On Saturday 10 September St Nicholas Church in West Boldon is one of thousands of sites across England taking part in the Heritage Open Day Weekend, a festival of history and culture. The festival is an opportunity to visit hidden places and try out new experiences, all of which are free to explore.
St. Nicholas' Church is the Parish Church of West Boldon and is a Grade I Listed Building. Reverend Paul Barker, Priest-in-Charge of the church is delighted to be taking part. “We are really excited to be taking part in this event and hope it will be interesting and fun for all the family. We are really proud of our heritage in Boldon and our church, which dates back to the 8th century, plays a big role in the history of our community.”
The church is of historical interest as a great deal of the original Saxon stonework is still visible, but the majority of the structure dates from the 13th century. The windows were all enlarged in the late Victorian period, so all of the beautiful stained glass dates from that period. There are several memorial tablets commemorating the fallen of the Boer War and the two World Wars. A memorial tablet traces the Rectors of Boldon back to the 13th century.
The church will be open on Saturday 10 September, between 10am and 4pm. Rev Paul says “we are pleased to be giving visitors an opportunity to explore this special and sacred place, I often speak to people who have lived locally for years but have never set foot inside so this is a great opportunity to come and look around.” Speaking about the role of the church in the community he says “this church is here to serve and welcome everyone in our community, it is open for all.”
On the day the church will be open and volunteers will be on hand to answer questions. Visitors can light a candle for a loved one. For children there will be a special trail around church to learn more about the building, they can also have a try at ringing the ancient church bells (under close supervision!). To find out more about Heritage Open Days please visit www.heritageopendays.org.uk.
Sign up to the event on Facebook.