| ©2018 St. Blasius Old Parish Church, Shanklin
The Church From Outside
The building
The
octagonal,
shingled
spire
houses
one
of
the
two
bells
of
the
church,
and
was
constructed
as
part
of
the
mid-19th century
expansion.
The
new
entrance
is
by
the
South
East
porch,
which
is
guarded
by
a
wrought
iron
gate
placed
as
a
memorial
to
the
Reverend
Kenneth
Parkinson,
rector
of
the
parish
from
1971
-
1990.
The
old
doorway
into
the
church
is
now
the
internal
one
between
the
Parish
Room
and
the
nave.
In
addition
to
the
rough
carving
of
a
crusader's
cross,
the
original
hinge
mountings may still be seen.
Looking
at
the
building
from
the
outside,
traces
of
the
original
chapel
can
still
be
found
by
the
diligent.
The
masonry
of
a
single
light
window
on
the
South
side,
to
the
right
of
the
present
porch,
is
12th
century
and
there
are
traces
of
a
chevron
ornament at the foot of each jamb.
The
flints
embedded
in
the
wall
surrounding
the
chancel
are
local,
from
the
Downs, and were part of the original chapel.
The church in its grounds
In
personal
Reminiscences
by
an
Old
Inhabitant
we
read,
"The
high
road
to
Bonchurch
was
round
by
Shop
Lane,
now
called
Pomona
Road, up the farm lane through the farmyard at the West end of the Old Church..."
"The
only
direct
approaches
to
the
church
were
two
footpaths
across
the
Great
Mead,
one
from
the
corner
opposite
Holm
Cottage,
the
other
entering
by
a
wicket
gate
about
halfway
up
the
farm
lane.
There
being
no
burying-ground
except
when
any
member
of
the
Popham or Hill families, both of which have vaults within the sacred edifice."
In
Village
Churches
of
the
Isle
of
Wight,
Ron
and
Pat
Winter
write,
"Before
the
coming
of
the
motor
car
and
the
development
of
the
Isle
of
Wight
to
its
present
busy
level,
the
site
of
this
old
church
must
have
been
serenely
peaceful.
Even
today
with
cars
whizzing
along
the
road
from
Shanklin
to
Ventnor,
and
the
occasional
aircraft
buzzing
overhead,
the
place
is
tranquil
and
relaxing.
A
hundred
years
ago
with no mechanical noises to intrude, the peace must have been complete."
In
its
position
close
to
the
Manor
(now
apartments),
by
Big
Mead,
the
old
Manor
grounds
and
the
duck-filled
pond,
the
church
has
remained particularly fortunate. The traditional group of church and Manor remains as it has been through the centuries.
The churchyard
The
churchyard's
air
of
antiquity
is
a
little
misleading
as,
apart
from
the
Manorial
families,
the
burials
took
place
between
the
1850s
and the 1920s.
The first found in the records was:
"J G L Burbidge, second son of James Ive and Eilleen Burbidge of Arundel Terrace, Bainsbury died 26th July 1859 aged 17."
and the last was:
"Sybil
Mona,
a
Holden
of
Bramscote,
wife
of
F.
Burgess
Watson
RN
and
mother
of
Elizabeth
Mary
and
Anne,
born
17
Nov.
1887,
m
29 Dec 1909, d 23 May 1926."
However, Margaret White-Popham, who died in September 1929, is buried in the family tomb to the North of the church.
All
the
burials
are
to
the
right
of
the
path,
which
leads
past
the
church
to
the
Downs,
to
the
North,
East
and
West
of
the
building.
To
the
South,
in
addition
to
the
rhododendrons
and
the
memorial
plantings,
is
a
Garden
of
Remembrance
in
which
ashes
may
be
buried.
The
area is marked with a small, flat memorial slab.
This
garden
was
dedicated
in
1977,
and
families
and
friends
may
plant
a
variety
of
bushes,
trees
or
flowers
in
the
flowerbeds
bordering
the
path
in
memory
of
those whose ashes are buried in the garden.
The lych-gate
Most
visitors
will
approach
the
church
through
the
lych-gate,
which
was
given
by
the
residents
of
Shanklin
in
1894
as
a
memorial
to
Francis
White-Popham,
the
last
resident
Lord
of
the
Manor.
The
hand
wound
clock
and
the
bell
are
unusual features.
The rhododendrons
When
the
huge
bank
of
rhododendrons
to
the
South
East
of
the
church
is
in
full
flower,
the
sight
is
unforgettable.
These,
in
seven
colours,
were
planted
in
1923.
They flourished and grew so that in the twenty first century they continue to provide a brilliant area of colour in May and June.
The
churchyard
as
a
whole
is
a
wonderful
place
in
which
to
remember
the
departed,
among
the
squirrels,
rabbits,
snowdrops
and
daffodils.
For
the
bereaved
or
for
the
users
of
the
footpath
to
the
Downs
(through
the
lych-gate,
past
the
church
to
your
right
and
onward
into
farmland
over
the
stone
stile
at
the
South
West)
there
are
the
pleasures
of
a
peaceful
garden
and
memorial
seats
should
they wish to rest and contemplate.