The Ale Trail: Christ Church Downend

Rear of Christ Church Downend

I was going to skip posting this chapter and then I thought different as Christ Church in Downend is close to my heart. Don't forget to click the photos to enlarge.

The Reverend of Christ Church, Downend, Jo Vickery

I read somewhere where it was said you can never go back, not true.  I wanted to stop by and have a look and in doing so I made a new friend... the Reverend Jo Vickery, call me “Jo,” OK... I did and thanked him for being so friendly. He is a fine man who took time away from raking up leaves that Saturday morning to give me a bit of a personal tour of the present church and grounds as we find them today.

Where I stood waiting for my bride and her dad to arrive

It was a strange feeling returning 25 years later.  Not that we haven’t passed by, it’s just we all have busy lives and... well you know the drill.  But for some strange reason this morning...  I felt I would like to photograph and remember that fine day long ago.

I love the simplicity of this church

As I walked about the church memories came back, all good ones, private.

If you are a Cricket fan then Christ Church is a special place, I am...

I walked about the ground of the Church first, all grave stones and fallen leaves, shot a few pictures of the building itself, and as I was walking along a wall I noticed this sport field, the Downend Cricket Club.  W.G. Grace the (at the time) world famous cricketer was born in Downend and is remembered as a favorite son.  His family attended Christ Church and I remembered there were memorial plaques to the family inside on the church walls. 

I wonder if this is the very same pitch W.G. played on as a boy.

Just outside the church grounds is the Downend Cricket Club, which is noteworthy for its association with the famous cricketer, William Gilbert “W.G.”  GRACE.  He was born in Downend in 1848 and is remembered as a famous bowler. It is said he played on this field... cool.. right next to the church we were married in.

The belfry at Christ Church Down End

Christ Church was built in 1831. Christenings and weddings were not until 1874, after an Act of Parliament made Downend a separate parish. The parish registers for Downend are at Bristol Record Office. Christ Church contains memorials to the CAVE and GRACE families.  

The Grace family obviously were benefactors over the years

I didn't know what to expect returning, the warm welcome certainly helped so I walked about taking time to photograph details, I remember... funny how these things are as the years pass, but somehow to me the church was bigger back then, then again how much do we pay attention to while saying our vows other than our spouse to be.

from the balcony

The trip up to Edinburgh had been exhausting. So it was nice to have a relaxing day all to ourselves, best of all we were meeting up with Len and Di and we were off to see a new pub which meant new Ales on the Ale Trail.

Just below the belfry over the front entrance

I wanted to catch details and Jo had no problem with that... so up we went closer to God... up to the balcony, which is due for renovation.

a simple alter setting

My bride and I started our life together right here. The service was very nice and very English...  behind me the maid of honor and one of the brides maids started to giggle as my knees started shaking, they just were giggling, and I imagine to them it was funny, so here's the vicar looking behind me at them to give the look, everyone at the front knew what was going on, my knees wobbling, the maids giggling...

Modern instruments

The expression of music in Christian churches over the past 25 years has changed... I still am not comfortable with the electronic music and audio visual projection... but times change, that's the one thing constant in life... change.

The Front Door

I would attend as a regular if we lived here, it's just a right size house of worship for me...  also the vicar is down to Earth, not at all stuffy, and I was getting this guided tour... and as we walked about the grounds so many good memories of that fine day returned, all our family with us, parents and aunties and uncles, nieces and nephews... and me in Army Dress Blues.

The west door

The grounds about the church today are compact.  I imagine a hundred years ago when this community was way outside Bristol... a farming community... and you could see for miles... today it is another village part of the urban sprawl... a bedroom community... so like the many others you will find traveling in any direction from Bristol centre.  I do love those preservation laws in the UK, sustaining village commons and forests just outside human habitation with walkways and public passage across the fields, the hedgerows... and let me tell you in the UK... in winter it's still green.

Ah... is that a pub I see conveniently situated across the street from the church?

So there we are... I enjoyed very much our return after 25 years, it's changed, but not that much, and I very much appreciated the Rev Jo Vickery providing the guided tour.  We will return and it wont be 25 years from now and yes, we will attend service.  As we were walking out to the parking lot I looked up the path... what's that I see?

The White Swan in Down End... for years a cider house and now the sell ale and beer.

Yes, a pub... no, wait, it's not a pub... it's a cider house...scrumpy heads... apple juice... we didn't have time to visit the White Swan but I have listed contact information for you should you wish to venture over.  For me, my good father in law a number of times had told me of when he was a boy, once at the end of the fermentation process, and the vat had been been bottled, this was in Somerset where they make a goodly amount...  he was cleaning out the vat, and at the bottom was a rodent skeleton, now this was back in the 1930's and I am certain today cider is made to the strictest of standards... but that story stayed with me all these years....

Next Post:  The White Hart in Ford not far from Castle Combe, the best pub on the Ale Trail this trip.


Christ Church Downend: Click Here
WG Grace Wiki: Click Here

The Downened Cricket Club:  Click Here
The White Swan: Click Here