ST. BARNABAS CHURCH, PIMLICO.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 621, 16 July 1851, Page 4

ST. BARNABAS CHURCH, PIMLICO.

The following extract from an English paper will be read with considerable interest, as descriptive of the ceremonials recently introduced in some of the churches in England. St. Barnabas Church, Pimlico, 'to which the description refers, was attended for many years by Lord John Russell, and the incumbent, the Rev. J. Bennett, has lately resigned his charge to the Bishop of London, in consequence of his Lordship refusing to allow any further continuance in these ceremonials:— “ Not having bad the opportunity of visiting any church where Tractarian or Puseyite views influence the service, I determined to visit the new church erected by private subscription, and dedicated to St. Barnabas, an ancient English saint. My hotel was distant, so that I could not reach in time for the* “ matins” or morning service at eight o’clock, and I therefore approached the church near tne hour of eleven. The situation closely adjoins a number of very inferior houses, the old population of Chelsea, but is also contiguous to the large squares and substantial residences ofßelgravia and Knightsbridge. There is nothing striking in the exterior of the church. It is in the old Saxon style, of rather varied colour freestone, and a substantial school-room adjoins it. On alighting rom t e carriage an attendant at the outer gate politely directed me to the arched porchway, on entering which I found myself impressed with the shade, almost darkness, within the opened doors into the church. “ I entered, and, being yet early, I found only about fifty persons present. The sittings in the body of the church are divided by side ais.es, and one centre aisle into two blocks • they consist of plainly-painted wood forms closely set, and with no boarding on the tiled floor save a narrow slip of wood to kneel upon. A small ’ledge on the back of each form serves tor the books of the one behind it. I s t QQd tor a few moments, but noticing that each person seemed to sit down where he chose, I took a seat at the end of one of the first forms near the centre »islo an <;.»k r-_ •>. - . ime I perceived that none but men sat in the block of forms to the north side of th'e centre aisle, and that the females as regularly took up their seats on the forms on the south side exactly as I once saw done at a Quakers’ meeting. The attendants quietlv directed strangers to follow this system, which in the evening, with the church crowded, created , an , n °y ance t 0 some gentlemen, who doubted the possibility of finding their comFngdaVk he Cl ° Se ’ ’ n the Cr ° Wd ’ 1 e night be_

agai " SUUct With ‘Be g oom around me and I found that the nave a s k R h hU i rCb Wa ; ° ftys but se P arate d from the aisles by low, rude, solid pillars. The chanwind J T el ° W ’ and the cie restory windows above, were all frosted. Tn Z lower windows there was some painted gla’sT r HS ° Ver the indoWs a *d around the arches springing from the pillars were S e„ tences f rom the Creed in oH haracters, but painted m variegated colours p]"±.L° U f\ of the walI > which was not hut wmtewasned. I was struck wit. .he plainness, almost rudeness of the S l b t '" ,Ore , ? 6 . bead ‘h e northern block stands the pulpit, ver” -’c * - Xerfo™idt.: o h ?LSeV ,K '- Bee the book placed between the shoulders of •he eagle. At the head of the aisle, •he chancel doors, is tbe lectern, a plain Mgf

for supporting the book, which the priest reads with his back to the people; it is kneeling height. In a corner recessed within the line of the chancel, and behind the pulpit, is the organ. This recess is surrounded by beautiful ornamentation in coloured arabesque and gold. If the nave and aisles were gloomy, what a contrast when the eye turned towards the chancel, and, looking through the beautiful fretwork and foliage of the fast-locked brazen gates, rested on the gorgeous colouring, illuminated by a soft but clear light, which flowed down from richly-embiazoned and beautifully painted windows on the velvet an d gold below. Were Ito attempt to describe the whole in its fullness my portfolio would be emptied of letter paper. The chaucel is very lofty, the walls painted in rich arabesque, the colouring very effective. The windows are elegant, and labelled all round with old English sentences. The screen of brass and the gates are of perfect workmanship, exquisitely elegant, and the arch over the gate is surmounted by a cross about two feet high.

Running from the screen towards the altar, but close to the north and south walls within the chancel, are two rows of seats on either side with desk ledges, in which stood a row of candles and the books for the choristers, “The altar bad no rail round it, but was approached by three steps richly covered with a velvety covering. Before long three attendants entered the church dressed with white neckcloths, but with long coats of black stuff or serge almost reaching to their feet, closely buttoned, single-breasted and single collars, just such as we see worn by the Irish Roman priests or the attendants in some of the foreign Romish churches. They had either an appendage, or nature itself had given the effect of the tonsure on the crown of the head, which made them very monk like in their appearance ; with a girdle and beads the effect would have been complete, as the*black-bound Prayer Book was ever in their hands as they shewed comers to the vacantseats or the forms, vme several times passed inside the screen, but always bowed on entering the sacred place and carefully locked the door.

