HADDON. CHURCH : ST MARY
For me, the church of St Mary at Haddon is a bit special. The church doesn't have the wow factor of other churches within the catchment area of this site. It doesn't have priceless treasures or a wealth of history. It is an honest, small village church with no pretensions. What it does have though is a friendly and welcoming attitude that is not matched in the area in my experience.
The sign posted up on the door welcomes visitors. A further sign offers a hot drink to the visitors and points them in the direction of the kettle! I regularly visit this church. A favourite bolt hole to come to to relax in the peace and quiet.
I visited here on the second day of shooting for this site, back in September 2006. Got chased by a black labradore on that morning, and he was still there displaying some serious anti social behaviour when I re-visited in October 2008.
There was a church mentioned at Haddon in the Domesday Survey of 1086. It is thought that the Eastern wall of the Nave belongs to that period. The chancel is 12th Century. The chancel arch is a very fine piece of work, with some nice carvings on the capitals. Arcades on the North and South sides were added in the early 13th Century. Over the chancel there are the remains of a 15th Century wall painting that shows a figure seated on a rainbow.
The front of this church is not the easiest to photograph due to the large number of trees. Anyone wishing to take photographs of the exterior would do well to come here in the Autumn! Church grounds are well kept and look very attractive. There is a real feel here that this church is well loved in the village, and the band of volunteers who give their time can be well proud of their efforts.
At the back of the church grounds, there can be found some very old gravestones, in preety good condition given their age. Two or three of these date from the turn of the 18th Century, with very naive script. Others, such as the one pictured second from the bottom on the right, are muc more ornate.
As a lover of gargoyles and grotesques I was pleased to see a gargoyle on the South wall, albeit looking aged and bedraggled! A much more ornate gargoyle can be seen on the North side of the church, or most of it can I should say as it is now headless and hence not recorded here!
Sincere thanks to Chris Stafford for the photograph of the glorious Norman arch pictured below left, and the close up of the Trower Memorial Window. This window, on the East end over the alter, was given by Lionel Trower, in memory of his brother Lt Cornwallis Jasper Trower RN, who was killed at the battle of Majuba Hill in 1881. Reserach undertaken by Chris Stafford regarding this battle is included at the bottom of this page.
The Trower Story.... abridged...
Men from her crew also took part in the 'Transvaal Affair' (First Boer War). On 6th January 1881, 4 officers, and 124 petty officers and men were landed from HMS Boadicea, along with two gatling guns and two 24-pounder rocket tubes. Led by Commander Romilly, they fought in the battle of Laing's Nek on 28th January. Lieutenant Cochran (of the Boadicea) and 40 seamen with the gatlings and two companies of Infantry remained at the laager. Four officers, including her captain, Commodore Richards and 84 seamen with the rocket tubes advanced with General Colley's column. The British advance was beaten back with heavy casualties due to the excellent Boer marksmanship. The Naval brigade fired rockets against the Boer counter attack to their right but had to withdraw after being engaged from three sides. Despite the high casualty rate in the infantry, the Navy only had two men killed as they were lucky enough to have the shelter of a stone wall around their position.
After 8th February, 50 more men from HMS Boadicea and HMS Dido equipped with two field guns were landed under the command of Lieutenant Ogle (of HMS Dido). On 27th February, Romilly's detachment fought at the battle of Majuba Hill, another defeat for the British. Like the rest of the British forces, the Naval Brigade suffered heavy casualties, the Boadicea lost Lieutenant Trower and 10 men and Commander Romilly and 5 men were fatally wounded and 10 others injured. Three men from HMS Dido were killed in this action and 3 more wounded. In total 33 of the 64 naval personnel present were casualties. General Colley, the commander of the force, was also killed
