Wrexham County Borough 62 - Overton /the church was open/make a list of all the things that make you feel grateful

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Make a list of all the things that make you feel grateful and happy. I read that somewhere and it made me think . Perhaps we don't make lists anymore . No lists for shopping. No lists of the things we need to do during the day. So today I thought I would make a list of those things that did make me smile . And I could do that on the way to Overton . We had an appointment in the village at 10.20 and would be free to do whatever we wanted after that appointment finished .

As Ziggy ate up the few miles to Overton I laid out my plan for the day. Not to far . Not as long of a ride as last week . Just over the border to England again . A walk . A drink and a bit of lunch . But before that things that made us grateful .

Coffee . A good cup of coffee . I do like that one . It wakes me up. Makes me feel as human as is possible these days. It puts the worlds to rights and sets me up for the day ahead . Whats not to like ? It makes me think of holidays particularly to Italy . Coffee was scoring highly - Double espressos . A cappucino now and again . Always ending a meal .

Gabby - she takes us everywhere . Holidays to Greece, Italy , France, Croatia and hopefully Turkey . We must make plans on that one . Italian coffee - drunk in a harbourside cafe, on a piazza or French square .

Meals out - Italian meals in proper Italian restaurants , Gnocci, pasta and pizza followed by Tiramisu and coffee .

We were just approaching the tiny village of Overton . It seemed very quiet with just a few parked cars along the main street. A few early morning folks were out shopping . The pub was shut . The chemist opened as was the local award winning butcher. We parked up and the driver set off for his appointment whilst I sat in the car waiting .

The sea I thought - vibrant and very blue . Stormy at times . Promenading along the harbours, Stopping along the way for an Aperol Spritz or a coffee . There was a pattern developing here . Coffee seemed at the heart of everything I thought about and did . Coffee drunk in a beach cafe on the Med . Coffee sipped slowly on the shores of Lake Garda . The Adriatic and more coffee . The Ionian sea with its small villages and small cafes and that coffee .

It was a reasonable day for the time of year. The sun was shining and we were wrapped up in coats , hats , scarves and gloves . Whilst I waited I got itchy feet . I locked Gabby, dropped the key off and set off on a walk . The church door was open. I had been inside a little over a year ago when I noticed the door open again . The winder up of the clock had let me in and taken me round. My photographs had been particularly poor and my blog sparse so today I thought was the opportunity to let myself in and wander round at my own pace .

The first thing I noticed was the door to the clock winding mechanism was locked . The bell ringing pulls were all hanging like decorations stung up in the tower . They looked cheery red white and green. I opened the inner door and had the church to myself . It felt peaceful and I felt free to wander at leisure. I did not have a knowledgeable person showing me round but sometimes I prefer that . Being able to stop when I wanted and move on when I had finished. To look for myself. I had walked amongst the ancient 1000 year old yew trees and now I was inside the ancient church .

St Marys - as Overton was a planned town it is probable that the church was likely to have been founded in the late 13th century. The tower was probably constructed in the 14th century with a nave fomed in the shape of a cross . The earliest record of a church here in Overton was 1402. . It is a welcoming and open space but with all those usual nooks and crannies you find if you look hard enough. A chancel was added in 1710. A north aisle in 1819 . Much restoration took place with the west gallery being removed in 1854 and a south wall built . Further restoration took place around 1870 . New seats installed which is always a shame as the best medieval carved seats would have been destroyed or moved elsewhere . New floors added which probably would have got rid of the medieval tiles . New windows with heavy Victorian stained glass and a new chancel arch built . A massive organ was installed and that was where I stood thinking what destruction must have taken place to build such a monstrosity into the fabric of the building . It obscured the ancient windows and blocked out the light . A new hammerbeam roof was installed and the church probably looked very different before the restorations . I imagine the Victorian congregation was entirely happy with the modernisation but today we would think of it as vandalism .

I began my mini tour at the back of the church where the boards were filled with pictures and stories about the cost of running the church on a day to day basis . There were still remnants of Christmas . A crib with the holy family not yet been taken down . Evidence of childrens services and the Mothers Union . The walls were painted white and here and there the red sandstone of the building shone out giving those areas a warmer feeling . Memorials lined the walls . Names of the old established Overton families were there commemorated in stone . Here and there I saw wooden statues on niches. A small chapel with memorials . Long gone were the Elizabethan chest tombs which normally grace a church . I wondered if they had ever been there . The altar was clothed in a blue altar cloth . The main altar with its wooden reredos was decorated with red, yellow and orange crysanthemums . The eagle lectern made from wood and not brass .

The pulpit rather insignificant . I walked right up to the altar fascinated with the memorials . Some of stone and some metalled . The Advent candle had been lit and had partially burnt down . Along one of the pews was the ancient oak chest that had been found during restoration work . I wondered what had been kept in it . There was a lock on it but no hole for coins to be inserted . Perhaps it was just used to hold the precious gold and silver items the church owned . Or held the vestments or the parish records . So many possibilities .

The last thing I saw was the font . The start of the church journey was stone with a wooden lid . Doors which were locked led to the tower steps . I wished that someone had been there . I would have willingly given a donation to climb the tower and wave to the driver below. But not today . That would have to wait for another day .

I had reached my starting point but I never go out at that stage . I always look back and see if I need to walk around the church again . Today I was in no hurry so started my journey again in the hope of seeing something I had missed first time round . The church is not massive . It does not take long to walk from the door at the back up the aisles to the first chapel . I stopped at some of the memorials I had missed on my last circuit . Perhaps they need a coffee shop in here somewhere I thought . That would bring much needed revenue in .

I took in the stone flagged floors I had missed before . I spotted the memorials from 1696. I felt though that perhaps nearby Bangor was less modern and less altered by those Victorians . Yes Overton was a nice church but somehow it did not have the beauty of some of the less modernised local churches . Much of the medieval had gone . The Lady chapel was not as ancient as I first thought . Created in 1924. So perhaps this was why I was not feeling the love for the church . There was a an old plaque with the words this is the way leading to the Llanycefn vault . The vault closed now but owned by a local long gone family .

A large painting I had missed the first time round was seen hanging on a wall . Too high for me to discern any details. Another brass from 1693 so some of the ancient was left . To be fair Overton is an impressive church but somehow it did not move me in the way some churches do . I was glad that I had the opportunity to see inside and walk round on my own . I had time to take my time and to take everything in . A quick glance at my watch showed that I had been inside for half an hour and it was time to head out . The driver would be back and waiting for me .

Waiting to drive to our next stop and our first coffee of the day . I opened the inner door and was back where I started beneath the bell ropes. One more door to go and into the early morning sunlight .

As I got in the car I set the riddle - where were we going to next ? What is the connection between Eglantyne Jebb, Save the Children , artificial insemination units and massive blocks of ice left behind after the Ice Age ? If you work that one out - then you will have worked out where we are heading for . Our coffee awaits .

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