curiouswombat: (notes from a small island)
[personal profile] curiouswombat
Before anything about my pictures for today, can I just say Our Boy Done well!

D-d and I sat and watched the last 35km and were jumping up and down and cheering him at the end there.

Today is my usual Sunday Pic Spam, so not beautiful pictures of fabulous Italian cathedrals with painted ceilings, but some pictures of another of our, much less ornate, parish churches.

Actually the first picture is not part of the church picture post, it is a piece of of our industrial heritage, but the other pictures are almost all of Lezayre Church - which has special significance for [livejournal.com profile] wildecate, so I am hoping that she notices!



Firstly, this is a bit of industrial heritage. In the nineteenth century there was quite a lot of tin mining on the island - these are the ruins of some of the Rushen mines, taken on one of those warm, hazy days, from the roadway.

Industrial heritage

Wildecate asked me if I ever went to Lezayre church, and, a few days ago, I actually did have a patient to see in the area, and a few minutes to spare. Compared with the ornate parish churches of much of England, ours are all rather plain - but Lezayre is, at least, quite imposing. The only problem is that it is difficult to get far enough away from it to see it all through the lens... It is on a narrow road that loops up from the main road, and the trees are high and very leafy at this time of year.

However, I did my best! These give some idea of the outside -

The west end and doorway -

Lezayre Church 3

The east end -

Lezayre Church 2

And the spire -

Lezayre Church 1

I think they had better get someone up to look at the roof of the spire, if they leave it for much longer it is going to need quite a lot of work done...

Inside the church is, like almost all the others I have visited with my camera, quite plain. My picture taken looking towards the altar was a bit fuzzy, but this is taken from the front looking back towards the choir balcony -

Lezayre Church5

I would guess that for normal services the parishioners will all sit in front of the curtains, and they would be drawn back if the church is full. The decor is plain, but the ceiling and the panelling on the balcony is picked out in pale blue and white and, like the one in Santon church it bears a coat of arms - the most decorative thing in the building!

Lezayre Church 6

The only decoration on the plain walls are texts written in Manx -

Lezayre Church 9


Lezayre Church 4

That second one translates as something like "People should praise at all times" - my Manx is not good!

You'll see, in the first of those two, that a small lady-chapel has been created, probably for mid-week services.

The walls, though, were not always so plain - this section of older decoration has been uncovered on one wall -

Lezayre Church 7

This beautifully embroidered copy of The Lord's Prayer graces another wall -

Lord's Prayer

And, in the back of the church is the usual engraved board with the names of previous incumbents of the parish -

Lezayre Church 8

There can't be that many parishes whose board starts with the name of the priest in 1408! Although, obviously, this particular church building was not built then.

Finally for those, who like me, like an interesting gateway - this one is across the road from the church;

Lezayre Churchloop road, gateway




I've had a lovely day today - I've been totally lazy, even skiving off church as there is no Sunday School now that the schools have broken up. I've pottered around dead-heading flowers, sat in the garden with a wee glass of wine for a while, made banana and chocolate chip cake to use up the over-ripe bananas, revised another chapter of Ten Years After to post over at Twisting the Hellmouth, and spent time downsizing some more of D-d's holiday pics to share later in the week. Oh, and eaten garlic and lemon prawns with salad for lunch, and chicken with roast sweet potato and cabbage for dinner. Now for coffee, and a bit of that cake.

Date: 25/07/2010 07:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] curiouswombat.livejournal.com
I'm so glad that you noticed them!

And - I have stood in that churchyard in my knickers :-D - better than standing there without them...

Date: 25/07/2010 08:09 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] wildecate.livejournal.com
Well I was changing into my wedding dress at the time..

They are fab. My niece and nephew are on their way here from the IOM tomorrow and my BiL comes over the weekend of Writercon.....

January 2025

S M T W T F S
   1234
56 7891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031 

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated 19 Jun 2025 06:28 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios