Visit to The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Northampton

Fri, Oct 28th 2022 at 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

Jane Forsyth is organising a visit to this church. There will be a conducted tour followed by lunch. Please let Jane know if you wish to attend. The church is found on Church Lane, central Northampton, NN13NL. Parking close by.

This has now been confirmed as taking place on Friday 28th October 2022 at 10.00 pm. The cost is £4 per person.
Please could you now let me know if you wish to go on the tour so I can get back to the church with numbers.
The tour takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours. As it is a church I am sure pews are available for those who wish to sit down.
There will be both a church guide and a military guide and refreshments are going to be available afterwards for a donation to Cynthia Spencer Hospice.
Best wishes

Jane Forsyth

19/10/2022

Hope you are all looking forward to your visit.

I enquired about parking and the church does have a car park but only 4 spaces. There is parking on the road, Chuch Lane, but this is pay and display and limited to 2 hours. Otherwise there is Upper Mounts Car Park with no time limit. Upper Mounts charges £1 an hour (presume on road parking is the same) so remember to bring change for the machine. The tour takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours and there will be super refreshments on tour completion with a donation plate for Cynthia Spencer Hospice.

The cost of the visit is £4 per person. Please pay the club general bank account number 00660514 and let both me and Tom know that you have paid so we can keep our lists in order.

Mr Kightley has confirmed that there is seating available if you want to sit down at any time.

Let me know if you have any other queries.

Best wishes

Jane Forsyth

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THE CHURCH

Step through the porch and the surprise awaits you. You enter an eight sided building which reflects not only on the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem but also the famous reinterpretations of it, Charlemange’s chapel at Aachen, and San Vitale in Ravenna.

Such churches in England, of which there are very few are normally associated with the Knights Templars. Here though the decision to build a round church in about 1110 was that of Simon de Senils, Earl of Northampton, who had taken part in the first crusades.

The great space rises up three floors with a marvellous wooden beam ceiling above. In the 13th century the church was extended and now you rise from the circular area up to a central nave flanked on both sides by double aisles and centred on a Victorian chancel.

The church has a strong connection with the military life of the county.Note the unusual stained glass window of Richard Coeur de Lyon at the battle of Jaffa in the north aisle adjacent to two late Morris and Co windows. The Soldiers Chapel is where over 6000 soldiers from the Northamptonshires are remembered from the two great wars.

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