The Beauty of Berwick Church

A month or two ago, on a visit to my native England, I went to a place I have never been before.  Tucked away in a corner of the South Downs is a beautiful little village called Berwick, which is also home to Berwick Church. 

Maybe it was that the afternoon on which I visited the church happened to be a glorious spring afternoon (one of the first of the season), or that I felt happy to be in my home country after being away for so long... Whatever it was, I was touched by this place and it's beauty, and I feel inspired to dedicate a blog post to it.

You might have heard of a group of writers and intellectuals called the Bloomsbury Group, of which Virginia Woolf and E.M. Forster were members.  The country home and meeting place for this group, Charleston House, is situated is not far from Berwick, also in the area of the South Downs in Sussex. 

Within the Bloomsbury Group was another subgroup called the Bloomsbury Artists, and Virginia Woolf's sister, Vanessa Bell, was a key member of this. Bell's husband, Clive, and son, Quentin, were also members of the Bloomsbury Artists, along with an artist by the name of Duncan Grant. 

During the second world war a project to cover the interior of Berwick Church with painted murals by the Bloomsbury Artists began, led by Duncan Grant.  The idea that the artists wanted to create was murals that would give the church a special feeling and vibrancy when you were inside it, with paintings inspired by the beautiful South Down countryside that surrounds the church, as well as inspiration taken from their own personal relationships and home lives.

On my visit to the church, one of the first things I noticed as I walked inside was the personal quality and intimacy that the murals bring to this church.  In what would otherwise be quite an old and cold church, with an almost rundown sort of feeling, instead we are greeted with absolutely astounding paintings covering all of the walls and surrounding the alter.  There is so much to look at - so many scenes and characters, so much life inside the church. 

The paintings are extremely colourful and imaginative, and in this tiny church, they seem huge and very impressive.  It is like walking into a colourful paradise!  Each mural seems to have captured the individual imagination of it's painter, and it is interesting that you can really guess which artist painted which mural - particularly the murals by Vanessa Bell, which I think stand out most clearly.

And with all of this, you only have to glance out of the window and you see a view of the South Downs, which adds to the whole atmosphere of the church - it really is the most perfect situation.

So, if you happen to be in the south of England, exploring Sussex, take a trip to old Berwick Church and wonder at the beauty of this special place.  It is a lovely spot to spend an afternoon...enjoy a walk... and Berwick pub is only just down the road from the church, and they serve the local Harvey's beer too - win win!