Our Next Event is on Friday 11th October.
Fine Textiles in Bath Churches
A tour of three contrasting places of worship with notable textiles. Meet at St John’s Roman Catholic Church, South Parade, Bath BA2 4AF (public car parks nearby), an 1861 neo-Gothic city church with 15thC vestments still in use. On to St Mary, Bathwick, Darlington St, BA2 4EB (on-site parking available), a Somerset Gothic church which has a Willis organ, and again fine vestments. Finally to the University of Bath Chaplaincy, next to the University library, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY (car parks on campus) – a modern chaplaincy which has an elegant triptych based on a triquetra symbol. Tea here – donations please.
Book with Tony Davies, email: tony@anthonydavies.demon.co.uk, tel: 01225 336124.
St John the Evangelist RC Church Bath where we start our tour
Notes from William's Travels
The first in an occasional series
William Newsom one of our trustees is on a mission to visit every church in Somerset. He is reporting back when he comes across anything unusual. There is always something new to discover in churches and William's first unusual find are mass dials. Sometimes known as scratch dials, these date from the time before clocks, and were a means of knowing when the next mass was to be said. Effectively simple sundials, they are to be found scratched on the south facing wall of a church and are circular, usually about a foot wide, with a hole in the middle into which was fixed a wooden peg projecting out at right angles and various lines radiating out from the centre. As the sun traversed the sky the peg cast a shadow indicating the time at which services were held. Many churches in Somerset dating from the 15th century and earlier have them. The church of Holy Trinity, Newton St Loe has two alongside the south porch.
The church of St Bartholomew’s, Ubly has one in the north porch which is in the wrong place as it was moved from the south wall when a major restoration was carried out in the 19th century.
