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Just noticed a lot of topics posted lately on this location but hey ho here is mine.
The Church of our Saviour
Visited with: Alex & Klare
Visit date: February 2015
Please Note: Entry is always through an open access point and not by forcing our way in….. We are explorers, not vandals.
History
The church was consecrated on the 23rd of January 1865 and held its final service in October 2007. The build cost was £8,000 for the church & the nearby school and vicarage. The church was built in the Early Pointed Gothic style with polished red granite pillars & seating was supplied for around 1,000 people. The church spire located on the north side stands at around 150 ft in height. There is also a small baptism pool that is sunk into the floor and was covered by an ornamental grate and the carpet when not in use.
Since it's closure in October 2007 repairs to the roof have been made on several occasions which has helped to keep the church in a good condition, however, the future of the church is still uncertain at this time and decay is slowly setting in.
My Visit
To say I was looking forward to visiting here would have been an understatement, I was excited! This was the first church that I explored and I knew it was going to be one to remember.
As we were walking up to the church I was just hoping we would be get to see the beauty inside, however, I should not have worried as we just walked straight in! We headed straight up the stairs to the balcony area and I just stood there with what must have been a huge smile on my face looking at the beauty in front of me. If there is one thing I love about churches it is the architecture & the craftsmanship that goes into creating these beautiful buildings.
After a few minutes of taking in the beauty we started to unpack our camera gear and set about doing what we love. Then, we noticed that the carpet at the top of the church was pulled back to reveal the baptism pool so, myself and Alex decided to go and cover it back over to make for nicer photos. We told Klare to be careful as not to step on it and fall down as the last thing we need is anyone getting hurt.
My first photo was taken from the balcony looking into the church.
Then all I have to do to find another opportunity for a photo is turn around!
After taking the above photos I headed down the stairs to grab some ground floor shots. As you come down the stairs you have to go through a small kitchen and then you emerge into the main foyer. I loved the windows in this area so I snapped a quick photo before heading into the ground floor of the church.
The doors on the left of the photo above lead to the kitchen that you walk through as I mentioned earlier and the doors to the right take you to the main doors of the church. It was very dark in said room but nonetheless I tried to grab a photo, here is the result.
So after the foyer it was time to head into the main church, here is the view you see as you walk through the wood and glass dividing wall.
I also decided to take another photo with the camera looking up slightly to get a little more of the wood ceiling in the photo.
And for good measure I moved forward a little and grabbed a third shot.
Before heading towards the front of the church I did as before, I turned around and there was another photo waiting for me! This is looking back towards the balcony where I took the first photo from.
So time to head to the front of the church to take a look at the stained glass.
I love a nice bit of stained glass and this church is full of it! I know all churches have stained glass but in the derelict churches we get to visit it is rare to see it in such good shape. Also in this area you will find the organ which has seen better days that's for sure.
Now, as has happened many times today all I have to do is turn around for another beautiful view to appear, this has to be one of, if not, my favourite photo from the day, just look at that ceiling!
As I was walking down the middle aisle towards the front I noticed the Baptism font on my right hand side and made a mental note to go and grab a photo, now trust me when I say that is not a good idea for me to do that because on many occasions my mental note soon gets forgotten! Luckily this time however I remembered.
With the main area photographed I started to have a quick look around the side rooms to see if there was anything of interest to photograph. All I found was rooms full of old papers and light bulbs, however, I did spot this window and took a shot, I am very pleased how this one turned out. I love the book on the window sill and decided to name this photo 'The Missing Chapters' because on the right sill you can see where a book was but has now been moved.
Now funny story time.... As I mentioned at the beginning of the report there is a small baptism pool in the floor at the front of the church. You know the one myself and Alex decided to cover over with the carpet to make for nicer photos? Anyway.... Just after I took the photo above I heard a thud and then laughter and as I emerged from the room all I could see was Alex in the bottom of the pool! Luckily he was fine and after taking the mickey out of him for a minute or so we decided to start heading out.
As we did so I took 2 more images, one of the lectern and one of the pews.
More images available on flickr
The images above are just a small selection of the images I have edited. I will be adding lots more photos from photos on my Flickr page which can be found here, https://www.flickr.com/photos/119757413@N07/
Final thoughts
So what can I say for my final thoughts.... I think from the report you would not be surprised when I say that I really enjoyed my time here, this was my first explore of a church and it is one I will always remember. The architecture is beautiful and the ceiling is just superb. All I hope for is that this location can be re-used in some way and that it is not left to decay beyond repair because if that happens the bulldozers are not usually that far behind, and to me, that would be a crime!
