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Members of the Lynsted Society were invited to a lecture entitled “Reading a Church” on the 12th March, which was staged by the Churches Committee of the Kent Archaeological Society. Around half a dozen people went to this extremely well attended event and felt very privileged to be able to listen to Professor Nigel Saul, a distinguished medievalist from the Royal Holloway College.
The day began at 10.30 a.m. with an introduction given by Philip Lawrence, Chairman of the KAS Churches Committee, and then the stand was taken by Professor Saul who began his talk with an explanation on the origins of a Parish with an emphasis on Cliffe. However, Professor Saul’s ability to name churches all over the country when giving examples of particular features was quite outstanding as indeed was the quality of the whole talk.
The first part of the talk concentrated on how population and wealth determined the size and style of churches, with for example the Black Death in 1340 resulting in something of a paradox as, although the population was reduced by one third to a half, a lot of building went on because of the increase in wealth. The Romanesque style was taken over by the Gothic in the late 12th century and Professor Saul drew on examples in northern France and in this country, such as St. Denis near Paris and Kings College, Cambridge and St George’s Chapel, Windsor. However, in the time of the Reformation, the building of churches came to an abrupt halt and the layout of them was hugely changed due to the shift of sacramental religion from the altar to the pulpit. We learned that the Reformation was then followed by two centuries of decay and neglect until the Victorians, revelling in the riches of the Industrial Revolution, began their own building program, rejecting the Classical and creating the Gothic Revival style and existing churches were altered to accommodate the new style, although perhaps not necessarily to the benefit of the building. It was the Victorians who created the appearance of the modern Church of England.
All the people present then enjoyed a delicious lunch, which was laid out on tables at the west end of the church. The lecture then continued in the afternoon with Professor Saul concentrating on various features of all churches, and St Helen’s in particular. He discussed wall paintings, glass, monuments, the font, the pulpit, and the basic structure, such as the existence of transepts and the importance of the growth of the nave, which used to be smaller than the chancel.
The Society will be attending other events organised by the Kent History Federation, the next one being the 14th May with a day’s conference at Edenbridge about the People of the Eden Valley and a talk about the Wealden Iron Industry. Members have already been informed of this event, but if any more details are required, please contact the secretary, Amanda Strevens (521293). The day begins at 9.15 and ends at 5.00 and the cost is £10.50 per delegate. On the strength of the exceptional quality of the fascinating and well-presented lecture we attended at Cliffe, I would highly recommend it!
Amanda Strevens - Secretary to the Society
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