St Botolphs Church
2024 Fete- Hadstock Society Exhibition in St Botolph’s Church
Photos by Catherine Condie
Millennium Introductory Video – Rev’d Paula Griffiths
This is an introductory video to the 1020-2020 Millennium celebrations given by the chair of the Hadstock Millennium Group. Video produced by Peter Jarritt and Licenced under CC-BY-NC: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ “
Dating St Botolph’s North Door
In 2003, the village helped remove the north door to enable an Oxford University Archaeology unit remove samples for dating by dendrochronology. The results gave a date range of 1040-1070AD. This video shows how the door was removed for core sampling.
View from back of Goldacre in the 1950s, once the Queen’s Head pub
Aerial View 1980
‘ Landscape history of Hadstock Parish 1777-2020, Part 5: Notable Buildings’, by Richard Dolby and Pat Croxton-Smith
This is a further addition to the series of illustrated online publications dealing with the landscape history of Hadstock Parish. Part 5 presents images and explanatory text on notable buildings, including St Botolph’s church, the former village school, listed houses, shops, large barns, pubs, mills and WW2 airfield structures.
Carol Concert with the Hadstock Silver Band, December 2022
St Botolph’s from The Green, photo by Donald Stewart, 1981
St Botolph’s Church from Church Path, photo by Donald Stewart, 1981
Revd Paula Griffiths publishes a collection of her poems
LOCAL POET PRODUCES COLLECTION
“This is the Only Moment” by Rev’d Paula Griffiths
A collection of poems, ‘This is the Only Moment: Poems from a Journey’, was published on 15th July 2022 by local resident The Rev’d Paula Griffiths.
The book of 29 wide-ranging poems includes an appendix giving a very interesting and helpful context in which each of the poems was written.
Paula moved to the Saffron Walden area in 1999 with her husband Roger after years in London, where they were both born, and quickly felt delight in the new space and beauty around them. Many of the poems are rooted in the natural world around Saffron Walden: others reflect events which affected all our lives, beginning with 9/11 and the Iraq War of 2003 and the beginnings of greater awareness of climate change; yet others reflect events in her previous career dealing with cathedral and church buildings – including the commuting experience! All are part of a personal journey, which led to ordination and 12 years of service with the Saffron Walden and Villages Team Ministry. She was Priest at St Botolph’s, Hadstock from 2014-2021, and retired in June 2021 and is now a member of the retired clergy team supporting the churches.
Paula says: “After I retired last summer, I felt I wanted to share this collection of poems with others. Coming to live in a rural setting near Saffron Walden, experiencing the strong sense of community here, and seeing how the countryside changes day by day really helped root me in the wonders of creation as we made new friends here. I hope you too may enjoy them.”
The Rev’d Jeremy Trew, Team Rector, said, “It is a pleasure to work and walk alongside Paula, who has a gift of reflecting on the ordinary as well as the extraordinary, and turning this reflection into verse; sometimes gentle, often poignant.”
All proceeds from the sale of the book will support the churches of the Saffron Walden and Villages Team Ministry. It is printed by E & E Plumridge Ltd, Linton.
Copies of This is the Only Moment: Poems from a Journey, which costs £5, can be obtained from Harts Bookshop, the Tourist Information Office, by prior arrangement from St Mary’s Parish Office (email office@stmaryssaffronwalden.org and phone number 01799 506024), or direct from paula.greatford@btinternet.com.
‘Remembering: what’s the point of the past?’ by Revd Paula Griffiths
Held in St Botolph’s Church on September 15th 2016, Revd Paula Griffiths presented her views and led an interactive discussion with the attendees.
War Records – the stories behind our WW1 war memorial, by Roger Mance
Read this fascinating research by Roger Mance into the background stories and family history of 18 men who gave their lives in the Great War, 1914-1918 AD. The names of the 18 are to be found on the village war memorial in the south transept of St Botolph’s Church, Hadstock. All were born in Hadstock or had families with a close association to our village. Roger’s account was created as a tribute to the memory, courage and sacrifice of these men and produced as part of the 2020 Millennium celebrations for the Church.
‘Remembering: what’s the point of the past?’ by Revd Paula Griffiths
Held in St Botolph’s Church on September 15th 2016, Revd Paula Griffiths presented her views and led an interactive discussion with the attendees.
Parochial Church Council (PCC) retirements, 21st March 2017
Patricia Croxton-Smith (known to us all as Crocky) was Fabric Officer for the church for 40 years, and worked tirelessly to see it through many phases of essential building repairs from the 1960s on. She stepped down from this post at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting on 21 March 2017, when Rick Albrow took her place. Robin Betser was churchwarden for 8 years and also stepped down at that meeting. Members of the congregation, the Friends of St Botolph and the Hadstock Society joined together to thank them and celebrate their achievements. Left to right: Irene Stapleton, Robin Betser, the Revd Paula Griffiths, Crocky, Hamish McIlwrick, Tony Handley and Malcolm Seward.
1020-2020 Millennium Service and Sermon, 18th October 2020
The Revd Paula Griffiths, Priest at Hadstock, led the service and gave the sermon on 18th October 2020 to celebrate the Millennium of the consecration of St Botolph’s Church. Due to restrictions caused by the prevailing Covid 19 pandemic, the congregation was limited to 30, each person spaced 2 metres apart, except for family groups. Singing was not possible.
St Botolph’s church is thought by many experts to be the minster built by King Cnut to commemorate all the dead on both sides of the Battle of Assandun in 1016 fought between the English and the Danes.
Millennium Service Sheet, 16th October 2016
This is the order of service for the commemoration event held in St Botolph’s Church on the 16th October 2016 at which former Archbishop of Canterbury, Right Reverend Rowan Williams, was the preacher.
Pictures from the Millennium Service held to commemorate the Battle of Assandun, October 2016
On Sunday 16th October 2016, Revd Paula Griffiths, Priest at St Botolph’s, led a special service to commemorate the Battle of Assandun Millennium. The preacher was the Right Reverend Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury 2002-2012.
2004 Seminar on the history and development of St Botolph’s Church
Read the summary of a seminar organised by the Hadstock Society and held on 8 July 2004 in which experts discussed the latest research findings into the foundations and fabric of our village church, including the north door.
BBC Essex comes to Hadstock, April 2021
On 25th April 2021, Liana Bridges and Barry Lewis from BBC Radio Essex came to St Botolph’s for a live broadcast as part of their Essex Quest programme. The team has to solve 3 cryptic clues with audience help, each of which leads them to a specific Essex destination, not more than 15 miles away.
Choral Evensong for St Botolph’s Day, 19th June, 2016
As part of the activities to commemorate the Millennium of the Battle of Assandun, evensong was sung by the choir of St Mary’s Saffron Walden. The choir was led by their Director of Music, Oli King, and Jeremy Allan played the organ.
Choral Evensong for St Botolph’s Day, 19th June 2016
The congregation gathers for a special service on St Botolph’s Day, to commemorate the 1016 Millennium year of the Battle of Assandun. The Bishop of Colchester, seen by our Saxon door, preached a sermon on ‘The Open Door’
St Botolph’s Church Baptism Records, 1871-1920
The records of 472 baptisms were transcribed by Roger Mance during the course of his research into the names on the WW1 memorial.
A Confirmation Service on Easter Eve, April 2021
The Bishop of Colchester, Rt Revd Roger Morris, led this Confirmation Service. It was the first to be held in St Botolph’s since 2007. Originally planned for July 2020, it had to be postponed twice because of Covid restrictions. Five candidates were confirmed – Melanie Abbiss, Charli Batley, Benedict Hannam, Cecily Hannam and Felix Hannam.
St Botolph’s Church on Christmas Day 2018
Light in the bleak midwinter