Two churches

A week or so to Guildford for a poke around the bottom of the town, a visit which turned out to consist mainly of visits to two churches, one new to us. An overcast, dull day, not particularly cold and we made it out in time to get the 10:28 service to Guildford.

The street door to the church was shut, but we did get into the Loseley Chapel via the church shop. A chapel which contains monuments to the More-Molyneux family of Loseley Park. While Wikipedia thinks that most of the Molyneux family comes from up north, having arrived with the Conqueror or shortly afterwards. Name possibly something to do with 'moulin', the French for mill. With Moulins being the birthplace of Maigret. Important More-Molyneux family records held for reasons I believe are explained at reference 3 in the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, the place from which I bought my strip cartoon version of King Lear.

Then into the church proper, through what they call the narthex in the southwestern corner of the large, more or less rectangular nave. Built in 1877, the third on the site, with the first going up in 1140 and the second in 1837 - and surviving just about half a century. This one rather high, with signs of bells and smells.

An elaborate font. There must be some elaborate Victorian ironwork somewhere inside for raising and lowering the central pillar. But no chance of pinching any holy water left over from baptisms - which we learned was an important matter in the course of the visits noticed at reference 5

Notice also the paint job on the west wall. Interesting, but not really my thing. And it seems that at least some others agreed, with some other such walls being painted over in the 1970's, just before the heritage army swung into action.

A view of the chancel, with the cross suspended above just visible. The unusual floor is, I think, relatively new.

The handsome hanging behind the altar (stone, as is proper in a near Catholic church) - to which this snap does not do justice. Plus, unusually, a blue sanctuary lamp, left. It was alight.

There was another piano (not that at reference 1) at the side, a brown wood grand. But it was pushed against the wall and it was not appropriate to poke around for identification. Another time perhaps.

The view from Street View. The rustic, stone effect shed right, underneath the tree, is part of the extension which serves as office, shop and church hall - the road frontage of which is all dark glass.

From there to the entirely different Millmead Baptist Church, originally built in the 1970's and recently the subject of a massive - and successful - makeover.

Nicely refurbished auditorium, the seating for which came from Ireland. Timber looked to be oak. A piano and a keyboard, but we were under escort and I did not like to ask to poke around, so not captured. An auditorium used for a variety of purposes, other than the regular church services.

Lots more space, including offices, various function rooms and a cafeteria. There seemed to be plenty going on, with a mother and toddler group in the cafeteria and a large school party just leaving after spending some time being shown around.

We took a light lunch in the cafeteria: chicken and mushroom pie to start, mince pie to follow and tea to finish up with. A little stodgy but it served. Staff and other attendants all very pleasant and attentive - perhaps a little too much so to make regular use of the facility. I would feel a bit awkward explaining that I was a non-member, not that I suppose it would bother them a bit: just one more lost soul to be roped in. Nevertheless, a good example of what a modern church could be. Made St. Nicolas look very heritage.

The over the waterworks - including the footbridge which was a smaller version of the one at Jesus Green in Cambridge, up past the theatre to inspect the some of said works. With our actually getting to see the bicycle chain like contraption top right on the move. Opening some sluice or something.

Over the road and up the passage, now Rosemary Alley, once, a heritage notice explained, little better than an open sewer. The back passage, as it were.

At which point we decided to call it a day and head back to the station - in part because we wrongly thought that there was a two hour gap between trains in the middle of the afternoon.

We wondered whether this building, at the bottom of the High Street, with its signs hanging at the four corners, had once been a hotel.

On a quick look, the best that Bing can do is this postcard from Firth, with the building in question second from the left. Where to me, awning suggest shop rather than hotel, but it must have been a big shop, given that it looks as if it was built as a single unit. More research needed.

Some kind of raptor, perhaps a kestrel, hovering over a field between London Road and Guildford, both coming and going. Perhaps the same one.

But none of the Wellingtonia I was expecting in this well padded area, until very nearly the end. When we scored the tree noticed at reference 7.

Back in Epsom, we were pleased to see that the wall around the grass in the middle of the Meadway roundabout, noticed at reference 8, had been repaired. Hopefully the new mortar, presently a bit yellow, will settle down to more or less match the old.

PS: I am reminded that we had a rather loud Conservative leaflet pushed through our door a day or so ago, featuring Failin' Graylin' banging about how awful it is that Southwestern Trains want to cut the frequency of trains in and around Epsom, having taken the franchise from Southwest Trains on a promise of lots of trains. Which may well be the case, but I don't see that we can expect them to run anything like a full service until we get something like a full complement of paying passengers. Not unless some organ of government cares to stump up some money. And to think that, before their fat leader said something along the lines of 'sod business', that this was the party of business. Business that was all for taking money off government when opportunity offered, but not for rules and regulations. Nothing that interfered with profitability thank you very much.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2021/12/piano-52.html. A stray piano.

Reference 2: https://www.saintnics.com/. St. Nicolas.

Reference 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPsNjxZWB1c. All you need to know about the Loseley Chapel.

Reference 4: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molyneux.

Reference 5: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2021/09/heritage-day-3.html.

Reference 6: https://www.guildfordbaptist.org/. Millmead.

Reference 7: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2021/12/wellingtonia-55.html.

Reference 8: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2021/10/trolley-436.html.