Greetings for Christmas

                                

Wishing you a very happy Christmas  

                               

York Minster: The Chapter House

York Minster's official name is the Metropolitan Church of St. Peter and it is both a cathedral and a minster - a minster being a centre of Christian teaching and ministering.  It's the largest Gothic  church in England and is certainly a vast building.  My time spent there touched my senses on all levels.

Here are some more photos from that morning in the Minster.

The Chapter House of the Minster was built between 1297 and 1310 and is an immense octagonal building with a conical-shaped roof, timbered inside and leaded outside.  It has no internal central pillar and relies on massive external buttresses to counteract the downward weight of the roof on the walls.  It is still a place used by the Dean and Minster Community for formal meetings.

The entrance to the Chapter House is by way of a vestibule (where there is an architectural model) and in both there are amazing 14th century stained glass windows and stone carvings. My eyes were draw upwards to the beautiful form and decoration of the roof with the Lamb of God depicted in the central boss.

A visit to York

On Saturday I went to York with a group of women from several churches in our area mainly to visit York Minster where it's now possible to see something of the conservation work that is being done on the medieval stained glass and stonework of the Great East Window.
There is display material in the Minster to explain more fully what it happening as the whole of the window has been removed for restoration and a nearly full-sized digital photograph has been put up to show what the window was like before it was taken out.
The Great East Window is the world's largest area of medieval stained glass in a single window. The theme is  "I am the Alpha and Omega - I am the Beginning and the End" and the panels show 'the Beginning' from Creation and 'the End' from the Book of Revelation.
I haven't been to York for many years so as well as spending time in the Minster I walked by the river and the gardens nearby before joining some friends for lunch in the medieval quarter.

                           The West Front and the Great West Door

                          The Advent Wreath hangs in the crossing
                           between the transepts.

                  The High Altar from the choir stalls with the digital photo
                   of the Great East Window behind it and below - one of
                   the many windows in this sacred place of worship.
                   
               

                     

Sky watching: Dawn

The weather here in South Yorkshire has turned very cold.  The high countryside where we usually walk has seen its first snowfall.  We, too, live relatively high up, but are sheltered in the lee of the hill. It's time to put up the long, heavy curtains at the front door and give thanks for a warm home. We wake at the same time every day just before the dawn breaks.  Sometimes it's been raining all night.  What sort of weather will we have during the day, I wonder? There are old sayings about the weather that would give a rough indication.  I wonder if they are reliable in these days of what seems to be abnormal weather?

Here it is at dawn yesterday and this morning - two very different skies and two very different days regarding the weather.  Yesterday was frosty, then wet and very cold. Today it's turned out sunny and dry and also very cold.

                                           6th December

                                           7th December

Tomorrow will be an even earlier start as I'm going to York with a group where we shall visit York Minster and the historic centre.

'Angels from the realms of glory...'

Angels from the realms of glory

Wing your flight o'er all the earth.

Ye who sang creation's story, 

Now proclaim Messiah's birth;

Come and worship,

Come and worship,

Worship Christ the new born King.

This well-known carol will be sung in carol services during the coming Christmas season.

James Montgomery (1771-1854) who wrote it was a British editor, poet, hymn-writer and prominent figure in the Sunday school movement who was born in Scotland of missionary parents who lived and died in Sheffield.  He was also known for humanitarian causes such as campaigns to end slavery and the exploitation of child chimney sweeps.

The above memorial window to the hymn writer is in Sheffield Anglican Cathedral and shows a host of angels and St. Matthew, Moses, David and St. John, four witnesses acknowledging God's glory throughout time and eternity. His monument stands in the churchyard outside the window.

He holds a Bible in his hand and engraved are extracts from his poems, 'The Grave' and 'Prayer'.

A walk around Ughill

Do you remember when I went on a guided walk in the Summer?  Here are some more about that morning when we walked from our starting point by 'Edgefield' overlooking Bradfield Dale to Ughill Height where moorland meets farmland.

The hamlet of Ughill is in a sheltered, but isolated spot and was the ancient seat of the Worrall family. This family and its members lived in many of the properties in the area. Most of them are still working farms and it was a privilege to visit them.

                  A double water trough and a watering hole sourced by a natural spring.

  

 

The postal service is an important one for this little community.  The post box is set into one of the farmhouse walls at the junction to the hamlet where every property is some distance away from each other.

This is the entrance to one of the properties which we visited. 

This is a corner of the property where we had a warm welcome from the resident cat.

A weekend walk in Bradfield Dale

Last weekend may have been our last walk in Autumn sunshine as this week we have had several days of heavy rain and wind and it feels like Winter is just around the corner.

We made the most of the good weather with a drive to the Damflask Reservoir and Bradfield village going on the low road and then returning on the top road.

Of all the reservoirs in Bradfield Dale the largest is Damflask constructed in 1867.  It's main function is to supply river compensation water to the river Loxley.  There are footpaths along the dam and it's the only one in the dale where sailing and rowing is allowed.

This is the narrow end of the dam looking towards the northern shore.  After passing through wooded areas the landscape changes with a glimpse of the church at High Bradfield across open farmland.

We stopped for a while in Low Bradfield where Agden Dike unites with Dale Dike to form the River Loxley.  It's a popular picnic area. On the other side of the bridge is the village green, cottages and farms.

This working farm looks onto the village green and has a back entrance into the lane leading up to High Bradfield.  

The parish church of St. Nicholas dates back to the 15th century, but the history of the site as a place of worship goes back to the early 12th century when Benedictine monks constructed a chapel.  A 9th century Saxon cross was found in Low Bradfield and is displayed in the church.

With its hilltop location High Bradfield has widespread views towards Bradfield Moors and the reservoirs of the Dale.