2018, Equipment costs.

The photography theme for the blog is churches. We always like to have a look round churches we come across, if they are open, and most are. They are beautiful buildings, despite ones religious persuasion, or none. I love seeking out the memorials as there some fantastic stories on some of them. Just about all have a sense of peace calmness which is hard to find in this day and age.

At Parbold there are two churches in view from the canal. There nearer is Our Lady of All Saints Church that is Catholic. This area remained Catholic despite the reformation. Following that upheaval the surviving Benedictine monks fled to France and continued their English lifestyle there. That is until the French Revolution when they were forced to flee again, and this time headed back to England. They stopped in Parbold for a while before settling in Ampleforth. This church was built in 1878 by the Ainscough family, of the millers and short boat fame (Ainscough Mill in Burscough). Up the hill is Christ Church, and Anglican church that was built in 1875 through the kindness of a Miss Ellen Ann Robinson Morris how gave the money in memory of her mother.

This is the sumptuous interior of St. Wilfred's Catholic Church on Fishergate, in Preston.

The newest Anglican Cathedral in the UK and a huge and commanding edifice on the sky line. The bell tower stands 100.8 metres and is the largest and one of the tallest in the world. It also hbouses the worlds highest and heaviest peel of bells too.

This is Christ Church at Weston Dock at the side of the Manchester Ship Canal and the end of the Weaver Navigation. It was built as a church for the Boatmen that frequented the dock from the MSC, Weaver and the canal system via the Runcorn Docks. Its last service was in the 1990's and is now marooned on land belonging to Eddie Stobart. It is entirely on a little dock island with no houses around it at all.

Chester Cathedral is dedicated to Christ and the Blessed Mary and was originally the church for a Benedictine Abbey dedicated to St. Werburgh and the oldest part was built in 1093. Since 1541 it has been the seat of the Bishop of Chester.

The interior of St. Alkmund's church in Whitchurch is nice and bright. The church is a little unusual in shape and was built in 1713. There is a similar one in Banbury but built out of rag stone I believe. This church yard is the only place I have seen cast iron burial plaques instead of tombstones.

This was a little chapel over a well dedicated to St.Winifred and has been dated by the tree rings in the timber to 1485. It was a place of pilgrimage but is now hireable from the Landmark Trust.

This is St. John the Baptist church at Maesbury, down the Montgomery Canal and is obviously a surviving 'tin tabernacle'. This one was bought off the peg from Harrod's for £120 in 1906, and is still going strong.

This window is in another St. Alkmund's church, this time in Shrewsbury. The Church was founded in 900, but this window by Francis Eginton of Birmingham dates from 1795. He was commissioned to paint a window for £150. He said he could produce nothing of note for that price so they increased it to £200, and I think they got a bargain, despite him going over budget by 10s.

This fantastic Jesse Window is well travelled bu has been installed in neraby St. Mary's since 1792. It is thought to have started life the Franciscan Church Greyfriars in the town, but had to be moved at the Reformation in 1530's. It was then taken to St. Chads, also in the town, but when the tower of that church collapsed in 1788 it was salvaged and erected here in St. Mary's. It has been much restored over the centuries but much of the 14th century glass remains. Two very different stained glass windows.

When in Birmingham we love a walk round the Jewelry Quarter as the buildings are just beautiful. St Mary's, in the middle of the only surviving Georgian Square in the city, named after the church, makes a great centre point and the grave yard surrounding has ensure it has remained as an open space. The church was built in 1779 and the steeple added in 1823.

Another view of  the 'Cathedral of the Canals', All Saints Church at Braunston. Before a church was built there is evidence the the site was used for tumuli burials. The first Norman Church was pulled down in 1290 due to the atmosphere being polluted by several murders! It was rebuilt in the 1300's, but this church was pulled down before it fell down and rebuilt again in 1848. The old wind mill is prominent from this direction too.

EQUIPMENT
Perspex for galley window secondary glazing                20-00
Bits and bobs for fixing above.                                        11-67
Extra hooks for wardrobe                                                  4-38
Battery Navigation lights                                                 18-90
Lancaster Canal Guide                                                       6-50
Used River Mersey chart £5-15 +P&P                             11-25
TOTAL                                                                            72-70

My original idea for fixing the double glazing over the galley window turned out to be a non starter. This is the only window left that is single glazed and as such causes great condensation. The problem is that it is a sliding window, and larger than the others. I have a Plan B though. The Navigational lights were a just in case purchase for the Manchester Ship Canal worthiness certificate. It states that boats should have navigation lights, but elsewhere that small boats are not allowed to navigate at night. I covered myself just in case the surveyor went by the book. The same with the chart. Crazily it says you need a chart but obviously the detail for the ship canal is not worth it. It doesn't even say that it has to corrected up to date. At 2 foot draft basically at any time I could leave the Brunswick Lock I could go anywhere!