Somewhere in the Cotswolds

Memories of an abandoned Church visited during a walking holiday.

 

SOMEWHERE IN THE COTSWOLDS

 

Through the studded oak door, weathered to a silver-grey

 We enter the unlit silent room.

 As it closes, the light and warmth of the day

 Is shut out, as our eyes adjust to the gloom.

 

The musty air assails my nose

 From decaying fabric on the pock-marked stone

The chill raises gooseflesh through my summer clothes

And voices around me subdue their tone.

 The flagstone floor is now glazed and indented

 With a patina born from scuffing shoes.

 An eroded font, once well ornamented

 Is stained with baptismal residues

 

The polished oak pews will never be filled,

But threadbare hassocks still hang there, in case

They were lovingly stitched by the Ladies' Guild

(Who also kept the flowers replaced)

The chancel window of hand moulded glass

Whilst dappling the altar with rainbowed points

Reveals ingrained polish in the patterned brass

And glinting cobwebs in the rafters' joints

 

There are five other visitors, apart from me

 A mixed bunch of hikers, eccentrically dressed.

 In our own private visions, what do we see?

A piece of history - a place for a rest "

A spiritual presence - an artist's dream

A sense of foreboding - a sense of disdain?

My flash turns the gloom to a momentary gleam

 "Now let's get outside in the sunshine again.”

 

There’s just a single track road, and no parking space,

 With the nearest houses a mile away.

So everyone drives to a comfortable place

 Of worship, when they want to pray.

 With only its interred congregation

It's future as a church could be

Just an Ordnance Survey designation

On a map, that casual ramblers might see.

 

 

                         

Reviews

[Gee]

Lovely.This reminds me of the church in the village I was raised in and many others dotted around the countryside.Beautifully done Norman.Places like these make you understand what bring,"New country Americans" flocking to our shores.Our country,heritage is much underrated by us Brits.

[Norman T]

Thank you Gee for commenting on this. I rely on using my older photos and paintings as a "springboard" for writing these days, as my eyesight now limits progress in these media. I still enjoy walking holidays though, so "watch this space" :-)