All Saints Kirkby Overblow has constantly been adapting through the centuries adopting new technologies and responding to the needs of the local community.

All Saints Parish Church sits at the centre of the small village of Kirby Overblow south of Harrogate and has seen many changes since reference was made to a church in the village in the Domesday Book.  Part of the current building dates back to the 14th century although a fragment of carved stone from the10th century has been found during recent works.

During the 18th century, the tower was largely rebuilt and fitted with a new clock (said to have the longest pendulum in Yorkshire); the chancel was re-roofed and re-paved; and a new porch was built.

In the 19th century new windows were pierced in the north wall, the tower arch and the west window were opened up and a completely new chancel arch was built. In addition a new stone pulpit was erected and new pews were installed. In 1890, improvements in lighting came with oil lamps replacing the old system of candles but the following year a fire destroyed the chancel roof and caused much damage to the choir stalls and organ.

The 20th century change continued with further improvements and the installation of electricity and the removal of some pews.

The millennium was celebrated with the installation of a mezzanine floor and a glass arch in the tower.
In the 21st century this pattern has continued with major changes.

When consideration was being given to providing a space for community activities including arts events and  a venue for the thriving drama group to put on productions, various proposals where considered; these  included building an arts barn or further changes being made to the church. The local community opted for and supported the further reordering of the church to provide a high quality and contemporary community space, with villagers giving generously to fund this project.

Under floor heating was installed, the 19th century pine pews were removed, the building re-wired and a fire alarm system installed along with professional stage lighting to cater for theatre and arts productions.

Today anyone entering this building will be struck by its warmth and light and with its modern facilities and with excellent acoustics the building is now used for a variety of uses including: Church Services, Conferences, Parties, Exhibition, Concerts, Wedding and Fashion Shows, Trade Fairs, Musical Events and Competitions, Drama and Film Shows and as a Recording Venue.  Facilities include

• Seating for 120 with clear sight lines
• Flexible seating and tables
• Data projector & screen,
• Microphones and hearing loops
• Sophisticated lighting system for concerts / theatre
• Wall space for posters and for exhibitions
• Exhibition boards for mounting work
• Small Kitchen with tea & coffee making facilities
• WC and parking area

Change continues and with the regular use being made of the building this has revealed the need for an upgraded kitchen area, improved toilet facilities and a meeting room so work goes on.

Thanks to All Saints Kirby Overblow website for much of the material and photographs used in this article.
www.allsaintschurchko.co.uk/

Another Church near Ripon that has undergone a similar transformation is St John's Sharrow see www.stjohnssharow.org/

Holidays, Labyrinths & Holy Days

Recently in order to attend a training day on spirituality, I travelled from Harrogate to Scargill House near Kettlewell in Wharfedale, which lies at the heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

I used to live at Linton, close to Kettlewell, so making this longer journey felt rather different.

As I made my way I noticed that the roads became narrower at each junction, until they were reduced to a single carriageway with passing places. The landscape also became greener and more wooded as I approached Scargill.

As the subject of the day was spirituality I reflected as I drove on the nature of journey and it reminded me of some of the myths where people travel to far off places to receive enlightenment, such as visiting an oracle on a mountain peak or by travelling to the centre of a thick forest.

I observed how there were few buildings in upper Wharfedale and the landscape seemed more soothing on the eye and I started to relax. Perhaps this was due to a  phenomena I had recently heard about that suggests that hard angles found common in an urban setting causes visual stress; where as a natural setting devoid of these is more restful.  This sounded similar to how words on a page create visual stress for some people with certain learning differences such as dyslexia.

One of the spiritual exercises I encountered over the weekend was to follow the patterns of a labyrinth as a visual and Kinesthetic prayer. The prayer exercise involved tracing a journey to the heart of a complex labyrinth where prayers were left with Christ before returning along the same pathway to the mouth of the labyrinth. Unlike a maze you cannot get lost in a labyrinth as you return the way you entered with the journey designed to facilitate reflection and prayer. 

In a way I realised that as I made my journey through the Dales to Scargill House this was like travelling to the heart of a labyrinth and resembled a mini pilgrimage. In fact had the training day be conveniently located nearer home I don’t think it would not have had such a significant impact on me.

So if you are making a journey  this summer, perhaps to your holiday destination, consider the journey and your return like a journey to the heart of a labyrinth, where at the centre you will be able to leave your prayers with Christ. In doing so your holidays will not just be time off from work but will have become Holy Days, which by the way is where we get our word holiday from.   So happy holidays

Resources on labyrinth can be found at: http://labyrinthsociety.org and www.pilgrimpasths.co.uk  and for details of events and accommodation at Scargill see www.scargillmovement.org