By ROBERT GIBSON robert.gibson@hexham-courant.co.uk

Published at 13:14, Thursday, 15 January 2009

ST OSWIN’S in Wylam might not be the oldest or largest church in Tynedale, but villagers agree it has something special to offer the local community.

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Set back in a quiet, leafy area of one of the district’s most tranquil villages, the century-old structure provides the perfect space for contemplation.

Under the leadership of the Rev. David Cant, it also remains a pillar of support for local organisations, from Scouts and Guides to Rock Solid, a church group for middle school aged youngsters.

The mothers’ union and the Sunday school likewise continue to thrive and St Oswin’s plays a key role in the ecumenical activities of Wylam and District Churches.

Even the casual churchgoer, however, couldn’t help but be impressed by the church’s setting and the obvious talents of architect Robert James Johnson.

The tower, free-standing on three sides, is set into the south wall and, in effect, provides the interior with a south transept. It houses a peal of six bells which summon the worshippers to church on Sundays.

Outside, the eye is also drawn to the beautiful gardens surrounding the building, tended to by a team of volunteers. Included among them is the garden of remembrance, which stands in place of a burial ground.

Inside, the woodwork is oak throughout and impressively, consistently intricate.

Linenfold carving enhances the pews, doors and pulpit; the stalls in the chancel are embellished with poppy heads; and the panelled ceiling is decorated throughout carved bosses and ribs of gold.

The chancel roof, meanwhile, is enriched by Tudor roses and foliage, painted on the panelled ceiling with ‘ALLELUIA’ at the outer edges.

The most striking feature is the chancel cornice, which carries beautiful golden vines along its entire length.

Numerous stained glass windows are of equally high quality and range from Biblical depictions to modern dedications.

The five-light east window depicts the great hymn Te Deum Laudamus, and the five-light west window the Last Judgement.

At the south-east end of the chancel is a two-light window showing the resurrected Christ appearing to Mary Magdalene and Mary mother of James.

A more recent stained glass window was inserted in the north wall in 1991, dedicated to Dr Edmund Anthony Spriggs and his wife Sheila Helen.

Dr Spriggs was respected chest doctor who lived in Wylam for many years, and his commemorative window was designed and made by eminent stained glass artist Leonard Charles Evetts.

It conveys aspects of healing – through a depiction of the plants hyssop, rosemary and chervil – and wildlife, of which the great doctor was fond.

Another significant memorial window commemorates a man named Richard Clayton, without whom St Oswin’s might never have been built in the first place.

The saint’s connection with Wylam can be traced back to the 12th century. His shrine was located in Tynemouth Priory, and the Prior of Tynemouth was, in effect, the lord of the manor of Wylam.

However, the village’s faithful had to travel to St Mary’s in Ovingham until 1886, when Mr Clayton began a campaign to have a church built in Wylam itself.

This came to a successful conclusion when George and William Hedley agreed to finance the project, in memory of their parents – William, the pioneering railway engineer, and his wife Francis.

The church remained within the parish of Ovingham until 1902, when the parish of Wylam was created.

Some four months later the first vicar of Wylam, the Rev. Herbert Henry Barff, was instituted. An engaging and approachable fellow, he quickly proved himself up to the job.

Only a dozen years separated the birth of the parish from the outbreak of World War One, and during that period, as church records show, a parochial structure was firmly established.

The issues that claimed the attention of the vestry (parish meeting) then were similar to those today, including the need for the regular faithful to provide financial help to the diocese and concern about the misbehaviour of the ever-troublesome youth.

Thus, at the Easter Vestry in 1903, attention was drawn to “the rough and rude behaviour of a certain section of the younger parishioners, especially before and after, and sometimes during, evening service on Sundays”.

In 1914 parishioners had their minds on more serious matters, as the outbreak of war cast a dark shadow on the middle years of Mr Barff’s ministry.

By 1915 no fewer than 70 young men from village had enlisted, among whom were five bell-ringers from St Oswin’s.

At total of 49 men from the parish were killed in the war and their names appear on the two oak panels affixed beneath the west window of the church.

The war years also brought a halt to plans made in happier times, including those for the building of a parish hall.

Afterwards, however, fund-raising was resumed in earnest, and during 1922 work got under way in accordance with plans drawn up by Newcastle architects W. Dixon & Son.

The hall was built in the south-east corner of the church grounds at a cost of £1,350, and was formally opened on December 30 by the churchwarden.

The 1920s also saw the extension of the altar rails and a overhaul of the organ, which added to the legacies left by Mr Barff, who died in 1929.

Although his successor, William Walter Adamson, was a somewhat more reserved character, he was responsible for helping the church expand in numerous and varied directions.

The Sunday school, the Bible class, the mothers’ union, the Girls’ Friendly Society, the Boy Scouts and Cubs, the Girl Guides and Brownies all seemed to flourish, building a church community strong enough to survive the impact of the World War Two.

The fact that this sense of community has remained strong to this day is testament to how a church like St Oswin’s is much more than just stone and mortar.

Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk