bishop Kennion, Henry VII (the church was built during his reign) and Edward VII (the doors were made during his reign). The author of the inscription on a blue ribbon "The door of life is death, and life a long returning" is unknown.

As it was As it is now!

West Door having been refurbished

A SIGNWRITER’S TALE. Cecil Gillman, the President of the Norton sub Hamdon Local History Society rang me and asked if I could pay a visit to St. Mary’s Church, Norton sub Hamdon to look at the West door with a view to refurbishment. On turning the corner of the bell tower I was confronted with a work of art in carved oak, with various animals, flowers and Coats of Arms. The paint was badly faded, the timber dry and cracked, but I could see the potential. “Can I do it justice?” With my observations and costs accepted, it was time to make a start on cleaning the old faded paint work. I realised there were more colours originally involved than I had imagined. The door opens in two parts so I was able to work on one side, using the other as a pattern, which was useful. Undercoating and applying two gloss coats over several days, the colouring started to lift the carvings and a slow transformation began. The background colours were finished and the next process was to paint in the details on the crests etc. which when done really brought things to life. The final decoration was applying the gold leaf to the crests and the text “The Door of Life is Death and Life a Long Returning”. Gold leaf is applied by painting the area with gold size (similar to varnish), then 22 carat gold, which is in three inch squares on tissue paper, is pressed on to the gold size and it sticks only on that area. The final process was to apply three coats of wood oil to the bare oak panels which darkened the timbers slightly and emphasised the paintwork. I hope I did it justice and I did enjoy spending a week of my working life at Norton sub Hamdon leaving behind something that will be seen for many years. “Better lock the door and go home”.

Robert Maddick - Yeovil.