The congregation was now assembled • most as they entered bowed lowly towards the chancel, and all except strangers appeared — luo ny .eading me lessons with uplifted eyes. The church bell in the tower having sounded in all the variations of quick, slow, solemn, and animated time, as a knowing bell ought to do, at the hour the organ announced the arrival of the priests, all the congregation arose, and as the procession advanced I saw I an obeisance from several towards the priests as they passed. First, one of the attendants in black, carrying a long golden or'brass rod mounting a figure of St. Barnabas, with which he stood at the chancel door, while the choristers and priests, in all twelve boys and ten men the first two bearing large lighted wax candles as large as in any Romish church and alj clad in white surplices, filed in “On entering the chancel they divided right and left, taking positions on the seats on each side, as described above. One of the priests only remained outside, and knelt before the lectefn looking towards the altar and commenced chaunting the Litany. In the responses the choristers joined in with nearly all the congregation, in the chaunt no organ was heard, but the tone was deep and so.emn. A t was the priest speaking for the people but outside the holy place. When the Litany was ended the reader and two other priests, one from each -a. oencn of the chancel, advanced towards the altar lowly bowmg; they then knelt down the highest having the white college badge’ and the two others on the lower steps with heir scarlet badges, one on the one side and I cen,° e 7 We .. of the °“<’ 'he I -O' a while the silence was solemn the priests—apparently deeply engaged in prayer kneeling on the ascending steps in cerbe P fo 0 re er f h rada i tion g ° r^US chan ’ cel before the altar, still more gorgeously covered with velvet, of blue, crimson, and g d, flowing to the ground. A white cloth eta one '"e ehal

:± be i7hnv f rl“ tge size > belwee ” ‘hem a golden b f t ‘ ’o",” 1 "- 08 me ° f the «P»»i'orv „ e““ ,ne K ””“an »!•»«. In a small iy ornamented” 0 Xbet ‘ rt,'rT contributions’ T he -ruX™' f °' lhe ft seemed whin , behind rh£ bos> siood „

signs and 2 g r ptayer befors ‘he nementof aTt anTe"-7, giOa will not easi ly a b " d f “X P ' Cl “ r ' e " biab After a while one of the lower priests the h'Bh priest retaWng his

moved to the side altar or from it a large thin volume M u embroidered with white cr oSse “ U ' ld *» b J so that, holding it up while h e ‘MteV pie in the congregation could cross in tins new and conspi* 8 ’ 6 “The priest, still kneeling bef i' tar, then used the prayers 8 k • II M Communion Service, a f ler priests standing on the lower .. ‘ h « Ih the Epistle the other the a half-chaunied tone. This hoi ’ \ Ut all b of the attendants, holding ««• marshalled the priest who had read^V o4 . tie the few yards from the door of A cel to the pulpit; of course al' A stood up while this was done, while* W with hand uplifted, in his turned to the altar and solemnly the name of the Father, Son Ghost,’ the congregation making at the time. The priest turned roundT? congregation, the congregation j ' oll * without further introduction sermon commenced. Of that it wLfi much to speak at length. I t Wag J?S N “ t in V nSi are a body „ the church f„, revivinhgron, and for giving more real defa? heart lo the essential riles f„ r tie ’ of Chrisuanising England (those words), taking religion to her hustint, ? town councils, her poor-law boards and upholding the new light which has M? ed ue God! dawned in the ehurcj, and* we must diffuse, though puritan and inW dissenter and no religionist, be arrayedagai us The sermon went on to extol thet bl sedness of daily church service, frequent en chanstic offerings, &c., and concluded mi exhortations to give all they had to the poot for Christ s sake. ‘ ” The priest was again marshalled bv th image-oeanng attendant to the door of th chancel. He there stood while the seeoi priest went to the high priest still st’aZ before the altar, bearing a dish or salver, « which he as reverently received, as the M priest reverently took, certain velvet bags 0 « of the golden bcx on the altar and deposited them in the dish. The salver he then took to the third priest, still standing at the dot! of the chancel, who, receiving it, delivered to the attendant in black the four little velvet bags. These were taken round for the w gregation’s contributions, alms, or ofFeringi, During the collection an anthem was snog, Then the four attendants brought back th bags, which the priest still standing at th chancel doors received reverently, each atteodant bowing as he deposited his bag on th silver salver. This the priest carried towards the altar, bowing twice before hi reached the bottom step, where he knelt down. The high priest descended, and tod from the priest kneeling the salver and tbi bags, with which he approached the altar, and with the deepest reverence placed them upon it, himself kneeling for some time before it. The two priests in their position on the lower step, with their backs to the people, were also kneeling while the high priest used the usual prayer for the offertory. I should add that the candles, which had been extinguished at one time, were re-lighted by a little white-surpliced boy after the Lin* »y ; and that notice was given of a festival of ‘a holy and blessed martyr’ on the follow* iug Friday, when, in addition to the morning and evening services tlierc would **s tb-f-Litany service and the sacrament of d> e Holy in ihfi forenoon.

“ The offertory prayer being ended, organ commenced, and the congregation did not partake of the weekly Eucharist w,i dispersing. I lingered, and was asked iff wished to partake of the Eucharist, but de* dining, it was intimated that strangers were' not allowed to remain. As a whole my i®' pression was that there was more solemnity than in the Roman Catholic service. I b°P® I have described correctly, but there * aS quite a dreamy light in the sanctuary affected the sight looking out from thegloo®/ nave, and which made what was going on times a little indistinct. But as a tatihn nf ih D u oorvicns it W 5 — * vmuiuu ui uugiaiju . such as no simple-minded Christian con recognize. There were services and sen®® 8 at three o’clock, and seven o’clock alsd, * s same day. Offertories and offertory pray e * s at each also.”