Thanks for reading,
Dugie
The Church of our Saviour
Visited with: Alex & Klare
Visit date: February 2015
Please Note: Entry is always through an open access point and not by forcing our way in….. We are explorers, not vandals.
History
The church was consecrated on the 23rd of January 1865 and held its final service in October 2007. The build cost was £8,000 for the church & the nearby school and vicarage. The church was built in the Early Pointed Gothic style with polished red granite pillars & seating was supplied for around 1,000 people. The church spire located on the north side stands at around 150 ft in height. There is also a small baptism pool that is sunk into the floor and was covered by an ornamental grate and the carpet when not in use.
Since it's closure in October 2007 repairs to the roof have been made on several occasions which has helped to keep the church in a good condition, however, the future of the church is still uncertain at this time and decay is slowly setting in.
My Visit
To say I was looking forward to visiting here would have been an understatement, I was excited! This was the first church that I explored and I knew it was going to be one to remember.
As we were walking up to the church I was just hoping we would be get to see the beauty inside, however, I should not have worried as we just walked straight in! We headed straight up the stairs to the balcony area and I just stood there with what must have been a huge smile on my face looking at the beauty in front of me. If there is one thing I love about churches it is the architecture & the craftsmanship that goes into creating these beautiful buildings.
After a few minutes of taking in the beauty we started to unpack our camera gear and set about doing what we love. Then, we noticed that the carpet at the top of the church was pulled back to reveal the baptism pool so, myself and Alex decided to go and cover it back over to make for nicer photos. We told Klare to be careful as not to step on it and fall down as the last thing we need is anyone getting hurt.
My first photo was taken from the balcony looking into the church.
Then all I have to do to find another opportunity for a photo is turn around!
After taking the above photos I headed down the stairs to grab some ground floor shots. As you come down the stairs you have to go through a small kitchen and then you emerge into the main foyer. I loved the windows in this area so I snapped a quick photo before heading into the ground floor of the church.
The doors on the left of the photo above lead to the kitchen that you walk through as I mentioned earlier and the doors to the right take you to the main doors of the church. It was very dark in said room but nonetheless I tried to grab a photo, here is the result.
So after the foyer it was time to head into the main church, here is the view you see as you walk through the wood and glass dividing wall.
I also decided to take another photo with the camera looking up slightly to get a little more of the wood ceiling in the photo.
And for good measure I moved forward a little and grabbed a third shot.
Before heading towards the front of the church I did as before, I turned around and there was another photo waiting for me! This is looking back towards the balcony where I took the first photo from.
So time to head to the front of the church to take a look at the stained glass.
I love a nice bit of stained glass and this church is full of it! I know all churches have stained glass but in the derelict churches we get to visit it is rare to see it in such good shape. Also in this area you will find the organ which has seen better days that's for sure.
Now, as has happened many times today all I have to do is turn around for another beautiful view to appear, this has to be one of, if not, my favourite photo from the day, just look at that ceiling!
As I was walking down the middle aisle towards the front I noticed the Baptism font on my right hand side and made a mental note to go and grab a photo, now trust me when I say that is not a good idea for me to do that because on many occasions my mental note soon gets forgotten! Luckily this time however I remembered.
With the main area photographed I started to have a quick look around the side rooms to see if there was anything of interest to photograph. All I found was rooms full of old papers and light bulbs, however, I did spot this window and took a shot, I am very pleased how this one turned out. I love the book on the window sill and decided to name this photo 'The Missing Chapters' because on the right sill you can see where a book was but has now been moved.
Now funny story time.... As I mentioned at the beginning of the report there is a small baptism pool in the floor at the front of the church. You know the one myself and Alex decided to cover over with the carpet to make for nicer photos? Anyway.... Just after I took the photo above I heard a thud and then laughter and as I emerged from the room all I could see was Alex in the bottom of the pool! Luckily he was fine and after taking the mickey out of him for a minute or so we decided to start heading out.
As we did so I took 2 more images, one of the lectern and one of the pews.
More images available on flickr
The images above are just a small selection of the images I have edited. I will be adding lots more photos from photos on my Flickr page which can be found here, https://www.flickr.com/photos/119757413@N07/
Final thoughts
So what can I say for my final thoughts.... I think from the report you would not be surprised when I say that I really enjoyed my time here, this was my first explore of a church and it is one I will always remember. The architecture is beautiful and the ceiling is just superb. All I hope for is that this location can be re-used in some way and that it is not left to decay beyond repair because if that happens the bulldozers are not usually that far behind, and to me, that would be a crime!
Thanks for reading,
Dugie
