February 2012:
LINCOLN, Bishop Grossteste College Chapel, and LINCOLN, St Matthias Orthodox Church.
Our first visit in February was to the Chapel at Bishop Grossteste University College Lincoln where we were met Revd Carolyn James who gave us an interesting talk of its history. It was originally known as the 'Diocesan Training School for Mistresses', then 'Lincoln Diocesan Training College' and then 'Bishop Grosseteste College' before adopting its current name in 2006. The college initially occupied the premises of an earlier, unsuccessful training establishment for male teachers, built in 1842 and still in use.
The Chapel itself is a rather unimposing building on the West side of the University Complex. It was built in 1862 and extended in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It caters for the multi-denominational worship requirements of the students who make up its congregation, a number of weddings of ex students takes place most years. The Chapel is also used for music recitals and exams.
The Chapel itself is a rather unimposing building on the West side of the University Complex. It was built in 1862 and extended in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It caters for the multi-denominational worship requirements of the students who make up its congregation, a number of weddings of ex students takes place most years. The Chapel is also used for music recitals and exams.
Our second visit was to St Matthias which is now the Antiochian Orthodox Church on Burton Road where we were met by Father Hackney who gave what we all thought was a wonderful history of the Orthodox Church and how he became involved after having a career within the Police Force
St. Matthias church was built in 1890-1 as a chapel of ease to the Anglican St. Nicholas church in Newport . The New Barracks housing The Lincolnshire Regiment a little further along Burton Road used the Church extensively during the Great War of 1914-18. On 28th September 1940 the south side of the church, including the vestry, was destroyed when a Hampden bomber from 83 Squadron based at RAF Scampton crashed onto it. The damage could have been far worse however, it wasn't until the following day that the area was cordoned off when it was realised that the aircraft still had a live bomb on board which fortunately hadn't exploded.The Hampden had flown home on one engine following a raid on U-boat bases at Lorient in France and was only 5 miles short of the base. The crew of four had baled out, but the pilot - Pilot Officer Dudley Snook (20) in trying to avoid civilian casualties by nursing the stricken aircraft beyond the city limits probably left it too late baling out too low. His parachute failed to open in time and he landed less than 100 yards away from the crash. He is buried in the churchyard at Scampton. The church was patched up with corrugated iron until the damage was repaired after the war. Despite the damage the church continued to be used every week by the soldiers at the nearby barracks for their Sunday morning church parades.
The Church went into disuse in the 60s and The Blind Association used it as a head quarters until they found the running costs prohibitive and The Orthodox Church took responsability for it in 2010 having moved from St Botolphs in the High Street.
The Church now has a growing community firmly established in Lincoln. The Church is still used by other organisations and forms a great asset for the local community
St. Matthias church was built in 1890-1 as a chapel of ease to the Anglican St. Nicholas church in Newport . The New Barracks housing The Lincolnshire Regiment a little further along Burton Road used the Church extensively during the Great War of 1914-18. On 28th September 1940 the south side of the church, including the vestry, was destroyed when a Hampden bomber from 83 Squadron based at RAF Scampton crashed onto it. The damage could have been far worse however, it wasn't until the following day that the area was cordoned off when it was realised that the aircraft still had a live bomb on board which fortunately hadn't exploded.The Hampden had flown home on one engine following a raid on U-boat bases at Lorient in France and was only 5 miles short of the base. The crew of four had baled out, but the pilot - Pilot Officer Dudley Snook (20) in trying to avoid civilian casualties by nursing the stricken aircraft beyond the city limits probably left it too late baling out too low. His parachute failed to open in time and he landed less than 100 yards away from the crash. He is buried in the churchyard at Scampton. The church was patched up with corrugated iron until the damage was repaired after the war. Despite the damage the church continued to be used every week by the soldiers at the nearby barracks for their Sunday morning church parades.
The Church went into disuse in the 60s and The Blind Association used it as a head quarters until they found the running costs prohibitive and The Orthodox Church took responsability for it in 2010 having moved from St Botolphs in the High Street.
The Church now has a growing community firmly established in Lincoln. The Church is still used by other organisations and forms a great asset for the local community
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