Churches (233) : St Chad, Stafford

The parish church of St Chad in Stafford dates from the 12th century and is the oldest building in Stafford though has been much changed. The nave had four bay arcades and was cruciform with a crossing tower which was built in the 14th century. The transepts were removed in the 17th century during major work on the church, the original arcades were also bricked up.

However, the church was in a poor state, the nave partially collapsed in the 18th century. In the 1740s the church was restored with a new west front though this was replaced by the current west front a century later during other restoration work. The bricked up arcades were opened up and a new north transept built, a south transept was added in the 1950s.

Typing on a Sears Chevron

Typing on our latest machine.

Tackley thrice

I have been to Tackley before, on Saturday it was my third visit to this small Oxfordshire village. However, until now i have not ventured as far as the parish church so did so finally on this trip, and very nice it is too along with the rest of the village. You can see my photos here.

Modern Collins (10) : A Wave of Fatalities

A Wave of Fatalities by Michael Delving is one of those frequent Modern Collins entries from the 1970s and 1980s which portrayed a professional in a field getting involved in a serious crime and becoming an amateur detective to help solve it.

Our hero in this case is an American antique dealer and his wife, visiting the UK looking for interesting antiques to buy. He comes across a very interesting medieval box of Jewish origin but, before he can close the deal, the owner is murdered and the box goes missing.

Although also a suspect in the case, our man helps the police investigate the case (although not officially). The theme of being an outsider and how others react to you is to the fore throughout this interesting story full of suspect and interesting characters.

Churches (232) : St John the Baptist, Halesowen

The parish church of St John the Baptist in Halesowen, once part of Worcestershire but now in the West Midlands, dates to the late 11th century. The church was built in the 1080s, on the site of an earlier Saxon church. In the 14th century the original tower fell down and was replaced along with a rebuilding of the nave. The south aisle was also widened and a porch added. The north aisle was rebuilt in the 15th century adding a chapel to St Katharine.

The church is built from red sandstone ashlar apart from the upper tower and spire in grey-green sandstone.