Heartland

stufarq wrote:I think the "second roof" is more likely to be a side door.

I think you're on the right lines, although I think it's probably just a porch, a lot smaller than the one in the picture.

Yes, the one in your picture looks longer. Most churches have a second entrance like that. If it was a very small village church, it might be the only entrance, but a church that small is unlikely to have a graveyard.

stufarq wrote:I think the "second roof" is more likely to be a side door, vestry, vestibule etc - ie a small bit sticking out of the side of the main building rather than part of a larger section behind. If you look at the photo limur posted further up this page, you'll see what I mean, as there's one on the right of the picture. The main clue is that the small section of roof we can see is much lower than the rest of the roof. Considering it's directly opposite a gate with a path leading towards it, and there are people going in that way, my money's on it being an entrance, although it doesn't look like the main one.

As I've written, perhaps the private entrance for the family. The guy in the top hat is probably the usher. The family are minted to all have matching and highly fashionable boaters and the gentleman in summer grey too.

The spitr/tower will be to the right. So in 99% of UK churches, this is the back of the church.

Also the wall has a Celtic patternation which is unusual unless it's the motive of a land boundary wall ( then it's quite common)

This is more likely the side than the back. Most churches don't have an entrance at the back; the hall is usually there, or if there's no hall, the back wall would have large stained glass windows. Sometimes the tower or spire forms the back of the building, although they're just as often in the middle or even at the front. The wall we can see has the narrow windows typical of a side wall of the nave (the part of the church where the congregation sits). If those two windows were the entire extent of the nave, it would be a tiny church, so there's probably more nave to the right of the picture, and then perhaps a hall. The main entrance is probably to the left, which would fit with the position of the cross on the roof. The tower or spire could be central or at the back, or there may even not be one at all.

James Blast wrote:A life, get one.

As of the last few years, this is the only subject that's managed to excite me on these boards. Draw your own conclusions.

mugabe wrote:

James Blast wrote:A life, get one.

Draw your own conclusions.

I'm not good at drawing, but I get both sentiments...

We've not moved on with this much since January though, have we?

We have our people out scoping churches in the Portsmouth area

But you didn't hear that from me

Probably just clutching at straws now, but driving through the village of Brockham on Sunday, I was struck by how similar the church entrance looked to the sleeve on DD. Google image search proves inconclusive, but for those curious - https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=brock ... 6sCXzu9Q7M:

NVL's post in this thread https://www.myheartland.co.uk/viewtopic ... 23952db23d got me a bit worked up. St Mary's Church is about 200 metres away from the house where I grew up. My parent's have subsequently moved even closer.

Mothra wrote:Probably just clutching at straws now, but driving through the village of Brockham on Sunday, I was struck by how similar the church entrance looked to the sleeve on DD. Google image search proves inconclusive, but for those curious - https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=brock ... 6sCXzu9Q7M:

NVL's post in this thread https://www.myheartland.co.uk/viewtopic ... 23952db23d got me a bit worked up. St Mary's Church is about 200 metres away from the house where I grew up. My parent's have subsequently moved even closer.

It really looks like it ... ... interesting find ... ...

Maybe of the same period, but not the same one.

1) The design on the gate is different (although granted that gate could have been replaced over the years)

2) The wall either side of the gate doesn't have those tall posts (with pyramid tops)

3) The DD gate doesn't have any roof/covering over it

4) The angle of the roof on the building behind the gate is wrong - slopes away from camera on DD, slopes from right down to the left on the church

Siila, but not the same IMO

Most importantly, the church/chapel on DD (and its surrounding wall) is of that peculiar flushwork flint-cobble construction... unlike the Brockham church.

The tree on the left of the DD is the one on the right in the new photo, that means that the gate was on the right road and not on the left side of the fence. The church has four sides in cross shape as i can see in new pic. the right angle for the photo is 90 degrees on the right where the road is.

dunno, roof angle still not right from that side either:



(take from google maps street view - Christ Church of Brockham Green)

Huzzah. The game's afoot

An old phto of that church in 1931, it seems it's not the one.



What about this one churchSt Mary the virgin in Buckland?

iesus wrote:What about this one churchSt Mary the virgin in Buckland?

At least that one looks like the right building material!

Edit: I can't see a cross on the top of the gable-end.

Edit again: there is a cross on the top - you can see on Google street view - IMO the most promising yet.

Ooooh...

It's not the one though - On the DD cover the roof of the "porch" bit is parallel to the plane of the roof, whereas on the Buckland church it's at right-angles

See:

Being645 wrote:

https://stmarythevirginbuckland.net/res ... h-history/

The restoration in 1860 did not increase the size of the church in either length or breadth, except for the vestry, which replaced a lean-to structure over a vault on the north side.

Which would fit. But, alas, Paul Martin was only born 4 years later...

Kutan wrote:https://stmarythevirginbuckland.net/res ... h-history/

The restoration in 1860 did not increase the size of the church in either length or breadth, except for the vestry, which replaced a lean-to structure over a vault on the north side.

Which would fit. But, alas, Paul Martin was only born 4 years later...

Interesting stuff. So if it is that church, we're looking at it from the North...

But the "north windows" look the wrong shape.

I'd hardly call Buckland "near Portsmouth" but as I'm cycling past it on my way home from work tonight, I'll stop off for a look.........

You have to consider just how "near" Portsmouth it is.
Given that Portsmouth is a naval base, it could have been subject to a few bombing raids in WWII & the church might have been hit if it was that close.

Pista wrote:You have to consider just how "near" Portsmouth it is.
Given that Portsmouth is a naval base, it could have been subject to a few bombing raids in WWII & the church might have been hit if it was that close.

Buckland is 70 miles from Portsmouth, it would seem strange to describe it as "near" when there are much closer towns as big if it was that church. Nearby, we have Box Hill which was a more traditional Victorian day out, so much f it were described as "near Box Hill" that would seem to make more sense in the context of the photo with the description.

I do get your point though, if it is a church near Portsmouth, it is highly possible that it could have been hit or indeed completely destroyed by the damage done by the bombing (see what I did there...... )

Having stopped and looked at Buckland, I think the search goes on as the windows on the church are all square apart from the one at the entrance, not arched, the cross is a bit more decorative that the one on the cover which looks like a simple cross and there is no entrance to the church from the viewpoint of where the people are coming in, it is a solid wall with no signs of having been altered or rebuilt. I'll try to upload some photos shortly.[/img]

[sings]Steve walks warily down the street
With the brim pulled way down low
Ain't no sound but the sound of his feet
Machine guns ready to go[/sings]

I found something very near to Portsmouth St Andrew C of E Church behind many trees of the same type as DD
There are too many trees to see correct with streetview but i can see a cross and the windows shape seem correct.