Potter's Electric News

RE-OPENING OF MANORBIER CHURCH. This Chnrch was re-opened for Divine Service on Tuesday last, having been restored at an expense of about £ 1,400. The work of restoration has been most satisfactorily performed, and the sacred edifice, in its new and improved form, is a lasting monument of the zeal and liberality of the friends through whose exertions the much needed work has been brought to so successful an issue. The church presents many points of interest: its heavily vaulted roof, quaint arches, and fine tower, never fail to attract attention, and give it an especial interest in a neighbourhood remarkable for its fine architectural remains and historic associations. The architect, Mr Wehnert, of Milford, has carefully preserved the distinctive features of the ancient building, and the skill and judgment displayed by him in the preparation of the design evoked a high compliment from the Bishop of the Diocese at the luncheon which followed the first of the opening services. The ceremony attending the re-commencement of Divine Service in the Church excited considerable interest in the village, which was crowded with visitors from the surrounding district. The national flag floated from one of the towers of the fine old Castle, and also from high flag staffs in the grounds of Mr J. R. Powell, and Mr Robert Greenish—two gentlemen who have evinced the most active interest in the restoration of the Church, and whose labours and generosity were during the day frequently acknowledged in terms of the warmest praise. Theservicescommencedat 11.30 a.m. when the Bishop of the Diocese preached a powerful sermon, selecting his text from Haggai ii., 8 and 9. The prayers were read by the respected Vicar of the parish, the Rev J. Lamb, and the lessons by the Yen. Archdeacon Clark, and the Rev T. Birkett, of St. Florence. There was a very numerous congregation on the occasion, the Church being filled to overflowing.. The collections at the close of the service amounte d to £ 48 2s. In the afternoon, the Rev 0. Phillips, of Aberystwyth, preached an eloquent sermon from Revelations xxi 4. The Rev Mr. Phelps, of Carew, and Rev R. J. H. Thomas, of Hodgeston, res,d a portion of the service. The attendance, owing do doubt to a misapprehension which exten,siveily prevailed that the service would not termin ate in time to enable the visitors to leave by the Evenin, train, was not so numerous as in the morning. The collection amounted to £37 10s 9d, making the sum realised at both collections, C85 12s 9d. 'l'he choir -san r exceedingly well, and were very ably accom- panied on the organ by Mrs Greenish. At the morning service, the choir sang the fol\owsng Venite, (Belmore) Psalms (Greek chaM); Bene- dicts (Agutter) j Te Deum, (as given mt the Choral Festival of the Archdeaconry of Cpkrmswthen) 1st part of the 100th Psalm; 260th hymn (Mont- gomery), and 238th, from Hymns Ancient and Modern (Ewing). Mrs Greenish played admirably the opening voluntary, Lift up your heads "O ye gates,' from the Messiah and at the contusion ef the service rendered with equal ability, Sound' the loud timbrel.' The performances of the choinat the evening service included the following --CaritEte (Beckwith) Deus misereatur (Hayes); Psalms (Greek chant); Anthem, from 1st Chronicles, xxix. 11: 149th hjr«in (Warwick) and 185th, from Hymns Ancient and Modern, (Pascal). The opening voluntary was from Hayda, and the service ter- minated with a minuet movement from Sampson, The organ—an excellent instrument—was obtained fiom Flight and Robson, of London, and was pre- sented to the Church by Mr Robert Greenish. In the interval between-the morning and evening services, the Bishop, Clergy, and many ladies and gentlemen who were present at the opening ceremony were most liberally entertained in one of the rooms of Manorbier Castle, by the Restoration Committee. The room was very extensively decorated for the occasion. The walls were hung with drapery of different hues, asd bore numerous inscriptions having reference to the work that day accomplished. The decorations were carried out with great taste and ingenuity, and it may be doubted whether the building in its-saost palmy days presented a more attractive and pleasing appearance. The table was well laid out with edibles and drinkables, fruits, and