During the Industrial Revolution, the Lake District became a popular
place for the rich to build vacation homes.
Poets and artists visited the area, and proclaimed its natural beauty. As their means of travel and their
pocketbooks permitted, people from all levels of society visited the area, if only to
spend the day there. In time, wealthy inhabitants, and a growing tourism industry, poured more money into the coffers of developing towns. Eventually Ambleside grew so large that Sir George Gilbert
Scott was commissioned to design the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, and the present building was completed in 1854.
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| A mural at the back of the sanctuary testifies to its communal nature. |
In some ways, St. Mary the Virgin may be no different from any other
English church. For example, I doubt
Beatrix Potter has a significant connection with it, as she was raised in the
Unitarian Church. But the church has
some nice features, and like most English churches, is open during the week, even when no worship service is being held. This
practice allows visitors to tour the sanctuary, enjoy a few minutes of
solitude, and find inspiration in its art and architecture. Like St. Oswald’s Church in Askrigg, St. Mary
the Virgin has forged strong links with other (non Church of England) churches
in its community. A striking testament of ecumenical outreach is the new parish center, which a local Methodist church helped fund, and whose congregation now worships in the building’s Wesley
Room. For me, that makes St. Mary the
Virgin a remarkable church.
Throughout the centuries, churches and denominations have made
plenty of mistakes. In my own life, I’ve
experienced so many negative aspects of church life that I now find it difficult
to regularly attend worship services.
But I’ll never stop loving churches, or the love that generations of
congregants have lavished upon their buildings.
I appreciate the fact that so many churches in England are open
during the week, and allow visitors to tour them on their own. In so doing, priests and congregations truly
make their sanctuaries holy places, where visitors can come in contact with the
Divine, and feel the peace and serenity that such experiences yield. Thus they give of themselves to
people all over the world--many of whom they will never even see or speak with--who
take back memories of spiritual experiences they will cherish for the rest
of their lives.
Dragon Dave
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