Church Photos Photos Augustus F Perren February 2025
Box Church before the internal work in the 1890s and the installation of the organ and chamber in the south aisle.
Church Restoration, 1897-98
In the 1890s Box was a hive of activity with stone quarrying flourishing and new houses built to accommodate higher numbers of residents. St Thomas à Becket Church was busy with extensive plans to renovate the interior. These included the restoration of the chancel, lowering the floor level, removal of the oppressive galleries which dominated the north and west of the church, and the replacement of the high-backed pews in the nave.[1] It was a considerable amount of work costing £6,800 (in today’s values over half a million pounds).[2] A series of fundraising events was planned, including a Grand Concert undertaken by the most distinguished residents, conductor Walter Barlow, songs from the Misses Northey and Hobhouse, all accompanied by Augustus, whose work was referred to in the highest terms.[3]
In the 1890s Box was a hive of activity with stone quarrying flourishing and new houses built to accommodate higher numbers of residents. St Thomas à Becket Church was busy with extensive plans to renovate the interior. These included the restoration of the chancel, lowering the floor level, removal of the oppressive galleries which dominated the north and west of the church, and the replacement of the high-backed pews in the nave.[1] It was a considerable amount of work costing £6,800 (in today’s values over half a million pounds).[2] A series of fundraising events was planned, including a Grand Concert undertaken by the most distinguished residents, conductor Walter Barlow, songs from the Misses Northey and Hobhouse, all accompanied by Augustus, whose work was referred to in the highest terms.[3]
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The new vicar, Rev William White (appointed 1896), planned to remove the old organ from the gallery in the west of the building and replace it with a new organ sited in the body of the church. The new organ was estimated to cost £155 (today £13,000). Fundraising efforts were already stretched by the celebration of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee and a commitment to install a clock in the Schools’ Tower. But by 1897 it was apparent that the organ would need a purpose-built chamber in the south aisle of the building, costing an additional £145. A second sale of work was arranged in December to start raising money for the organ chamber. Augustus organised lantern entertainment to fundraise for it and then arranged further events for an additional organ stop in February 1899.[4] Augustus christened the new organ on 23 September 1898 at the harvest festival.
It is not surprising that Augustus took several photos of Box Church where he played the organ many times a week. The headline photo appears to be a festive day in the church, the greenery suggesting a summer celebration. It is the only-known picture of the interior of the church before the improvements of the 1890s. Right: Plaque dedicated to Augustus Perren's 55 years playing the organ in Box Church (courtesy Carol Payne) |
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The image above left is the original photo of St Thomas a Becket Church by Augustus which was used as the emblem of the church in the cover of the parish magazine and church booklets. The image on the right is the illustration produced from it.
Thie above photo is not Box Church or Ditteridge Church and is a record of a trip Augustus made outside the village. It shows the Chapel of St Leonard at Farleigh Hungerford. Augustus chose to ignore the famous lead coffins and to concentrate on the building iteself, looking in need of some restoration work judging by the appearance of the timbers. The chest at the bottom left appears to be depository of the church registers of births, deaths and marriages.
Not strictly a church photograph, Augustus' photo is one of the few depicting the War Memorial before the Second World War inscriptions were added. The memorial was built in the garden of the Bear Hotel and by taking over part of the land of The Glen house. The road directions on the front of the memorial garden were removed in World War 2 to confuse any potential invaders. The stone bollards became obsolete when the railings were taken to produce wartime armaments. The photo possibly is dated to the 1920s when telephone lines were being introduced in the village centre.
This photo shows the road to Bath and the cemetery lodge and chapel on the right. The photo predates the building of the petrol garage on the A4.
References
[1] Box Parish Magazine, June 1897
[2] Box Parish Magazine, February 1897 and Church Organs
[3] Parish Magazine, November 1897
[4] Parish Magazine, February 1899
[1] Box Parish Magazine, June 1897
[2] Box Parish Magazine, February 1897 and Church Organs
[3] Parish Magazine, November 1897
[4] Parish Magazine, February 1899