St Bartholomew & All Saints, Royal Wootton Bassett

MEMORIES OF MY BOYHOOD DAYS – Keith Griffin

As a young boy, possibly only five or six years of age, my Mother sent me to Church with my older brother for Matins at 11.00am on Sunday mornings.

We lived in Station Road so would have walked alone from there to All Saints (as it was known then) Church in the High Street. My Mother would then take us to Evensong at 6.30pm.

We boys always sat just inside the South doorway in the back row of pew seats where the Children’s corner is now. The whole length of that South Aisle had pew seating from front to back and, as I recall, the pews were removed during the period of Rev. Bede Cooper’s priesthood here.

Inside the South door a secondary porch was formed with curtains hung in the form of a square from a pole framework. So we sat with our backs to the curtain of the porch.

Apart from singing the Nunc Dimittis and Magnificat that is about all I can remember of those services except though perhaps a boring sermon!

I can recall that on at least two occasions Mrs Watson (who was the wife of Dr John Watson whose surgery was a wooden hutted structure accessed along a passageway through the front door of number 32 High Street) stopping her Austin 7 motor car outside Church and picking us up after Matins to take us home – What a treat !! She would ask us what was the text for the day and I don’t think we ever knew.

In those times there was no screen to the Lady Chapel as the present screen was obtained from another Church which had closed somewhere in the diocese, That was also in Rev. Bede Cooper’s time and I think he arranged for some longer choir stalls but that may have been a little earlier.

All the beautiful stained glass windows were blacked out during the Second World War when blackout was compulsory. All windows must have been covered so that no light could escape but I cannot remember how that was done in the Church. Perhaps services during dark hours were not possible. The black coating on the stained glass windows was removed soon after the war.

In my early Church days there was only gas lighting, electric lighting being installed with single pendant lights in the same positions as the present multi-lamp pendants in the early/mid 50’s. I recall too that there were painted pictures on the outer walls of the pulpit. Nobody I have spoken to can remember that but I think they were removed, for reasons I know not, in Rev. Sharp’s time.

Scripts/Texts were lettered in red above most, if not all, archways but, as they were flaking, they were removed, again in Rev. Sharp’s time and the outline of some can still be seen.

There was, of course, no Dais and Nave Altar, all Holy Communion services and Blessings being conducted from the High Altar.

The officiating priest would stand at the High Altar with his back to the congregation whilst he was celebrating Holy Communion. No sound system of course so I wonder how he was able to project his voice against the Reredos so that the congregation heard him.

Holy Communion was always celebrated from the Book of Common Prayer so congregations had to be prepared for the best part of one hour services even without a sermon.

Holy elements within their respective vessels were pre-placed on the altar and it was not until more recent times that they were presented by members of the congregation

The North wall was plain and some plaques naming benefactors were discovered and affixed at some time in the 60’s.

About that time some research revealed that the Church had, as well as All Saints, been dedicated to St Bartholomew so it should now be known as St Bartholomew & All Saints.

I was confirmed at age 13 and immediately became an altar server.

In those days there was a Mothers Union and a Church of England Men’s Society (CEMS) both of which were well supported by respective parishioners and each had it own banner which were always displayed in the Church. Indeed those banners were always processed with the choir and servers, a crucifer leading, in Church at festivals and sometimes outdoors on other occasions.

Church was always well attended for 8.0am Holy Communion, 11.00am Matins and 6.30pm Evensong. Eucharist was sung on one Sunday each month at 11.0am. Baptisms were held separately on Sunday afternoons.

Bells were rung to attract people to Church before Matins and Evensong and I think that was from a ground floor Choir vestry before a first floor ringing chamber was formed.

Women would never be seen in Church unless they were wearing a hat and men would always wear a collar and tie under their jacket.

The old Vicarage in Station Road stood in several acres of largely wooded grounds and was entirely residential until the Rev. Sharp decided he could live with his family on the first floor so that the ground floor could be used as Parish Rooms. There the Mothers Union, CEMS, Youth Club, PCC and others would hold their regular meetings.

An annual Summer Fete was always held in June in the Vicarage garden and that was one of the main Wootton Bassett events. Classes in The Church School opposite each performed a variety of entertainments in the afternoon and The Girls Club consisting of mature girls performed before large audiences in the evening. The old Vicarage was sold and a new one built on Glebe land in the 80’s.

So our very lovely Church building has changed very little over the years.

Succeeding PCC’s have maintained it in good condition and added to or improved amenities within the building to render it more appropriate for today’s form of worship

St Bartholomew & All Saints, Royal Wootton Bassett

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