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The centenary celebration of the consecration of Selsley Church, 1962. |
The following article has been taken from the Stroud News and Journal.
FOUR FORMER VICARS AS GUESTS
Thursday, November
1, was All Saints Day. Many churches observed this important date
in the church calendar, but for the parish of Selsley, it was a very
special anniversary.
For it was almost exactly a hundred years ago, the actual date was November
28, 1862
that Selsley Church was consecrated by the bishop of the diocese, the
completion of a
hundred years of work and witness conjoining to make an occasion for
special celebration,
taking the form of a service of festal evensong followed by a parish
supper.
The most unusual feature of the celebrations was the presence of four
former vicars, as
well as the present holder of the living, the Rev. J. H. G. Evans.
These visitors, who were given a very warm welcome, were the Rev. H.
T. Pimm, now of
Lancing, who was vicar of Selsley from 1928-42; the Rev. W. E. Harley,
now vicar of
Oakridge, who was there from 1947-50; the Rev. John Habgood, of Worksop,
Notts.,
1951-55; and the Rev. A. B. Allen, of Bisley, who succeeded Mr. Habgood
and who moved
to his present parish in 1960. It was in that year, too, that Mr. Evans,
then curate at
Stonehouse, became vicar of Selsley.
SANCTUARY BEAUTIFIED
For the festal
evensong the church looked particularly beautiful for, in addition to floral
decorations, the sanctuary had a magnificent new carpet, given by Mr.
and Mrs. Webb of
Kingston-on-Thames in memory of the late Mrs. Irene Hudson (née
Walton), new blue
velvet curtains had been hung behind the altar and the lettering of
the text there,
re-coloured.
Mr. Habgood gave the sermon and, preaching on the words, "Ye are they
which have
continued with me", from St. Luke, said "All Saints Day calls us to
look back into the lives
of great saints of the past for inspiration—inspiration which will
point us to our
responsibility to the future and to our bounden duty and service here
in the present.
"Of all this, this parish church of All Saints, Selsley, is a parable.
We remember today with
especial thanksgiving Samuel Stephens Marling through whose foresight
this parish church
was built here, and together with him the scholars and saints and pastors
who have taught
the faith and led the worship in this church, and all the host of people
who have made that
faith and worship the mainspring of their lives, as they went about
their every day business
in Selsley."
Mr. Habgood went on to say, "The church goes on, and must go on. God
who has been
worshipped and revered in past generations, must be revered in this
generation, and the
faith by which a Christian lives must be handed on, as this building
must be handed on, to
succeeding generations. Like Greatheart we must say, "My sword I give
to him that shall
come after me"."
GREAT MILESTONE
"Our centenary
is a special occasion, a great milestone in the life of the church in this
parish; a joyful thanksgiving for all that this parish church has meant
in the life of
Selsley—but above all else it must be a reminder that, as this church
has dominated the
valley for 100 years, the silent witness of almost unbelievable changes,
its lofty tower
always pointing people to, and reminding them of the eternal truths
upon which life must be
based, so it must go on."
The service will long be remembered for the inspiring way in which it
was carried out and
for the excellent singing, led by Mr. J.K. Ross, at the organ.
At the beginning, the robed clergy and choir moved in procession from
the west door,
headed by Mr. A. Browning carrying the cross.
For the occasion all the clergy in the Stonehouse Deanery had
been invited to be present
and those able to accept the invitation were: the Rural Dean, Canon
J.N. Le Fleming
(Leonard Stanley), the Rev. R. James Coates (Brimscombe), the Rev.
H.G. Wicks
(Cainscross), the Rev. C. Simpson (Eastington with Frocester), the
Rev. L.C. Hodges
(Horsley), the Rev. P.I. Bevan (Nailsworth), the Rev. K.H. Cheal (Rodborough),
the Rev.
W.H. Way, (Stonehouse), the Rev. W.N.R.J. Back (Woodchester).
Among the congregation was the rector of King's Stanley, the Rev. L.M.
Cooper, whose
parish once embraced the whole of Selsley, and the Rev. Wallace Nash,
of
Minchinhampton, who has helped on many occasions by taking servies
there.
