Three churches

Over the course of the past week or so we have visited three large Catholic churches, as it happens all very roughly the same size. And all built in the hundred year period 1850-1950, a period spanning the last splutter of religious fervour in this country, before the gradually accelerating decline during the second half of the twentieth century. To the position now where we probably have more practising Muslims than practising Christians.

The church of Our Lady of the Assumption and St Mary Magdalen in Tavistock, Devon. Originally built as an Anglican church in the middle of the 19th century during a time of mining prosperity for Tavistock (for which see the website for the world heritage site at reference 4), eventually being transferred to the Catholics in 1952. Illustrated left.

The Abbey Church in Buckfast, Devon. After the relaunch of the monastery in around 1885, the building of the abbey church was started in around 1910 and was completed around 1935.

The church of St. James in Spanish Place, Marylebone, London. With the present building opening for business, partially completed, on Michaelmas Day in 1890, and being consecrated in July 1949. Giving it two connections with my own birth.

We have tried to visit the Tavistock church in the past and failed (see, for example, reference 5), being left to wonder about what this white elephant was doing there without ever having seen inside. On this day it was open and very empty, apart from a lone priest preparing for the then imminent noon vigil which was to precede the mass at 1300. It seemed likely that there would be few if any customers for either event and it all seemed very bleak and rather sad: a lone priest presiding over a dying church. But not dead, so it would have been wrong to protract our visit and it would have been wrong to take a photograph from the body of the church, so I settled for this sneak shot from the entrance, less flash.

We declined his invitation to attend the vigil. Visiting a church of a faith which one does not share is one thing. Attending a reasonably well attended service is another. But attending a poorly attended service seems dishonest. Perhaps I am too scrupulous: the Catholic position seems to be that they do not care why you are at a service, providing you behave yourself. The service is the thing and their hope is that some of the sacrament will rub off on you. A sort of generosity not extended, to the best of my knowledge, by Muslims.

The Abbey Church is quite different, being the centre of what is, in some large part, a large and successful commercial venture offering as well as the church, some handsome trees, a handsome cafeteria, a shop, a visitor centre (presently the subject of reconstruction) and a conference centre. There is also the monastery, probably doing better at retreats than vocations. On this occasion the church was free of scaffolding and building works generally and, for once, seemed quite holy, despite the sparkling white interior.

While yesterday, I paid a short visit to the church at Spanish Place. By far the grandest and most richly decorated of the three and including a rather conspicuous bank of confessional booths, from which I could hear some murmuring. Otherwise, all rather lush, quiet and impressive. Presumably catering mainly to the many domestic service, hotel and catering people in the area.

Interestingly the furnishings included a smaller version of the large candelabra hanging over the chancel at Buckfast, a replica of something very old in Germany. And something similar hanging over the pulpit - never having seen such a thing before. Canopies built over pulpits yes, canopies suspended over pulpits no.

Reference 1: http://www.ourladytavistock.org.uk/.

Reference 2: https://www.buckfast.org.uk/.

Reference 3: http://www.sjrcc.org.uk/.

Reference 4: https://www.morwellham-quay.co.uk/.

Reference 5: http://pumpkinstrokemarrow.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=catholic+tavistock.