pumpkinstrokemarrow

Utilities seem to have fallen prey to the same disease which afflicts telephone companies and financial services companies, with their complicated fare structures making their bills more or less impossible to understand, on or off line. But while British Gas contents itself with a simple Director of Customer Services signing their letters, one of them - I forget which - goes so far as to have a Director of Customer Experience or some such. Progress!

Meanwhile, back with Brighton, time to enumerate our ecclesiastical experiences there.

No. 1. St. Nicolas, Brighton. Not long in this one as they were limbering up for a mid week morning service. But long enough to take in a high church ambience, a fine Norman font and the smell of luvvies. Plus that of a quick pre-service fag in the porch.

No. 2. Royal Chapel, Brighton. Impressive wooden building from the inside, painted in pale, near-white tones with a silk finish, more or less square with a large and high lantern. Good place for a bit of quiet recruitment, away from the bustle of central Brighton.

No 3. St. Peter's, Brighton. A large and impressive place from the outside, but closed, apparently having been turned over to the people who operate the Brompton Oratory for refurbishment and subsequent use according to their rites.

No. 4. St.Paul's, Brighton. A strangely impressive establishment, to which we were drawn by its tall and elaborate tower. Present home to something called the Wagner Movement, which appeared to be Anglo-Catholic but which Wikipedia says is all mixed up with the Tractarians from Oxford. Handsome nave roof, of a configuration which I had never come across before. Handsome stained glass, of Pugin design if not construction. See S. Shepherd (2009). Ongoing intrapucine dispute about whether chairs, red or brown, should be preferred to pews.

No. 5. Hove Cemetery. A large establishment complete with a proper old style chapel house with left and right hand chapels with a high entrance between to take a horse drawn hearse. Not quite as fancy as that we came across in East London on May 5th, 2010. A proper establishment in the sense that old graves were allowed to moulder gently away: the paths were kept open and the weeds were kept down, but little or no officious upkeep or restoration. Maybe they have a program of turning sectors over to nature preserve when the youngest grave is 66.67 years old, a period chosen to make it unlikely that any relatives are near enough to care one way or the other.

No. 6. St Julian's, Kingston Buci. Kingston Buci being also known as Kingston by sea, to distinguish it from the parvenu version near Epsom. It is claimed that at the time of the Domesday Book, Kingston paid more tax than Brighton, having the advantage & commercials which come with a safe harbour. A very old church, substantially rebuilt in the 11th century. Handsome double decker pulpit (illustrated), rather like those seen last year in Romney Marsh, not so far away as it happens. The property at one time of one Ralph de Buci, a companion of The Conqueror, who probably knew FIL's great-great-great-great...grandfather, one Count Eustace. They may even have shared the odd cup that cheers.

No. 7. St. Mary de Haura, New Shoreham. A very large church, with some old bits, including some impressive Norman columns. Very large, despite the nave having been lost: all we get is the chancel and the crossing. Mr. Google alleges that the haura bit is Old Friesian for harbour; not a special virgin at all. And sadly, the church wardens had found it necessary to erect substantial iron railings to keep vandals - and us - out of the body of the church. A reminder that while Shoreham might have lots of twee shops (including no less than two butchers, one with the remnant of the wooden booth in which the cashier used to sit), they also have their dossers and worse on benefit.

All 7 - note the magical number - well worth the visit. Visits which, in our case, were more or less accidental.