FOUR FORMER VICARS
The four former
vicars of the parish walked immediately ahead of the present vicar, who
was wearing a processional cope, and was accompanied by the two churchwardens,
Mr.
H.W. King and Mr. H.P. Steel.
Also in the procession was the lay reader Mr. C.G. Coombes.
There were among the large congregation many visitors and some specially
invited for the
occasion. They included the patron of the living, Sir John Marling,
Bart., and Lady Marling,
Mrs. Jack Marling, and Miss M.L. Humpidge, who was representing Mr.
Stanley Marling.
Opening with the hymn 'Christ is made the sure Foundation', the service
included the
Psalms 'O how amiable are thy dwellings' and 'O praise God in his holiness'
and the
Deus Miseratur 'God be merciful unto us, and bless us'.
The first lesson was read by the lay reader and the second by Sir John Marling.
'Ye watchers and ye holy ones' was sung as a closing hymn and the Blessing
was
pronounced by the vicar
CROSS AND CANDLESTICKS
At the supper
in the day school, which followed, there were nearly 160 guests and they
heard with very great interest that the Marling family—Mr. Stanley
Marling, Sir John and
Lady Marling and Mrs. Jack Marling, were making a special centenary
gift to Selsley
Church.
This is to take the form of a silver cross and two silver candlesticks
designed by Major
Stratton Davis and now in course of being made by Mr. G. H. Hart, the
well known
Chipping Campden silversmith.
Pencil sketches of the design were pinned to the schoolroom wall for all to see.
Extending a welcome to the guests and parishioners the vicar said he
felt it must be a very
rare occasion to gather under one roof, four former vicars and the
present one.
"We are most pleased that they have joined with us and we hope we shall
see them again
when we celebrate our 150th birthday", he added.
They were sorry that Mr. Stanley Marling and Canon S.G. Bush, who was
vicar of Selsley
from 1921-28, were unable to be present but both had sent their representatives—Mr.
D.A.T. Bush of Cheltenham, being present on behalf of his father.
"I have sent messages on your behalf to both these gentlemen extending
our best wishes
on this occasion", said Mr. Evans.
He also thanked those who had worked and planned so hard to arrange
such a memorable
occasion, and especially the ladies for their wonderful efforts. "I
think you will agree with
me that they have given us a meal worthy of the occasion."
SOME STATISTICS
Mr. Evans then
produced some remarkable statistics drawn from the 100 years in which
their church had served the spiritual needs of the parish.
He estimated that in that time 425 new husbands and 425 new wives had
passed through its
doors, with God's blessing; 1,523 babies had been baptised in its font
and 552 of its young
people brought to the bishop for confirmation and the sacrament of
Holy Communion given
and received something like 134,000 times.
Hymns sung in God's praise during that time totalled 36,400 and 11,270
psalms, also 500
anthems.
More important was that fact that there had been one hundred years
of steady witness enshrining within its walls a living faith in the love
and in the power of God.
Proposing a toast to the Church and parish Mr. Evans said they had received
a wonderful
heritage from the past and, on the occasion of their centenary, he
thought they could do no
better than resolve that those who came after would, in their turn,
receive that inheritance
undiminished and unimpaired.
Sir John Marling replied in a light-hearted speech in which he said
it was a very happy
occasion and although it was the 100th birthday of the church, he preferred
to regard it as a
21st birthday—because their Church was really only just coming of age.
Sir John thought that All Saints was looking absolutely magnificent
and really beautiful
that evening and his one regret was that the birthday present from
the Marling family, to
the church, was not yet ready. He now hoped it would be there for Christmas.
Sir John dwelt for a few moments on the extraordinary changes which
had occured in the
world since Selsley Church was built, and reminded the gathering that
his Uncle Stanley,
who is now 98, was only two years younger than the building!
As patron of the living he drew some interesting comparisons between
the parsons of other
days and those who now filled the office, coming down very much in
favour of the present
generation.
"We are very lucky to have had so many excellent men to be our leaders", he said.
HAPPY RELATIONSHIP
The Rev. A.
B. Allen, speaking for the four former incumbents, said it had always been
a
great joy to serve in Selsley, the relationship between the incumbent
and the patronage
always being of the happiest.
General arrangements for the event were made by the vicar and parochial
church council,
but the supper was the work of Mrs. Evans and the following ladies:
Mesdames H. King, E.
