Friday, June 19, 2009

 

Shipley Parish Church

We spent a while looking at Shipley Church.
Of course a church is primarily about the worshipping community - but that includes the many generations who have worshipped there throughout history.
There always seems to be something interesting to learn after a visit to a church.

The first picture is from a website and shows the church from the windmill.








What fun!
The stone mason had a sense of humour - there are heads like this on either side of the stone arch before the altar.


So the history of worshippers includes royalty.
You will see later that the Queen has also attended the neighbouring church at West Grinstead.


Shipley seems to have attracted a number of artistic people.
I know of John Ireland, but can't think now of any of his music.
We found his grave in the churchyard.




Now who on earth was Anny Ahlers?
I had to know.
Well, she was German - born in 1906 or 7.
She was a minor star of operettas and musical film.
She came to London and became friendly with Sir Merrick Burrell (of Shipley).
They both led a life which included alcohol and drugs and Anny succumbed to tuberculosis.
Wikipedia suggests that the pair of them fell to their deaths from a London hotel window.
Anny died in 1933 aged about 26.


This web site picture shows her to be a voluptuous beauty.



This church window is in honour of an earlier Burrell - one was the local MP in the mid 1800s.
The window shows the windmill.


A general view of the church interior.



The lectern.



A window dedicated and about Boy scouts. Click on it to see the details.

Shipley Parish Church
posted by Grandma P on Friday, June 19, 2009