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Saturday 8th December - Coffee and Mince Pies The day also offered an opportunity to demonstrate the website to several people who had not previously seen it (the ipad is a wonderful tool). The hope is that it will encourage members to tell their friends all about it, and even to contribute items to the site in the future. The Friends planned this event, not as a fund-raiser, but as a mark of their appreciation for the support they have received during the year; nevertheless, Friends funds benefited from £110 in donations, for which the Committee are most grateful. Nigel Swann, on behalf of the Committee, thanked hosts Anne and John Duncan, and expressed his appreciation to everyone for their contribution to making this a most enjoyable and successful day. Keep watching the website for news of 2013..
Friends attending the service were warmly welcomed by Fr Kevin, who then paid tribute to the work of the Friends over 70 years in helping to maintain the fabric and the fellowship of the church of the Crooked Spire. Fr Kevin spoke from personal knowledge, having worshipped at the Crooked Spire in his early years during the Incumbency of the Venerable T. Dilworth-Harrison, who founded the Friends. This was a very uplifting occasion, and we left church feeling renewed, invigorated and ready for the next 70 years.
The events organised during the year had been well-attended and successful (even the Spring Walk, which turned into the Spring Pub Meal after a deluge put paid to the walk). Tony Hallam’s second talk on the church’s stained glass proved as popular as the first, and the Friends marked their 70th anniversary by contributing to the cost of cleaning the East Window. Mick Moore’s Treasurer’s report noted that income was appreciably less than expenditure during the year, but the Friends had adequate reserves to meet foreseeable expenditure in the coming year. An outsider’s comment (reported from the floor) that the Friends website bore witness to a very active organisation was appreciated as recognition of the Committee’s work over the year. The official business concluded at 19.55 and members were then able to browse the extensive display of photos, postcards, newspaper cuttings and other church memorabilia-including a model of the bus celebrating the 750th anniversary of the church in 1984.
East Window
Perhaps surprisingly, the cleaning was only found to be necessary on the inside, rather than the exposed outside, of the window. The dirt and grime resulting from the effects of the fire in 1961, together with the smoke from the many candles burnt on the high and central altars over the years proved to be much more damaging than the fumes from traffic on St Mary’s Gate. The work was carried out by Mick Stokes, who was responsible for the refurbishment of the South Transept window in 2011.
The finished work reveals the Resurrection window in all its original splendour.
The kitchen did us proud, the beer was good, and a very relaxed and pleasant time was made even better by the view out of the windows of the rain pouring down, and the thought that we were definitely in the best place. Our next event on 25 July, takes place inside the church, so book the date in your diary now, secure in the knowledge that it should be weatherproof.
It is with great regret that we record the death on 24th December 2011, of Tony Raybold. He was Chairman of the' Friends of Chesterfield Parish Church' from October 1985 until his resignation in April 1996 and was largely responsible for the rejuvenation of the Charity. The minutes of the Friends AGM of September 1986 (Tony’s first year in charge) note a record increase of 171 new members during the year, taking the total membership to over 200. Tony fostered an increased interest in the Friends aims and organised numerous fund-raising activities to further its work. Tony was passionate about Chesterfield Parish Church and worked tirelessly in the preservation and conservation of the furnishings of this church. As well as his work with the Friends, Tony was also Churchwarden for 8 years, and Church Shop Manager for much of that time. A busy and useful life. May he rest in peace.
The matchstick model of the Crooked Spire, constructed over a period of four months last winter by Ashley Haslam, and displayed in the Tourist Information Centre in February, is now on display in church, in front of the recently restored South Transept window.
