A Huddersfield church which survived Oliver Cromwell and the religious upheaval of his time celebrates its 365th birthday this week with a weekend of heritage, thanksgiving and bells.
St Bartholomew’s, in the parish of Christ the King, Meltham was established in 1651 when Oliver Cromwell was Lord Protector. The church in its original form does not exist, except for a few treasured remains which will be on display this weekend as the church and the church community celebrate the church and its growth and the successful restoration work on the clock tower , the bells and the carillon, one of only a few left within the Diocese of Leeds.
And to mark this the carillon – a musical instrument with two octaves of programmable bells - will ring out over the village to mark the church’s birthday and to say thank you to the congregation, the people and organisations in the village without whose generosity it may not have rung again.
(Pictured here are the bellringers of St Barts - with thanks to the Huddersfield Examiner)
The festival starts on Saturday from 9.30am with the display of memorabilia, flower arrangements, crafts, local produce and toy stalls, lucky dip and refreshments. The tower is open from 10-4pm for people to see the bells being rung. There are childrens’ activities in church too. There is a ticket-only black tie dinner in the church hall that evening.
On Sunday the bells will ring out at 9.30am for a service of thanksgiving and gifting with a Songs of Praise service at 4pm followed by a special Carillon recital.
Find out more here: www.melthamparish.co.uk