Today I travel over to an incredibly remote ancient church which dates from the early Medieval period and has remained virtually unchanged for 300 years. A church where an iconoclast named as Captain William Dowsing of the Suffolk Regiment visited in 1643 to destroy and remove anything considered to be `superstitious` to the tastes of a puritanical England during the English Civil War.
St Mary`s Church in Badley is currently a redundant church under the care of the Church of England through their wonderful charity, the Churches Conservation Trust.
Like all redundant churches, it`s long term future remains uncertain, and it is hoped that by seeing and appreciating the same beauty that I saw and experienced, you too may one day travel here to admire and support this vestige of British history and culture which is set surrounded by countryside that remains virtually unchanged. It is so remote that it is only accessible by a one mile unmade track way which has remained for centuries.St Mary`s at Badley is a perfect example (and victim) of historic religious bigotry and intolerance to other people`s beliefs.
As always I touch into the ambient spirituality that I sense and feel in this pleasantly historic building from the days of yore.
A truly rare and wonderful place to visit and appreciate in a fast disappearing world.
