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85.25 Kg Weight of Food Donated to the Food Bank

Two charities were supported at the  Harvest Service on Sunday 3rd October.

A pew collection in aid of the Methodist supported charity, All We Can and for tinned and dried food for the local food bank at the Lighthouse Project based in Middleton.

To Long Street Methodist Church : Email from the Lighthouse Project
Thank you for your kind donation yesterday. It will help a lot of our Foodbank users in these ever increasing difficult times.
The weight donated was 82.25kg and I’m sure there will be more donations from your congregation and other generous people.
I will keep a check on the donations we receive from yourselves and give you the total weight after the Harvest Festival has ended.
Many Thanks
Sue Jackson
Project Coordinator – Foodbank & Pantry
The Lighthouse Project, unit S6 b/c Middleton Shopping Centre, Limetrees Road, Middleton, M24 4EL
Tel: 0161 643 1163
The Lighthouse Project is a community work of Inspire Middleton registered charity 1126093

 

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Heritage Open Days Come to a Close for Another Year

The Church and School Rooms were open for five half days during this year’s HODs, attracting both local and visitors from the wider region. The walk around the Conservation Area and the Edgar Wood properties on Sunday 12th September was over subscribed. A pre booked group of 22 were divided into two groups and starting in opposite directions. The walk will be repeated in Spring 2022, so send an email if you wish to be informed of details nearer to the time (edgarwoodsociety@gmail.com).

Visitors from Chorley were delighted by the beauty and ‘simplicity’ of the carving on the lectern base.
Rose carving on the lectern base

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edgar Wood Society volunteer guides fold up the banner for another year.
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Visit the ‘Arts & Crafts Church’ on Heritage Open Days

Visit Long Street Methodist Church and the adjacent Edgar Wood Rooms to see the finest Arts & Crafts building in Greater Manchester. Guides will be on hand to answer any questions.

Friday 10 September 1 – 4pm        Sunday 12 September 1 – 4pm  

Sunday 12 September 2pm  Leaving from the Church at 2pm a guided walk around the Conservation Area to view 9 listed buildings in the ‘Golden Cluster’. For full details: https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/visiting/event/a-guided-walk-around-middleton-conservation-area
Wednesday 15 September 1 – 4pm

Friday 17 September 1 – 4pm        Saturday 18 September 1 – 4pm

 

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Re-pointing of the Chimney Begins

Three working platforms are needed reach the top of the chimney.

David from Conservation Services North West, is in charge of the chimney repointiong and was smiling yesterday morning from the top platform of the scaffold. Blue sky and sun is a bonus of late and the weather is going to be settled for the next few days.

 

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Scones, Clotted Cream and Strawberry Jam

The first event in the Arts and Crafts Church hall (Edgar Wood Rooms) since the easing of the lockdown, organised by the Edgar Wood Society was a cream tea this afternoon. The hall was set up and awaiting the first guests at 2.00pm.

Will the tables soon be occupied?

We were not disappointed

The guests were not disappointed either

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The First Live Service Since 15th March 2020

The gates were opened and It was good to be back for a service at Long Street although with a difference, for the first service in the building since 15th March, 2020.

To make easier to comply with covid protocols, the service was held in the hall of the Edgar Wood Rooms. The atmosphere was different, but a success all the same and will be repeated again next week. If you would like to book a seat phone 0161 6530512.

 

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Up, Up and Away

Laurie of RescueStationCIC had  a 7.00am  drone flight from the garden on Tuesday 23rd June. Conditions were ideal, the air was still and the sky was blue.  The ground crew were briefed and had their instructions to inform passers by that they were within a 50 meter radius of the flight. The filming was on behalf of the Heritage Trust North West, a closely associated Trust who provide services for the GMBPT.

Attached to the drone is a 360 degree camera.

The filming of Long Street Methodist Church and the Edgar Wood Rooms will feature on the HTNW web site together with other heritage property in the HTNW’s portfolio.

Draw a line vertically above Laurie and you should spot the drone.

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Walter Crane in Wigton

With all the interest in Arts & Crafts churches recently, two books being published on the subject, it is worth mentioning that religious Arts & Crafts work sometimes turns up in quite unexpected places.

A good example is St. Mary’s Church in Wigton, Cumbria. This is a large 1788 classical preaching box, miles from anywhere north of the Lake District. It’s a fine looking building. I went in with my ‘Georgian’ hat on and it certainly didn’t disappoint in that regard.

However, one of the aisle windows beneath a balcony caught my eye with its harmonious green tones and Arts & Crafts character. Looking more closely, a Crane signature marked it out as being by Walter Crane, who, as a metropolitan based socialist, is possibly the last person you would expect to see in these parts.