Buckle, V. Phillips, F. Stevens, M. Millman, E. Coombes, J. Kenner,
D. Hammond,
Hamshire, F. Heming, A. Emberson, D. Martin, Colman, A. White, M. Smith
and N.
Swelwyn.
Before the gathering broke up all joined hands and sang 'Auld Lang Syne'.
A useful service, during the preparations, was carried out by Mr. Leslie
Millman who, with
the permission of his employer, Mr. Moreton Cullimore, used his lorry
to convey tables and
chairs to the school. Crockery for the supper was loaned by Mrs. H.
Minett, of the Rose
Inn, Paganhill.
The centenary celebrations concluded on Sunday. In the morning there
was a Sung
Eucharist at which the vicar preached a special centenary sermon and,
at evensong, the
church was illuminated with the soft light of 120 candles as well as
the usual electric
lighting. Preacher was the Ven. R.H. Sutch, Archdeacon of Cheltenham.
During the week-end Selsley's distinctive tower, a landmark across the
Stroud valley for a
hundred years, was floodlit.
SELSLEY CHURCH CENTENARY
The Parochial
Church Council of Selsley are at the moment very much occupied in making
preparations for the centenary celebrations of All Saints Church, which
was consecrated
by the Bishop of the diocese on November 28, 1862. Selsley was part
of the ecclesiastical
parish of King's Stanley and in the early stages of the proposal to
build a Church at the
east end of the parish the Rev. Samuel Lloyd, a former vicar of Horsley
who was residing
at Stanley Hall, was instrumental in raising funds in co-operation
with the rector of King's
Stanley. When about £1,250 had been subscribed Mr. Samuel Stephens
Marling, of Stanley
Park, declared that if the money were given to him he would build the
church. The church,
which when completed was said to have cost £4,300, was designed
by Mr. G. F. Bodley very
much on the lines of the church at Marling in the Austrian Tyrol.
STAINED GLASS
One of the
principal features of All Saints, Selsley, is its stained glass, which
was the work
of Messrs. Morris, Marshall, Falkner and Co., London, for the most
part a company of
artists, including Maddox Brown, W.H. Rossetti, and C. Burne Jones.
The glass, to quote
the Stroud Journal of Nov. 29 1862, "consists of rich panels on a ground
of figured
quarries, so disposed as to form a band of colour all round the church.
This was a method
much used in the early part of the 14th century, at which period stained
glass, with so many
of the decorative arts, reached its highest and purest development."
A long time before the commencement of the consecration service, we
are told, "the
church was comfortably filled by a highly respectable and influential
congregation, who
were admitted by ticket." While they waited they were enabled to hear
Mr. J. Baker of
Bisley, who "presided with exquisite skill at the splendid organ."
THE FIRE OF 1916
Apart from
additions and minor alterations, the history of the church in the subsequent
years was uneventful, until about 1 p.m. on April 26, 1916, when the
tower caught fire. The
Parish Magazine contains this account: "The storm of March 28 had blown
up some
portion of the lead, and workmen were engaged in relaying it. The flame
from the
blow-lamp apparently set fire to some straw accumulated by the jackdaws
which build each
year in the roof and the strong wind that was blowing soon fanned the
burning nests into a
fierce flame, which rapidly caught hold of the rafters and purlines.
The fire engines were
soon at the spot and kept a continuous stream of water directed through
the windows into
the belfry loft. By this means the fire was confined to the roof itself,
and the falling beams
and burning timbers did not set fire to any of the lower portions of
the tower or to the main
building. The melting lead streamed from the roof in quaint forms and
hung like stalactites
from the eaves, to fall in dense masses on to the steps of the church.
The heavy
iron-supported vane hung out for hours at right angles to the tower
and finally fell on to
the path below."
A few weeks later, the annual Vestry meeting was held, when "the chief
matter of public
interest that was discussed was the retirement of Sir W. Marling from
the position of
vicar's churchwarden, which he had held for so many years. The regret
felt by all was
expressed in words that would have been grateful to Sir William's ears
had he been
present, and universal satisfaction was felt that Mr. Stanley Marling,
whom the vicar
nominated as his warden, consented to act."