This week our U3A 'Graveyards and memorials' group visited St Peter's Church in London Colney. I must admit that I had never noticed its existence before as it is set back from and not facing the road. It is also right near the most picturesque part of London Colney and your eyes are more drawn to the river and the ducks !
Nine of us met in their car park on a fresh autumn morning. Thanks to one of our group members, we were invited inside the Church and sat down to a very interesting talk and slideshow. The talk covered nearly 200 years of the church's history, from the laying of the foundation stone in 1824 to the refurbishment of 2010.
St Peter's was the first church in Hertfordshire to have been built with government funding after the 1818 Church Building Act. It is situated right by the river which would have been a stagecoach stop at the time and ideally placed to serve the frequenters of the 26 nearby pubs. The design on the outside hasn't changed much over the years but inside has seen massive changes - from the removal of two of the galleries in the mid 1800s to the replacement of the pews with comfortable chairs in 2010. It was fascinating to learn about the adaptations and how everything evolved to what there is today.
Nine of us met in their car park on a fresh autumn morning. Thanks to one of our group members, we were invited inside the Church and sat down to a very interesting talk and slideshow. The talk covered nearly 200 years of the church's history, from the laying of the foundation stone in 1824 to the refurbishment of 2010.
St Peter's was the first church in Hertfordshire to have been built with government funding after the 1818 Church Building Act. It is situated right by the river which would have been a stagecoach stop at the time and ideally placed to serve the frequenters of the 26 nearby pubs. The design on the outside hasn't changed much over the years but inside has seen massive changes - from the removal of two of the galleries in the mid 1800s to the replacement of the pews with comfortable chairs in 2010. It was fascinating to learn about the adaptations and how everything evolved to what there is today.
The Church was consecrated in 1826 and soon afterwards the first burial took place. The graveyard itself is over an acre in size and hides behind the Church so you wouldn't even know it was there. The grass needs to be cut by volunteers so it was hardly surprising that it was quite long and boots were the order of the day.
I hesitate to say this, as everyone has a story, but there isn't anyone well known buried in the graveyard. We therefore just walked around the graves, looking at their design and the names of those who had died. There were at least four Commonwealth War Graves from the Second World War.
I hesitate to say this, as everyone has a story, but there isn't anyone well known buried in the graveyard. We therefore just walked around the graves, looking at their design and the names of those who had died. There were at least four Commonwealth War Graves from the Second World War.
Afterwards, six of us retired to 'The Bull' which was one of three or four nearby public houses for a quick lunch and a chat about our morning.