st alphege
church tour
The west door
The west door and the great window above it form a uniform composition in the Perpendicular style. Both the surrounding arch and the oak doors date from the 1535 rebuilding of the nave.
Nowadays this is the processional entrance on major festivals and the exit for bridal parties. The positioning of the font has symbolic meaning. As the font is at the entrance of the church so it is by baptism in the font that a new member enters the life of the church. The stones on either side of the door are deeply incised and are known as arrow stones.
The incisions are arrow sharpening marks. To maintain a trained body of archers Edward III commanded, in 1363, that every man should practise at the butts on Sundays and holidays, all other sports being forbidden. The long marks have been made by Broadheads, the round by Bodkins - types of arrowheads used with the long bows of the time.
To the right of the door, at the base of the angled buttress, is a surveyor's bench-mark recording the height of 433.31 feet (132 metres) above sea level. There is another on the brick wall on Church Hill.
OUR REGULAR SERVICES
ST ALPHEGE
Sundays
8.00am Holy Eucharist (said)
9.15am Parish Eucharist in church
'The Junction' in the Oliver Bird Hall
joining Parish Eucharist at communion
2nd Sunday: All-age Eucharist in church
11.00am Sung Eucharist
(using traditional language)
6.30pm Choral Evensong
4th Sunday: Congregational Evensong
Weekday Eucharists
Monday 9.30am
Tuesday 9.30am
Wednesday 10.15am
Thursday 10.30am
1st in month - Healing
3rd in month - Mothers' Union
Corporate Eucharist
Saturday 9.30am
Daily Morning Prayer
Mon-Sat 9.00am
(Wednesday 8.30am in term time)
ST HELEN
Sundays
8.00am Eucharist
(Book of Common Prayer)
10am Parish Eucharist & Sunday Club 3rd Sunday: All-age worship
(No eucharist)
6.30pm Evening Worship in Chapel
2nd Sunday: Wholeness and Healing
in Chapel
Weekday Eucharist
Friday 10.00am
ST MICHAEL
Sundays
10.30am Holy Eucharist & Sunday Club (Sharmans Cross Junior School)
2nd Sunday: All-age worship
4.30pm 2nd Sunday: Holy Communion (St Michael's Chapel, Bryanston Road)
Weekday Eucharist
Wednesday 10.00am
(St Michael's Chapel, Bryanston Road)
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