Become a Friend and support the work of the Trust!The Friends of Buckinghamshire’s Historic Churches is, in effect, the support group of the Trust. We aim –
We achieve this by organising regular events and newsletters for Friends. Money raised from subscriptions and events, apart from administrative expenses, goes annually to the Trust – in the last two years we have been able to give the Trust more than £10,000 – the equivalent of three or four grants to places of worship in Buckinghamshire. The Friends are run by a small committee consisting of an Hon Chairman, who is a trustee, an Hon Secretary and an Hon Treasurer, all of whom are appointed by the Trust, and at least one other member appointed by the committee. By becoming a Friend of Buckinghamshire’s Historic Churches – – you will help to support the work of the Trust and make a real contribution to raising awareness of the Trust’s work; – you will receive a priority booking application form for the annual reception, usually held in an historic house in Buckinghamshire. The applications for this are generally well oversubscribed and so as a Friend you will improve your chances of getting a ticket; – you will be invited to visit a number of Churches and Chapels with a specialist – guide: in recent years we have visited churches and chapels in the north and south of the county, and arranged a rare visit to the Bedford Chapel at Chenies; – you will be invited to attend the annual lecture: past topics have included favourite churches in Bucks, a review of chapels in Bucks, and specific topics such as bell ringing, stained glass or brass monuments; – you will be invited to visit interesting buildings not always readily accessible – in the past two years we have visited Oxford College Chapels and the College of Arms in London; – you will receive a copy of the Trust’s Annual Report. Details of all Friends’ events are circulated to members and can be found on this website. The suggested minimum annual cost of becoming a Friend of Buckinghamshire’s Historic Churches is only £20.00 for one person or £30.00 for two people at the same address but if you were able to give more this would be greatly appreciated. Details of Life Membership are available from the Hon Treasurer whose details are on the form. If you would like to join, please complete your contact details on the application form. To reduce administration costs please complete the standing order instruction; otherwise send a cheque payable to: Friends of Buckinghamshire’s Churches. |
 Chenies  Stewkley  Ivinghoe  Soulbury |
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| IMPORTANT:
Due to the coronavirus pandemic we have postponed our Annual Lecture, our visit to Hartwell House and our Summer Reception. The other events are subject to change. We apologize for any inconvenience caused. |
| Event | When | Details | Annual Lecture POSTPONED | New date to be advised | It will be given by Professor Robert Cumming and is entitled A Presidential visit to Buckinghamshire. In April 1786 John Adams and Thomas Jefferson (who became the second and third Presidents of the United States of America) made a week long tour together of middle England. They travelled through Buckinghamshire on their way north to Stratford-upon-Avon and Birmingham (passing through Thame and Haddenham, and spending a night in Buckingham); and again on their way south to visit Worcester and Oxford, and back to London via High Wycombe. The talk explores why they came, what they saw, what they did, and speculates about what churches they might have visited. Robert’s professional career has been in the art world: art critic, art historian, author, TV presenter, and consultant; he has also worked for many public and charitable bodies. A particular interest has been to engage with works of art directly at first hand, and to try to make them come alive to the widest possible audience. Country Life commented: “Mr Cumming sets out in an easily understandable form the experience it would take a dealer or a collector a lifetime to accumulate”. He is also a Friend of Buckinghamshire’s Historic Churches.The cost of the lecture is £6.00 for Friends and £8.00 per head for non-Friends and includes a glass of wine or soft drink on arrival. Booking Form Word Format PDF Format |
| Visit to Hartwell House POSTPONED | New date to be advised | We plan to visit Hartwell House, on the outskirts of Aylesbury (HP17 8NR). As you may know it is a beautiful and historic Jacobean and Georgian house, set in over 90 acres of gardens and parkland designed by a contemporary of Capability Brown, within which is the octagonal redundant parish church designed in the mid 1700s by Henry Keene. Hartwell House is owned by the Ernest Cook Trust and is on a long lease to the National Trust and run as a country house hotel by Historic Houses Hotels. We will meet at 11:30am for tea / coffee and biscuits during which Carol Fryer of the Stone Local History Group will give us an introductory talk about the church. We will then walk to the church for a brief look around the outside of this elegant edifice (you cannot enter the church as it has no roof and is dangerous inside). Before lunch, the general manager of the hotel will talk to us about the history of the house and its connections with Louis XVIII of France and with local Buckinghamshire families. We will then settle down to a three course lunch. After lunch you are free to wander round the extensive and beautiful grounds before departing.The cost is £50.00 per head for Friends and £55.00 per head for non Friends. If you require drinks with your meal or coffee / tea after the meal, you will have to pay for those separately. It should be a lovely occasion and we hope you can join us - please complete the form below and send it to me.Booking Form Word Format PDF Format More details can be seen at the Hartwell House website. |
| Summer Reception CANCELLED | The Summer Reception was to be held at Trinity Church, Bledlow and Lord Carrington had kindly agreed to be the guest speaker.This Grade I flint built Romanesque church dates mainly from the 12th and 13th centuries and is largely unchanged. We look forward to being able to invite you to a reception next year. | |
| Church Crawl POSTPONED | Date to be confimed | Details to follow. |
| Event | When | Details |
| Church Crawl | Thursday 11th April 2019 | The crawl, with Michael Hardy leading , was well attended and we visited three very different churches. First All Saints church at Little Kimble, with its 14th century scheme of wall paintings. After a pub lunch we visited St. Dunstan’s in Monks Risborough (14th and 15th century, restored by GE Street in the mid 19th century), and then finally St. Teresa of the Child Jesus in Princes Risborough, the imposing Catholic church built in 1937-8. |
| Summer Reception | Thursday 4th July 2019 | The Summer Reception this year was held at Liscombe House by kind permission of Alex and Jane Bonsor. |
| Annual Lecture | Tuesday 3rd September 2019 | Our annual lecture was given on the evening of Tuesday 3rd September by our Chairman, Marilynne Morgan, who talked about the Rev Thomas Scott (1747 – 1821), known as The Commentator, who was Rector at Aston Sandford 1801-1820; his grandson was the architect Sir Gilbert Scott, who some 140 years ago influenced the restoration of Aston Sandford Church undertaken in Thomas Scott’s memory. We met up for drinks at the Old Tithe barn at The Old Rectory, Aston Sandford (by kind permission of the Hon Laura Macpherson). | Visit to Lambeth Palace | Friday 15th November 2019 | This visit was well over subscribed when we visited Lambeth Palace which is the London home of the Archbishop of Canterbury, his family and two religious communities. It is the centre of his ministry, worship and hospitality. We were shown the rooms and chapels and gardens of Lambeth Palace, and heard about the history of the Archbishops of Canterbury. |