'A tense, musty, unignorable silence' 3
Philip Larkin - Church Going
Once I am sure there's nothing going on
I step inside, letting the door thud shut.
Another church: matting, seats, and stone,
And little books; sprawlings of flowers, cut
For Sunday, brownish now; some brass and stuff
Up at the holy end; the small neat organ;
And a tense, musty, unignorable silence,
Brewed God knows how long. Hatless, I take off
My cycle-clips in awkward reverence.
The Little Glory Baptist Church
Samuel St & Mary St, Smithfield SA 5114, Australia
Little Glory Methodist Church building, erected in 1859 for £354. The wooden pews built in 1902 & the communion chairs made in 1952 were purchased from the Elgin Uniting church, Kilkenny in 1996. These furnishings blend perfectly with the architectural style of the building and do much to restore the original style of the chapel.
In Easter 2006, The Little Glory Baptist Church building was fitted with specially designed hand-painted stained glass windows. The arch top of each window has a red cross surrounded by faceted clear glass, all appearing on an amber hill. Each of the six window’s centre piece portrays a Biblical symbol of Jesus Christ.
©Jeff Guess 2017