Excellent visit here where one of my cousin lives …read more Beautiful Cathedral about 2 hrs away from London

St Alban's is one of England's oldest towns. There has been a settlement here since the 1st Century…read moreBC, and in AD 43 the Romans chose the site for their city of Verulamium, which became the Capital of the Roman province of Brittania. The city owes its modern name to a Roman soldier, Alban. He became the first Christian to be martyred on English soil, around 303 AD, for hiding and aiding the escape of a Christian priest named Amphibalus. A shrine is recorded here in early times, and St Germanus visited the site in 429 AD. An abbey was established in his honour by King Offa in 739 AD, and in 1154 its abbot became Archabbot of England, making it the premier abbey in the land. After the Reformation, the church became the Parish church of St Alban's, and was elevated to cathedral status in 1877. Little remains of Offa's abbey, which was largely made of wood. The Normans began to rebuild it in 1077, and given the lack of building stone in the area, instead used Roman bricks recycled from the earlier town: the church therefore contains substantial amounts of fabric, if not architecture, dating from the 3rd and 4th Centuries. The south transept also contains stone columns from the earlier Saxon church. The early Norman work is unusual in that the Roman bricks were too hard to carve, and the walls were therefore plastered and painted with geometrical designs. Much of this decoration survives, together with delicate frescoes dated from around 1220. The Nave is unusual in being over 300ft (100m) long, and but also shows a distinct change of style from the romanesque style of the Normans to the later gothic work: most of this is in a beautiful Decorated Gothic style, especially that in the Lady Chapel. The church was essentially finished in its present form in 1323. As well as the frescoes, there is much of interest elsewhere in the church. Throughout the church are examples of impressive carving from the decorated gothic period, as well as fragments of mediaeval stained glass. The altar screen and painted ceiling in the sanctuary are both impressive works from the 15th century, and the floor contains a beautiful pavement of Victorian glazed encaustic tiles by Minton & Company. Behind the Sanctuary lies St Alban's chapel. At its heart lies the 13th century marble shrine to St Alban, rebuilt from the original fragments after it was destroyed in the Reformation. It continues to be a major site of pilgrimage. To the north is a carved oak Watching Loft dating from 1400, and to the south the impressive Perpendicular monument of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester and brother of Henry V, completed in 1447. Beyond the shrine is the beautiful Lady Chapel, completed around 1315. The church has an excellent modern refectory, bookshop and a small gift shop. There are regular guided tours and wheel-chair access is available - see website.

Also known as Greensted church, this unassuming spot is both rustic and charming - you might almost…read moreexpect Hansel and Gretel to walk in at any moment - but is also historically very important. The nave walls are built of upright, halved wooden logs - for here is Europe's oldest wooden building still standing, and the oldest wooden church in the world. History The history of the site dates back around 1300 years: the land of the East Saxons - now Essex - was evangelised By Saint Cedd in 654AD, who was based at nearby Bradwell on the Essex coast. Remains have been found under the present church of a wooden building dating from the late sixth or seventh century, which may have been a sanctuary used by the early missionaries. The dedication to St Andrew also suggests a Celtic foundation. The present nave was erected around 1060AD; the logs have been dated by dendrochronology (ie by tree-rings) to around this period. It was originally dated to some 200 years earlier, but even with this date its status as Europe's oldest standing wooden building and the world's oldest wooden church remains. The original church was probably thatched, and without windows. The Normans built a chancel, although all that remains now are the footings and a pillar piscina. The present brick chancel was erected around 1500, and at the same time the handsome chancel arch inserted and roofs rebuilt and tiled. The date of the tower is uncertain, but it may have been added in the 17th century - one of the bells is dated 1618. The east wall of the chancel was rebuilt in the Victorian period and the roof and walls also repaired. An interesting piece of history is that some of the Tolpuddle Martyrs, after they were pardoned, were settled in Greensted on their return, and one of them, James Brine, was married here in 1839. The church The church now is about as picturesque as it is possible to get: the porch leads straight into the Saxon nave, passing a 12th century Crusader tomb just outside on your right. It is the UK's only log church. Inside, the nave is incredibly dark, despite the insertion of dormer windows. The nave still has its box pews. The chancel is somewhat brighter, and whitewashed. The church has some interesting fittings: the pulpit was donated in 1698 by Alexander Cleeve, and in the chancel are the Norman piscina and a memorial to Jone Wood, dated 1585. The eagle lectern is an impressive bit of Victoriana. Most of the glass is also Victorian, save a small but well preserved piece of 15th century glass in the quatrefoil window in the west wall. The rear of the church has all sorts of items for sale to help fundraising, from the usual postcards and guides to a wide selection of country jams and other sweet treats. Practicalities The directions given the the review by 'the xyone' are spot on - the walk should take 15-20 minutes from Chipping Ongar. If you drive there, there is parking for a dozen cars, including a space for disabled visitors, although the narrowness of the aisle in the church will probably make it difficult to use a wheelchair.

