Churches Visiting Group 1
CHURCHES VISITING GROUP 1
This group meets in the morning of the 3rd Tuesday monthly.
Our numbers are divided into pairs each of which takes responsibility for organising one monthly Church visit. We usually visit two Churches (just one if it is large or of particular interest) and the month’s organisers arrange which Churches we visit and, if possible, obtain the services of speakers at each Church. Lunch at a nearby hostelry is regarded as an essential part of the day and usually menus are obtained and meals chosen prior to our visit. These, of course, have to be circulated and meals ordered.
We started the year with a visit to two local churches: Eastnor and Little Malvern Priory.
Eastnor was largely rebuilt in the 19th century. Its most notable feature is the number of memorials to members of the Somers-Cocks family from Eastnor Castle and we were addressed about them by their descendant Mr James Hervey-Bathurst, the current occupier of the Castle.
All that remains of the priory at Little Malvern are the tower and the choir. This is relatively small but would have been adequate for the six monks who, we were told, formed the community when Henry VIII’s men came to close the Priory.
In March we visited Canon Pyon and King’s Pyon. The churchwarden who gave us an interesting account of the history of King’s Pyon church was unsure whether the name Pyon was derived from an old word for hill, like the Welsh pen, or meant an island infested with gnats. Both churches contained memorials to members of the Tomkins family who established the Hereford breed of cattle in the middle of the 18th century.
Few of the walls and pillars at Canon Pyon were anywhere near vertical but we were reassured by the buttresses inserted in the 14th century which have held the church up so far.
For babies being baptised at King’s Pyon there is a choice between a simple Norman stone font and an elaborate Victorian wooden one.
We are full at present but if you are interested please contact the leader. By virtue of the way the Group operates, all members need to be committed and it will be seen from the above paragraph that having access to transport and a computer link is almost essential.