I was pleased to discover a new brand of tea: Birchall. The company operates from a gigantic, solar-powered factory in sunny Wiltshire. Despite its penchant for the latest technology, its founder was one Birchall George Graham, a suitably moustachioed captain in Queen Victoria’s army in India, serving in the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment. Little wonder I enjoyed its taste.
I called at Durham Cathedral this month. Despite its scale and history, those charged with administering it have not seen fit to charge for admission: good for them! In return, I made a point of eating in the café and patronising the gift shop (at York Minister, which charges £26, I make a point of not doing).
St Laurence's Church, at Scalby in North Yorkshire, is a pleasant and historic building, even if its tower is rather squat. It looks old but its windows appear only Tudor or Stuart though a number of its internal features are seriously antiquarian. It has an ancient chancel arch and some curiously carved pillars.
Sunday evening, 6pm: our annual Lambing Service with the Ayrton Family of Abbeystead.
If you do not normally attend church, or your own church is not meeting, come along and hear country gospel music, prayer for our farming community and a talk on Jesus Christ, 'the Lamb of God'.
On this day, the 28th of May, 1644, 'Prince Robber' and his forces of prelacy and popery stormed Bolton-le-Moors. Famed for its puritanism (‘the Geneva of Lancashire’), the attackers spent the hours and days after the attack going from house to house raping, plundering, torturing, and murdering. Contemporaries estimated that between 1600 and 2000 defenders and civilians perished in the bloodbath.
01282 540 562
pastor @ martintop. org .uk
Salem Chapel, Martin Top
near Rimington, Clitheroe BB7 4EG
Salem Congregational Chapel is a registered charity No. 252401 (England & Wales)
Sunday Worship 10.45am & 6.00pm