I did my degree thesis on Pugin back in the 1970s - back then all this was thought of as OTT, ugly & kitsch. Likewise other gothic revival masterpieces. Thank goodness they are now revered as the works of art they actually are. For my thesis, I travelled by a series of buses from Sheffield to Cheadle. Took ages!!! When I walked into St Giles, I was overcome with emotion, awe and wonder. In those days, I just had an old flash bulb camera where you had to wait for the film to be processed and printed.
@@HikingAndHistory and, incredible to believe now, but St Pancras station & hotel were considered ugly and there was talk of demolishing them and replacing it with a nasty box like Euston. People thought my passion for Victorian Gothic architecture was weird!! Thank goodness times have changed.
How wonderfully close one feels to God in such a church. I regret so much the destruction of the 'Reformation', as did KIng Henry VIII's closest friend, the Duke of Suffolk who, when asked by Henry, whether he was right to do what he had done to the Church, replied, 'England was merry once. I wish she were again.' By the way, gentlemen are required to remove their headdress in church, especially a Catholic church, owing to the real presence of Our Lord in the Tabernacle that you passed in front of in the side chapel. The saint with the dog is probably St Roch, patron saint of plague sufferers.
Wonderful church. It gets a mention in Simon Jenkins' book "England's Thousand Best Churches". Apparently the church was commissioned in 1841 by the Earl of Shrewsbury. Pugin was only 29 at the time! According to Simon Jenkins "the only disappointment is the pews - dull and uncomfortable".
I did my degree thesis on Pugin back in the 1970s - back then all this was thought of as OTT, ugly & kitsch. Likewise other gothic revival masterpieces. Thank goodness they are now revered as the works of art they actually are. For my thesis, I travelled by a series of buses from Sheffield to Cheadle. Took ages!!! When I walked into St Giles, I was overcome with emotion, awe and wonder. In those days, I just had an old flash bulb camera where you had to wait for the film to be processed and printed.
Thank you for this insightful comment. Hard to believe that only 50 years ago, people didn’t appreciate the beauty of such a church.
@@HikingAndHistory and, incredible to believe now, but St Pancras station & hotel were considered ugly and there was talk of demolishing them and replacing it with a nasty box like Euston. People thought my passion for Victorian Gothic architecture was weird!! Thank goodness times have changed.
ALMOST ALL CHURCHES WERE PAINTED INSIDE WITH FRESCOS AND SUCH TILL CROMWELL COME ALONG
A great shame that one’s like St Giles are so rare nowadays.
Yes, the last time i went there was a meter for the lights
Do you think they're going to leave them on all day...?
How wonderfully close one feels to God in such a church. I regret so much the destruction of the 'Reformation', as did KIng Henry VIII's closest friend, the Duke of Suffolk who, when asked by Henry, whether he was right to do what he had done to the Church, replied, 'England was merry once. I wish she were again.' By the way, gentlemen are required to remove their headdress in church, especially a Catholic church, owing to the real presence of Our Lord in the Tabernacle that you passed in front of in the side chapel. The saint with the dog is probably St Roch, patron saint of plague sufferers.
Thank you for such an insightful comment, many things I didn’t know so thank you for sharing 😊
Wonderful church. It gets a mention in Simon Jenkins' book "England's Thousand Best Churches". Apparently the church was commissioned in 1841 by the Earl of Shrewsbury. Pugin was only 29 at the time! According to Simon Jenkins "the only disappointment is the pews - dull and uncomfortable".