St Michael's Church, Alnwick
St Michael's Church in the Northumbrian town of Alnwick is metaphorically and literally overlooked by its larger neighbour, the ducal castle. This place of worship is a grand old dame of a building, and well suited to that settlement’s history and heritage. At its south-east corner is a hexagonal turret which originally gave access, via a staircase, to a four-storey roof chamber. Its purpose is unknown, but it may have served a military function during the 15th-century border wars between England and Scotland, or the civil wars of the roses.
Peel towers would have housed a beacon to warn of incursions by the Scots or approaching rivals’ armies, and St Michael's turret may have been part of a relay chain connecting these other signals with Alnwick Castle. I did wonder why such an immense fortress as Alnwick with its tall and gigantic towers might depend on the eagle-eyed observations of local church-goers for its safety, but perhaps the dukes took no chances. On the other hand, why would not the taller bell tower have been a more suitable venue for look-outs and beacons? Others have suggested that the turret merely led to accommodation for clergy, living ‘above the shop’ in a small, rent-free flat.
Whether offering warning of danger or shelter from weather, the people who built the turret surely knew what they were doing and went to so great an expense for good reason. Perhaps all of our churches should have turrets built upon them, at least figuratively. May we light our beacons and warn of the dangers facing our land: false religion, godlessness, impending judgement. And may we welcome, accommodate and shelter as many of God’s people as our space and pockets allow.
I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent... Isaiah 62:6, NKJV
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