Why Dobbin's Churches

My main blog is starting to look a little too much church orientated so I have decided to star a seperate blog to record the churches I visit (and re-visit). That is not to say churches will not feature on Dobbinland but perhaps not in the detail I will try to give here.

Visiting churches was something I grew up with. As a child on a day out with my parents they would often stop off to look around churches - not from any deep religious reason but because they liked them. Mum went to church from an early age but freely admitted her main enjoyment was singing. As a farmer’s daughter in Worcestershire before the war, the choir outing was one of the highlights of her year. I think Dad had any religious leanings removed by his experiences in Burma during the war. Whilst I was christened and married in church, I no longer consider myself a Christian believer. However I firmly believe that there is nothing wrong with anyone having religious convictions providing they do not try to force them on others.

So churches : To quote Mark Collins from his excellent Roughwood website (www.roughwood.net/index.htm) ‘exploring parish churches gives me a tremendous sense of our heritage and history - each one of these buildings has something different to offer, whether it be the beauty, permanence and solidity of our ancient parish churches, the extraordinary energy and wealth associated with the Victorian buildings or simply the opportunity to spend a few minutes in a quiet and peaceful setting to be still and take a break from the hubbub of modern life.’. I could not put it any better than this.

I am trying to educate myself about church architecture – one of the aims of this blog is to organise my knowledge of how churches have evolved and the way their construction has changed. It is also a way of recording some of the churches I have visited in the hope that others will follow. We are incredibly lucky in this country to have such a rich history on our doorstep; one which we must preserve for future generations to visit and enjoy.

For starters:




St Ethelreda’s Church Horley Oxfordshire.

The central tower and chancel survive from the Late Norman church of 1180. For a small, out of the way village, it is an imposing monument. The nave and North aisle were built and subsequently renovated in the 13th and 15th century respectively.