Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2013 | Page 26

Mark Fox continues his review of Island churches by visiting...

St Andrew’s, Chale
St. Andrew’s Church is one of the most beautiful churches
on the Island. It sits like a beacon facing out to sea one
way and into the heart of the rural part of the Island in the
other direction. It is well tended inside and outside.
It is an old church. Christian worship has been witnessed
for nearly 900 years and the original place of worship was
dedicated in 1114. It is always possible to sense in a place
of worship whether there is an active sense of living prayer.
There is no question that St. Andrew’s has a clear sense of
that. You know you are in the company of the generations
that have gone before.
St. Andrew’s is deeply rooted in the community and has
had strong connections to various prominent families
throughout its existence. Built by Hugo de Vernon, Lord
of the Manor of Chale, these attachments can be seen in
various windows and extensions that have occurred from
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time-to-time.
There are moving memorials to local people and in
particular to the Royal Marines. War Memorials are living
and vivid reminders of those who sacrificed everything
to enable new generations to live. It is always a humbling
moment to read the names of those who were killed.
Every window in the church is coloured in some way.
This is quite rare but adds to a great sense of colour and
liveliness inside the church, especially if you visit on a
sunny day.
Inside there has been some re-ordering of the pews. To
some this will be a distressing change; to others a much
needed alteration to accommodate modern needs. It’s
always important to bear in mind though that a variety
of seating arrangements will have been used throughout
the life of a church of any age and change reflects life and