Church Times

I share the prayers of the village church for a fine day tomorrow.  Not just because it’s the time of the summer solstice or the longest day of the year, but the church continues celebration of its 800th anniversary with two major events.
St Margaret’s Church at Wellow, best known as the last resting place for Florence Nightingale, marks its historic anniversary with a Midsummer Fayre on the village recreation ground tomorrow and a six kilometre Fun Run.  Although the 19th century founder of modern nursing was born in Italy, her family made Embley Park in Wellow their home from 1825.
The celebration of the auspicious anniversary began back in March with an exhibition tracing the history of the church over the ages and more events are to be held during the summer to mark the eight centuries.
That includes a lecture on Anglo-Saxon Wellow by historian and broadcaster Michael Wood, an anniversary service with the Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Rev Tim Dakin, both in July; a medieval-style harvest supper  and evening concert in October, and an advent service of light with the Bishop of Southampton, the Rt Rev Jonathan Frost, in November.
 
Historians reckon the church was consecrated in the year 1215, the same year of the Magna Carta, which means it is 800 years old this year.  Perhaps its greatest point was in the Middle Ages when it swung from a Catholic place of worship to Protestant, and then back to Catholic, before finally settling to its present Anglican following.