The window is quite formal – a nod to the classicism of the building, perhaps. It represents Christ as the Light of the World. The border has cherubs sitting on the branches of a climbing plant which grows around Christ as if sustained by his light – a nice blend of Christian and Art Nouveau ideas. The date is 1906, so it is a late work.

Wakter Crane was born in Liverpool and taught in Manchester in the 1890s. He was the first president of the Northern Art Workers Guild which was set up by Edgar Wood. While Crane and Wood knew one another it is not yet known how close their artistic paths coincided. For more information on Walter Crane click here.

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Services on Zoom Continue

The church gates were decorated yesterday for Pentecost and the first service since lockdown at Long Street planned for today, unfortunately had to be postponed, so it was back to Zoom.

We now look forward to the first service on the 13th June. Until then the Sunday morning and evening services will continue on Zoom. Details can be found on the Manchester Circuits web site. https://manchestermethodists.org.uk

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A Date For The Diary – 30th March

The fourth and final talk by Dr. Alec Hamilton

The Title is: “Is it or isn’t it? A Field Guide to Arts & Crafts Churches.”

Alec says “It’s my attempt to answer the big question that constantly crops up: “What are the essential characteristics of an Arts & Crafts church?” Also expressed as, “How do I know it’s an Arts & Crafts church when I finally get into it?” (Another popular one is “There is a church near me. It has a Burne-Jones window. Why, oh why, is it not in your book?” And I have a soft spot for “Who was this William Morris bloke anyway

As this fourth talk is for VicSoc, I have to warn you it costs £5 to view. I know. A disgrace. But cheaper than Netflix and Curzon Home Cinema. And shorter. And VicSoc needs the money – rest assured, I do not get a bean. Meanwhile VicSoc has to carry on its work as statutory consultative body on planning matters, and keeping a sharp eye out for buildings under threat, despite the current unpleasantness. Whereas I am a diversion.

You can book here:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/141162186901  (And, yes, it was awfully jolly to be asked back. And, yes, this is an all-new talk – 22 churches I have never lectured on before.)

For those of you who find my stern academic rigour intimidating – and quite rightly so: it is – there will be a Quiz at the end. Fun – even for intellectuals.

Leave them wanting more, I say…”

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Dr. Alec Hamilton – Talk on 11th February at 1.00pm

Dear Friends

Hey! Here’s an idea. A talk – but it’s “online”! You know, you watch it through your computer. Yes, I know. What a wacky notion. I bet nobody else has thought of it. It’s so modern.

Heigh ho. One can but try.

So anyhow…

Just in case you can’t spend nearly enough time looking at a screen, here’s more.

I am doing a talk (entirely new) on 11 February which may interest you.

It’s for the CCT (Churches Conservation Trust), and titled: ’Dreams, Distractions and Destruction: Britain’s lost Arts & Crafts Churches’.

It is at lunchtime: 1 p.m.

The talk is free and open to all. If you are interested, you can sign up here: https://www.facebook.com/events/147756693521434

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Long Street may be closed but not the Church community

Following a water burst last week, on Friday the damaged surface was being removed (revealing some of the original stone sets). Although the Church remains closed (Covid) details of online services can be found on the web site www.manchestermethodists.org.uk

On Monday 18th January starts A Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2021.  For resources follow the link, https://manchestermethodists.org.uk/a-week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-2021/

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Lecture – 1900: Lions and Lambs – the Irresistible Rise and Bashful Demise of the Arts & Crafts Church

Alec Hamilton author of the recently available book ‘Arts and Crafts Churches’, published and  available from  Lund Humphries, gave an excellent lecture last evening for the SAHGB (Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain).  With over 400 illustrations taken from churches across the country, showing a wealth of both variations and similarities of what can be said to be examples of the Arts and Crafts Church.

The ‘icing on the cake’ for me was the mention of, and images of Long Street Methodist Church, together with the plug for the website www.artsandcraftschurch.org

A recording of a previous talk by Alec on ‘Arts and Crafts Churches’ is available on the Victorian Societies website www.victoriansociety.org.uk or try the link Arts & Crafts Churches – Crowdcast

 

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Online Lecture – 1900: Lions and Lambs – the Irresistible Rise and Bashful Demise of the Arts & Crafts Church

For those who remember Alec Hamilton’s lecture on Arts & Crafts Churches at the Arts & Crafts Church a few years back, this online event may be of particular interest…

The Society of Architectural Historians is hosting a lecture  by Alec on 25 November 2020 at 6.00 p.m.

‘1900: Lions and Lambs – the Irresistible Rise and Bashful Demise of the Arts & Crafts Church’.

This is a free event but donations are welcome to help the charitable activities of the Society.

To book, click the following link to register. You will be sent a joining link on the day.

https://www.sahgb.org.uk/whatson/artscraftschurch

Alec Hamilton’s book, ‘Arts & Crafts Churches’, is available at Lund Humphries website:

https://www.lundhumphries.com/products/95607