Missing railings

Recently I posted a picture of some railings that had escaped the war effort and thought that I would contrast that with a very obvious example of their removal. This is the wall behind St Peters and it carries the obvious stumps of removed railings.

All Are Welcome

Another recent change at St Peter's Church in Petersham is the arrival of this decorate screen for the door to the hall extension. It says, "All Are Welcome", which is a nice turn of phrase.

It is visually pleasing too, especially (I think) when open like this. The typeface looks, to me anyway, like something from the Arts and Crafts period and that is meant to be a strong compliment.

Commonwealth War Graves at St Peter's

St Peter's Church in Petersham has had some minor, but impressive alterations. The large entrance to the graveyard has a smart gate and a new sign on one of the gateposts announces the presence of some Commonwealth War Graves. It is all very neat and is entirely appropriate for a memorial.

St Peter's Church, Petersham

My self-imposed geographic boundary of this blog includes the narrow path that runs around the graveyard of St Peter's Church in Petersham. It is a boundary that I do not walk very often as I prefer to keep to the central parts of Ham and also because the path does not go anywhere interesting.

As a result, St Peter's Church has not featured here as often as perhaps it should.

The other reason is that I find it quite unattractive although the sheer mass of brick has some merit.

The graveyard looks much like you would expect a graveyard to look with graves old and new, and with some still cared for while others lie neglected. The trees lining the far edge hide the houses behind and the main road that they sit on.

High window with bricks

I wonder if this window high-up on the front of St Peter's Church has been bricked up to keep the ungodly out or the godly in. Either way it provides a welcome touch of decoration and mystery to a fairly ordinary building, architecturally speaking.

Interesting corner

The far corner of the graveyard at St. Peter's church has an interesting assortment of walls, roofs, angles, greys and browns. The Dysart Arms is behind the large grey wall.

Golden weathervane on St. Peter's church

My exploration of the weathervanes in Ham (and Petersham) brings me to St. Peter's church where the fairly simple design, appropriate for a church, has been given a golden touch that makes it worth viewing for a few moments.

George Vancouver

I am embarrassed to admit that I only became aware of George Vancouver's connection with the area through an announcement made on a flight back from the city that carries his name.

His grave, in St. Peter's church, used to be as old and weathered as all the rest and so it was quite a challenge to find it but the fresh light stone makes it stand out now.

St Peter's church

St Peter's church in Petersham is a simple brick built building but has a few architectural features, like the cute tower, to lift it a little above the ordinary.

Graveyard at St Peter's Church

St Peter's Church is accessed via the narrow road that leads to Petersham Nurseries and also from a footpath that runs around the graveyard, from where I took this photo.

The most famous grave here is that of George Vancouver and, to my shame, I learnt this from an in-flight announcement on my way back from Vancouver! When I mentioned this famous local down the pub I discovered that everybody knew about his local connections except me and that Vancouver Day celebrations where held in some of the local schools.