Heskin Hall

Heskin Hall in central Lancashire is a grand old house built in an asymmetrical, seventeenth-century style, though much of it is clearly earlier, including some Tudor period red brick walls with the fashionable blue diapering which historians date to 1545. Its former owners read like a Who’s Who of Tudor England, including:

- the infamous Edmund Dudley, King Henry VII’s administrator and rapacious tax gatherer, who owned it in 1506;

- Thomas Seymour, father of Queen Jane Seymour, wife of Henry the VIII;

- John Dudley, Earl of Warwick and later Duke of Northumberland, father-in-law to Queen (‘Lady’) Jane Grey;

- Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, and favourite of Elizabeth I.

Thereafter, it was owned by great Lancashire families, whose fame and fortunes were more provincial. All these great and powerful people, dead and buried, yet their ancient old house still stands. It is open to the public as an antiques centre, and a good one at that. It is not often that one can enter an old house for free, and walk away with the contents, if sufficient silver has been exchanged.

All those earls, dukes and ministers are long gone. Its last noble occupants, Lord and Lady Lilford, vacated it in the 1960s or 70s.

Sometimes churches are dominated by strong personalities: domineering pastors, autocratic deacons, flamboyant preachers, large, longstanding families. Yet their time in the sun comes to a close, while the church of God continues, and shall do until her Bridegroom appears. Although individual churches or chapels may close as a result of their subjection to human domination or petty strangleholds, others are merely weakened by it. I wonder if this is a test worthy of consideration:

If the pastor (or deacon, elder, member etc) leaves, will the church be strong enough to continue?

Yes- great, well done.

No- there was too great a dependence.

Will that individual be quietly forgotten, while Christ is still exalted?

Yes- great, well done.

No- there was too much of self.

Those who owned and took care of Heskin Hall bequeathed it to the present. May we who run and organise churches understand that we are custodians for a season; we shall always surrender it to Christ and for the benefit of those to come.

His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ Matthew 25:21, NKJV