Wednesday 23 December 2009

All Saints South Elmham



Tonight's Carol service was in the one church in this Benefice that has been declared redundant and is therefore under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. Not since it was closed in the early 1970's have Christmas carols been sung there, and without any light or heat it was all done this evening by candlelight. Thankfully it wasn't so bitterly cold as it has been, and in fact it started to rain and thaw whilst the congregation of 21 were afterwards warming ourselves with some mulled wine in the farm next door. We also got through the service with no conflagration of persons, hymn sheets or furniture! And it all looked rather special.

3 comments:

  1. What a marvelous place and the candles are lovely. Is that the font in the second photo? So was there a choir?

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  2. That certainly is the font - we had an Advent ring placed on top if the lid. No choir - there's isn't one in the Benefice, and not enough support for even an occasional get-together. However, we all sang merrily accompanied by a keyboard, our breath pluming out in front of us. Those photos were taken before all the candles were lit, so there was a bit more illumination, especially on the table (is it still an altar in a redundant church? The place hasn't been de-consecrated, so perhaps it is), where a large Christmas candle blazed.

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  3. Looks lovely. Glad I didn't have to do the dusting!

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