The Verger’s Tale - 27th July 2011 An eager audience of 26 gathered in the ‘choir’ of the church to hear the Verger, Paul Wilson, talk about the history of the Verger’s role, his own journey and the role he currently fulfils. Throughout, humour and some visual aids kept the talk interesting and informative. The role of the Verger appears to have had its roots in medieval times, when the Verger would carry his Verge as a means of controlling both the humans and any animals present in the church to ensure that the clergy had a clear path through which to walk! While discussing this aspect, Paul passed the current Verge around, so we could all see the silver pomegranate (symbol of Chesterfield) on its tip and the silver ornamentation on its head. Over the years the Verger’s role has had different titles and different job descriptions in different churches; although depictions of the Verger in Dad’s Army and The Vicar of Dibley had not enhanced the popular view of the role. The former seemed to just walk around waving his hanky whilst the latter listened endlessly to the vicar’s jokes and always missed the point! Tongue in cheek, Paul suggested that the role was “having the jobs no one else wanted”. The road to being a Verger had started for Paul Wilson as a choir boy at Bolsover Parish Church where he had quickly moved from the choir stalls to the sanctuary as a server. In his mid teens the then rector gave him the responsibility for being the sacristan, including having a full set of keys to the church and its safe. This taste of authority led Paul, on leaving school, to apply for a position with the Verger’s team at Norwich Cathedral, joining a team of 8 and living and working in close proximity to the cathedral. Much laughter ensued, as Paul described how a school party’s tour had been interrupted by a mouse, its tail caught in a mouse trap, scurrying up and down the aisle. When the children wrote to say thank you, most addressed not the aspects of the great cathedral, but the plight of the mouse. In stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of the Cathedral Paul then moved to become Verger at a church in Mansfield. This church had very few visitors and he could go for days on end and see no one. In 2001 Paul arrived at Chesterfield Parish Church. He paid tribute to his predecessor John Arkwell’s very helpful hand-over and continued support and to the band of volunteers who supported his role in many different ways. He spoke of the thousands of visitors the church receives every year, many of whom come to Chesterfield just to visit the church, and of the groups of school children, brownies and cubs who visit in an evening. Stewards in the church leave Paul free to spend time taking groups up the tower, the highlight for many visitors, and a valuable source of revenue. The current verger role includes the duties of the clerk, ensuring the everyday cleanliness of the building and the preparation for and clearing away after services, as well as the very public role of preceding the choir and/or the clergy at the start and finish of services. Paul then demonstrated how the vestments were laid out prior to the mass. The changes Paul has seen in the last ten years include the reduction in the number of volunteers, the dropping of the terms “bachelor” and “spinster of this parish” in favour of “single” in the reading of the Banns of marriage-and the increase in his journey to work time on some days from 10 minutes to 45 minutes! The evening was completed in The Saints with a delicious finger buffet and drinks provided by the Friends Committee and votes of thanks were given to both the speaker and those who had catered. We all left with warm applause ringing in our ears. Both lead and glass of the 140-year-old window were indeed in a sorry state from a combination of weather, heat from the 1961 fire and pitting caused by the 1973 sand-blasting of the church exterior. It was intriguing to appreciate the grime which had accumulated on such a window, much more so on the inside than outside face.
Spring Walk - April 2011 14 Friends, and friends of Friends, gathered in Calton Lees car park on another beautiful Spring evening (Friends walks are usually blessed with fine weather) for the Spring walk. Good fortune continued when we found that the car parking charges were not being collected, and we enjoyed a leisurely walk along the banks of the Derwent in front of Chatsworth. The house was not looking its best, a large proportion being shrouded in protective sheeting during renovation works, but the surrounding parkland is English landscape at its best. In fact, the evening was so enjoyable that Nigel Swann was moved to verse in celebration:-
The “food and a beer” were consumed at the Devonshire Arms in Baslow, and concluded a very congenial evening.
The Matchstick Model - February 2011 The matchstick model of the church, constructed by Ashley Haslam and recently on view at the Information Centre, has now been generously donated to the Friends, and the Vicar, Reverend Canon Michael Knight, has expressed a wish to see it permanently displayed in church.
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At the conclusion of the meeting, Mick Moore introduced his display of postcards of the Franco-British exhibition of 1908. White City, in SW London, was built for the exhibition, and, as a last-minute addition, the White City Stadium was constructed (in 10 months) to host the 1908 Olympic Games (Originally awarded to Italy, but an eruption by Vesuvius meant that Italian resources had to be diverted from the games). This was news to most (all?) of the audience, and lent an added interest to the postcard display. Amongst many talking points were the elaborate buildings housing the exhibition and the postcard illustrating the Olympic swimming pool, housed inside the stadium, and open-air! Obviously, competitors were made of stern stuff in those days. The display generated several lively conversations, and was obviously enjoyed by all.
Paul also took the opportunity to demonstrate the versatility of his gown-designed to accommodate his 6ft 6in height, but also wearable (just) by someone considerably smaller-Joan Parker acting as model for the occasion.
“The Friends who strolled out in the Spring
The evening was sunny and clear
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