Last Service @ Long Lane

 In 2003 I made a short story about the final service to be held at Long Lane Baptist Church in Chieveley, a couple of miles north of Newbury.

The reason for my interest lay primarily with parents-in-law Tony & Fran, who had throughout their early life together been regular visitors and congregants at the church, they had also been married there in January 1970.

 The church and the congregation were by any comparison small but each fitted and complimented the other perfectly. It was a ceremony not only to bring an end to this building as a place of religious worship but also to mark the passing of an era. A chance for the congregants to meet once again and confirm the bonds friendship made over many years of shared experience.

 The importance of this church, the building and all the memories it held was clear to see, confirming that the religious ceremonies and faith were not the whole story. The sadness now is one can only imagine what that other story was and how it played on the lives of those pictured sitting in the pews for the very last time.

I’m not a religious person in any way and prefer to see science and evidential proof as the bedrock of my life, I do however in some small way envy the community and closeness that places like this church fostered for people like Tony and Francis and I lament its passing for those very same people.

Wishing you fair light and full frames

Giles