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SS. Peter & Paul Church from the River, 1907 |
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The parish church of SS. Peter and Paul, seen from across the
Lammas Lands, with the River Wey in the foreground. The postcards
here provide a good view of the 14th century steeple which
sits on top of a Norman and Mediaeval church tower[1].
Although a large hay cart or rick unfortunately almost
obscures the church windows, the image also gives a good view
of the numerous gravestones in the churchyard to the right
of the cart. The two small huts in the picture no longer
exist. Whilst it is hard to see through the trees on the
right hand side, there is a paling fence bordering Borough
Road.
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Enlargement of the above. An idyllic rural scene. |
The coloured view of the church below, published by the local
firm of G. E. Eaton, provides a better view of the church.
At least you can see the windows above the altar! Although
there is no date, it was almost certainly produced before the
First World War.
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Eaton's postcard illustrates why the churchyard could
not be extended in the 1850s.
The low lying land next to the river was total unsuitable
for graves. Burials ceased in 1857[2]. |
A curious story about a church bell, that had been passed down
through the generations for hundreds of years, was recounted
in 1925. It was alleged that during a great storm which struck
the church, the church bell was carried into the river, forming
a somewhat dangerous whirlpool "into which no swimmer
might enter without endangering his life".
The local architect Mr. J. H. Norris, F.R.I.B.A., who was
addressing the Surrey Archeological Society, said that when
he was a youngster the "bell hole" had been
pointed out to him and he was advised not to go near it[3].
The story about the bell itself is also recalled by the church
historian, Alan Bott, who talks of the English antiquary
John Aubrey describing the event in 1676[4].
However, the two stories have probably become merged together.
William Veale described a "bell-hole" close to Charterhouse
School's Bathing Place on the River Wey, which is some distance
upstream from the church, on a sharp bend in the river. The
water there was said to be deep, swirled around and deemed
dangerous and a child had drowned there[5].
Norris also described how, some three or four years before
he talked to the Archaeological Society, he had supervised
alterations on the instructions of the vicar and churchwardens.
The work involved repairs made to the lead on the 14th century
spire which had been damaged by successive storms. But the
storms were not the sole cause of the problem. Unfortunately,
once the repairs were underway it could be seen that death
watch beetle was causing damage to the spire's structure[3].
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View
of the northern side of the church, with Church House on
its left. The picture was taken
from the Lammas Lands,
on the opposite bank of the river Wey. There are young
boys sitting on the riverbank.
The card dates from before WW1 - the Phillips Memorial
was yet to be built. |
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1 and 2. "Godalming Church from the River", Valentine's
Series, No. 60110. Not posted but card registered in 1907.
3. "Parish Church and River Wey, Godalming". S.
G. Eaton, Stationer, Godalming. The Milton Post Card. Printed at
our works in Germany. Not posted.
4. "St. Peter & Paul Church Godalming". W. H. A.
[WH Applebee of Ashford MDX], No.1081. Unused.
Postcards in the collection of, provided by and © Ann Andrews.
Researched, written by and © Ann Andrews.
Intended for personal use only.
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References:
[1] "A Godalming Walk".
The Godalming Trust, 1977. Various reprints and twice amended,
the last being 1988 for our copy.
[2] "The London Gazette",
3 Feb 1857. Discontinuation of burials. Announcement that there
was to be a postponement of burials being discontinued in the
parish churchyard of Godalming, delaying the end date from
1 Jan 1857 to 25 Mar 1857.
[3] "Surrey
Mirror", 24 July 1925. Surrey Archaeologists. Excursion
into West Surrey. Godalming, Whitley and Rake Manor visited.
[4] "A Guide to the Parish
Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul"
(1978) Bott, Alan M.A., F.S.A. © Alan Bott and Parochial
Church Council of St. Peter and Paul. Edited and designed by
David Coombs.
[5] Veale, W (1957) "From
a New Angle. Reminiscences of Charterhouse 1880-1945".
P & G. Wells, Ltd., Winchester. |
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