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Ascension Day

Ascension Walsingham

I have a confession to make. It is this that I like to listen to Radio 4 from time to time. In particular I enjoy Melvin Bragg's, 'In Our Time'. He deals with all sorts of topics from geography, history, science and religion to philosophy and does it very well. The other week I listened to a program on 'Arianism' which was an ancient form of Christianity. I don't propose to analyse it here but something did strike me as interesting. It is this that as human beings we do not seem to be satisfied with something unless we know how it works. Generally, this is a good thing because it drives us to find more and more about the world we live in and to develop better solutions to the problems we face. Sometimes though, and religion is a case in point, this desire can get in our way.

If you go to Walsingham and to the Chapel of the Ascension you will see a very beautiful little chapel with a blue ceiling and a plaster work cloud with a pair of feet sticking through it. This is to say the least a very literal understanding of the passages in the Bible about Jesus ascension into heaven.

When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God. Luke 24 vs 50ff.

The words 'taken up' are interesting here and although often taken literally probably just reflect the idea that heaven was believed to be in the sky in Jesus' day. I find it fascinating that youngsters and children seem to be much more amenable than older generations to the idea of Jesus moving from this realm of existence to some other realm of existence and not necessarily one in the sky. I think this is because they are now fed a diet of science that promulgates ideas of parallel universes, science fiction films and tv series that work these ideas out in stories and books such as the Harry Potter stories which create a whole new world alongside our own. There are many similar. Just brows your library bookshelves (when Covid allows us to).

A literal understanding of where Jesus went is not necessary, not important and can get I the way. When I see the Walsingham chapel my first thought is 'O Dear'. I think that this is because the ornamentation reduces a profound event to something that looks rather silly, which is a shame.

It is enough to believe that Jesus moved from here to somewhere nearby. How this actually took place is not important.

After all, did not Jesus say that the Kingdom of God has come near you?

Three Valleys Team Ministry

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The Folke Altarpiece and Sir James Thornhill

Sometime early in the 19th Century the Reverend Robert Frome, Rector of St Lawrence Church at Folke (1777 to 1833) gave the church an Altarpiece by Sir James Thornhill of the Resurrection of Christ. This painting had been given to him by Charles Sturt, esq. when Grange Chapel at Middlemarch was pulled down.

James Thornhill (1675 to 1734), Dorset born and bred, became a renowned artist and architect of his time. Among his many commissions are the Dome of St Paul's Cathedral, Greenwich, Blenheim Palace and, local to us, the amazing stairwell at Sherborne House. He is the first British artist to be awarded a knighthood.

Over the years the painting became a bit of burden to the church, it hung in the church until 1964 when the damp of the unheated building had caused so much damage it prompted the Parochial Church Council (PCC) to take action.

The Bristol City Art gallery took the painting and carried out some conservation work and it was on permanent loan to them for 10 years. After that time the Gallery declined to keep it longer. The PCC made huge efforts to loan the picture to other organisations, including the National Trust, but to no avail, its size of 7 feet x 3.3 feet proved a stumbling block, so it was decided to sell it. It was sent to Christies for Auction in 1965 but failed to reach the recommended reserve. Strangely at this time Christies attributed it to Sir Issac Fuller and called it the Ascension. There are no papers to explain this assertion. After that the PCC was fortunate to loan the painting to the Dorset County Museum (DCM) in Dorchester. It has been stored there ever since.

In the meantime Jeremy Barker, trustee of The Friends of Sherborne House, and Thornhill enthusiast, has written a detailed book about the Altarpiece essentially to prove the painting's provenance.

At the end of last year DCM requested a 5 year loan from the PCC to hang the painting in the new Dorset Artist's Gallery when the Museum reopens after refurbishment. This led to a close examination of the painting and restoration work being identified. It was sent to International Fine Art Conservation Studios in Bristol. Over £9,000 work was required. This has been carried out and largely paid for by The Friends of Sherborne House , thank you to Jeremy Barker, and the balance paid by DCM charitable funds. The PCC are very, very grateful to the both organisations.

The painting will now spend 5 years at DCM. It is then destined to hang in Sherborne House when the restoration there has been completed. Folke PCC could not have wished for a better outcome, and cannot wait to go and see it.

The painting has now been confirmed as The Resurrection by Sir James Thornhill.

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A PRAYER FOR ALL THOSE AFFECTED BY CORONAVIRUS

Keep us, good Lord,

under the shadow of your mercy.

Sustain and support the anxious,

be with those who care for the sick,

and lift up all who are brought low;

that we may find comfort

knowing that nothing can separate us from your love