Known as the Log Church this is the oldest wooden church in Britain. Don't try and find it by it's…read morepostcode, get the Explorer 183 OS map, OS grid reference TL537030. The best way to get to it is drive to Chipping Ongar and park in Sainsbury's car park, parking is free on Sundays. Take the Essex Way from behind there, it's less than a mile walk. The church cute and little and nice to be in on a winters day, and for somewhere that was built in the mid 9th century is a marvelous bit of history. Now I'm not a big church fan but this place is lovely and I think you should put some money in the collection box. Either go back the way you came or continue on the Essex Way till just before Widow's Farm and make it a circular walk of 3-4 miles.

I attended this church for a few years many moons ago, and recently went back a couple of times as…read morewe were passing nearby on a Sunday morning. Interestingly, the atmosphere of the place had hardly changed a bit -- which is quite remarkable considering that, thanks to the transient nature of Cambridge's student population, they have a 50% turnover of their congregation every few years. It still felt like a busy, welcoming family church, one where town and gown mix happily together. The services we attended were very informal, with worship distinctly at the 'low' end of the Anglican spectrum; however, if you enjoy that style of worship, what was on offer when we went was very good. The small mid-week groups seemed to be particularly well-developed, with effective use made of the web to keep in touch during the week. All in all, a very good church; if we lived in Cambridge in the future I'm sure we'd attend very regularly.

St Martin's is a historic Norman church in the pretty little town of Chipping Ongar, and is…read moresituated just off the High Street. The church was built just after the Norman conquest, around 1080. The original nave and chancel still survive, and the flint walls incorporate reused Roman bricks and tiles - clearly visible from the outside. The church was extended in Victorian times, but still retains its 15th century steeple, complete with 17th century clock. Still, outside, on the north wall of the sanctuary is a small recess (now with a door), with a very small window on the inside. This was originally an anchorite cell - where a hermit could take part in the service without being seen or coming into contact with the parishioners. Inside, the atmosphere in the nave is dark, thanks to the low, heavy 14th century roof, and the prolific amount of Victorian stained glass. The porch, south aisle and nave arcade are also Victorian, and you have to look hard to find the mediaeval features: narrow, round-headed Norman windows in the north wall, above a stoup for Holy Water. The chancel arch was rebuilt around 1350, but some Norman windows also survive in the chancel, alongside 14th and 16th century insertions, and some of the 'scissor' roof beams are also thought to be Norman. The East window is a nice Decorated Gothic example from about 1300. The fittings include a 16th century pulpit, a 15th century font and, on the south wall of the chancel, a memorial to Sara Mitford (d. 1776) by the noted English sculptor Joseph Nollekens. Under the south side of the altar is another memorial, to Jane Pallavicini, cousin of Oliver Cromwell (whose father fought on the Royalist side). Finally, one of the Victorian windows depicts David Livingstone - who lived in Chipping Ongar in 1838-40 to undertake probationary year at the London Missionary Society school.

John Bunyan bought a barn and an orchard in 1672 for the sum of fifty pounds, which was converted…read moreinto a place of meeting.In 1707 it was replaced by a meeting house, and in 1850 the present church was erected.The church has unbelieveable stained glass scenes depicting the scenes from "Pilgrims Progress".That alone is worth the visit.They have a small garden outside that is well maintained. The church is open from 10-4 Tuesdays through Saturday. Sunday services are held 11:00 and 6:30.

It's hard to know exactly how to describe this place. It's basically a load of trees / shrubs /…read morebushes etc planted by Edmund Blyth to make an outdoor cathedral I visited in the winter so the trees weren't in full bloom / colour, but it was still an interesting place to visit. Try and work out which bits are what in the cathedral (can you spot where the nac, cloisters and transepts are!) Good for somewhere to go for a bit of fresh air and peaceful contemplation. There isn't an entry fee, but it's looked after by the National Trust so if you want to contibute to it's up keep give them some money! Nice and close to Whipsnade Animal Park and the Chiltern Downs, so it's easy to visit if you have been to one of these.

A beautiful church located on the way to the city center from the train station. I stopped in to…read moretake a look. Well worth the stop to admire the inside. It is nice that the churches are open during the day for visitors to stop in, pray, or just to take a pause for the day.

A beautiful building. Arouses respect and humility. The drunken homeless was a proof of the…read moreCatholic Church opening their church doors up to anybody :D Krásná stavba. Vzbuzuje úctu a pokoru. Ten opilý bezdomovec jen dokazoval, že dveře katolického kostela jsou otevřeny každému :D

This picturesque small village church is no longer used for regular worship but is managed by the…read moreChurches Conservation Trust, a charity that looks after several hundred church buildings that are of historic and architectural value. It is celebrated for two main special features: the mediaeval wall paintings and the beautiful stained-glass windows. The wall paintings are extensive and remarkable for their antiquity. The windows are impressive and very fine. There are some other features here too, some ancient chain books, and memorials. The church is well kept with help from a local group of fiends and there are occasional services and concerts held in it. The churchyard is also in far better condition than those of many rural churches in continued regular use as places of worship. Access is by collecting the key from one of two nearby houses, and the ancient lock on the door needs a bit of fiddling to open. There don't seem to be any fixed hours but common sense suggests that you should visit in the daytime and as the light switches are not obvious, visit in daylight hours. There are activities for children and there is some interpretation and a small guidebook available. There is no fee but donations are requested and it is to be hoped that visitors will make a contribution to the upkeep of this beautiful ancient church.