Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/12/12
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]When I approach a village church for the first time on a walk I know that there is probably a photograph to be had if there is enough land around it to let me back up to include the tower. This one proved to be no exception: http://www.geebeephoto.com/2005/05421.htm What I can never be sure of is whether the church is unlocked or not and I am not overstating when I say that I feel genuine excitement as I try the door. This one proved to be open so I went in, it was very gloomy and I hit some light switches just inside the door but they made very little difference. It was a lovely interior but the dull day made lack of light a real problem and even with fast glass I was struggling. A lady parishioner entered the church and began preparing floral decorations for a service. She very kindly asked if turning on the lights would help but, based on the negligible effect of the lights I had turned on, I declined her offer. The lady went about her business of flower arrangement and I carried on shooting on the basis of 'you never know what you can get unless you hit the shutter' but I knew I was watching a beautiful church interior slip away from me for lack of light. The church was built in 1170 and according to the earliest government census in 1801 the village population was 211. By 1851 the population had risen to 322 and an ecclesiastical census was carried out throughout England on 30 March 1851 to record the attendance at all places of worship. The listed attendance at the three services at St. Marys' Turweston were: 90 - Morning General Congregation: 50 - Morning Sunday Scholars: 122 - Afternoon. The village population today is around 500. As I chatted to the lady she said it was really no bother to turn the lights on and without waiting for a response she disappeared into the area housing the organ. If you live in the Brackley area of Northamptonshire and you experienced a power drop at about 11:30 a.m. Saturday morning it was the lights coming on in St. Marys' church in Turweston. This is why I felt excitement as I tried the door on this 835 years old time capsule. http://www.geebeephoto.com/2005/05422.htm Graham http://geebeephoto.com