St Wilfrid's Church, Alford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Wilfrid's Church, Alford |
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St. Wilfrid's Church, Alford
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| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Broad Church |
| Website | St Wilfrid's Church, Alford |
| History | |
| Dedication | St. Wilfrid |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Alford, Lincolnshire |
| Diocese | Lincoln |
| Province | Canterbury |
St Wilfrid's Church in Alford, England, is a special old church. It belongs to the Church of England. It's so important that it's called a 'Grade I listed building'. This means it's a very old and historic place.
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Discovering St Wilfrid's Church History
This church is named after St Wilfrid. It's actually the second church built in this spot. The first one was made of wood. People used to think the current stone church was built around 1350. But in the early 2000s, experts found that one part of the building is even older! It dates all the way back to 1289.
How the Church Changed Over Time
The church's tall tower was rebuilt between 1525 and 1535. Later, in 1867, a famous architect named Sir Gilbert Scott helped to fix up and improve the building a lot.
Inside the church, you can see many old and interesting things. There's a special wooden screen from the 1300s called a rood screen. It separates the front part of the church (the chancel) from the main seating area (the nave). You can also find a Jacobean pulpit, which is a raised stand where the priest speaks. Some of the stained glass windows still have pieces of glass from the 1500s. There's even a tomb from the 1600s inside the chancel.
The Bells of St Wilfrid's
St Wilfrid's Church has a set of six large bells. These bells were made and hung for bellringing in 1934 by a company called John Taylors & Co. from Loughborough.
Bell Ringing Achievements
The first time all six bells were rung in a special long sequence, called a 'peal', was in June 1935. This peal involved 5,040 changes in the order the bells were rung! Since then, the bells have been rung for 38 more peals.
People of all ages learn to ring the bells at St Wilfrid's. They are taught by a teacher. Since 1991, the bells have been rung for 16 more peals.
In 2008, six bell ringers from St Wilfrid's joined a local bell ringing competition. They came in second place! This allowed them to enter a county competition, where they were runners-up. In 2009, the St Wilfrid's team won the local competition. They then moved on to a higher level county competition. On June 4, 2011, the team won the local six-bell striking competition again. They then entered the higher county competition in September 2011.
Activities at Alford Group of Parishes
The churches in the Alford area offer many activities for young people and families.
- Beavers (for children and teenagers)
- Bell Ringing (for all ages)
- Boys' Brigade (for children and teenagers)
- Brownies (for children and teenagers)
- Cubs (for children and teenagers)
- Football Club (for children and teenagers)
- Girls' Brigade (for children and teenagers)
- Guides (for children and teenagers)
- Mother and Toddler Club (for mothers and toddlers)
- Model Aircraft Club (for children and teenagers)
- Rainbows (for children and teenagers)
- Scouts (for children and teenagers)
- Sunday Bunch (for children and teenagers)
- Young Farmers (for children and teenagers)
- YP's (for children and teenagers)
Images for kids
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St. Wilfrid's Church, Alford