confectionary in .gr*at variety, and by means of a most able staff of waiters, the wants of the guests were supplied with a completeness and ease that left nothing to be desired. The vicar of the parish presided, having on his right hand the Bishop of .St. David's, aad on his left the Rev O. Phillips, of Aberystwith. The vice;president was Mr T. Lewis,! of Norchard, one of the churchwardens of the parish. Among those present were Mrs Lamb, Mrs Dunn, Mrs Powell, Mr Pitman, Miss Clark, Mr Dunn, Mrs Huntingdon, Rev W. iAilen, Mrs Dyster, Rev — Huntingdon, Mrs W. Allen, Rev C. Lamb, Mrs Meyrick, Lydstep; Rev D. Morris, Mrs Clunn, Mrs Shears, Mrs Lewie, Mrs Bennett, Mrs S. Williams, Mr H. P. Goode, Mis Goade, Rev James Philipps, -Ss Smith, Rev Mr Lewin, Mrs Greenish, Rev R. J. H. Thomas, Rev S. Williams, Mrs John Phelps, Mr Wehnert, Miss Waters, Mrs Wehnert, Mr. J<jhn Adams, Rev T. H. Dunn, Mrs Bull, Rev Mr Birkett, Miss Robsan,' Archdeacon Clark, Rev <0. Briiictocke, Mr R. Greenish, Mr Meyrick, Lydstep; Mr Shears, Rev J. Morgan, Mr Hulm, Mrs Hulm, Mr C„ Allen, Tenby; Mr T. J. White, Haverfordwest Rev M. Willis, Tenby; Mrs Williams, Rev John Phelpa, and the choir of the Church. Ample justice having been done to the good things provided, the President gave in rapid successioin, the health of' Her Majesty the Queen,' the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the rest of the Royal Family,' which were duly honoured. President: f have now the pleasure to propose a toast which I am sure you will all receive with great satisfaction. It is the health of one whom we all respect acd admire. You all know what interest our Bishop takes in all our works—(he,nr, hear)-because we have many practical proofs of it. (Hear, hear.) Three years ago when we began the work of restoring our Church, I wrote to his Lordship, and he imme- diately responded, giving me handsome donations, and when the work was finished, he most kindly and readily consented to come down, and take part in the opening service. (Applause.) For his kindness to us in this work, and for the thoroughly good sermon he gave us this morning, I beg to thank him. It is with great pleasure I propose the health of the Bishop of the Diocese. (Applause.) The toast was drunk with great cordiality. The Lord Bishop Mr Chairman-Our time is so very narrowly limited by a power which is at once irresistible and inexorable, that I am obliged to confine myself to what I can say in the course of a very few minutes. I should have been glad to have expressed at greater length the peculiar pleasure that it affords me to be present on this occasion. Although I enjoy the privilege of attending on similar occasions in many parts of the diocese, yet there is a peculiar interest, in my mind, connected with this occasion. The Church, at which we have been gathered this morning, is, in my judgment, and I believe in the judgment of those who are much better qualified to express an opinion than I am, one of the most enteresting, at least, in the county o Pembroke, if not in the whole diocese. I have oc- casionally visited it in times past, and always viewed it with a feeling of regret which once verged upon despair. One circumstance which made the con- dition of the Church more peculiarly painful was the kind of contrast it presented to the condition of the buying in which we are now assembled. (Hea A- hear.) It was to me a very melancholy thing to see this rain in a state of such excellent preservation and the Church mostsadlyout of repair and tending 'to ruin. I hold, with regard to a Gothic Castle !i)\e this is that a state of ruin is its abnormal, its proper and only desirable condition. We view the b-jildbg with the greatest pleasure, but none of us. wish to see it restored with that state of things of which it is a monument. (Applause.) That excellent crusader who lies quietly in the Channel of the Church must no doubt have suffered and de many hard blows in his time; we all wish he should rest in peace there, for we should all of GS be very sorry to see him on his legs again, (daughter.) But with re- gard to the Church, the, CR'Se is entirely diffe-rent. While we wish that (t:le Castle should exhibit a monument, and noting xnore than amendment, of departed chivalry we should be sorry indeed that the Church should present nothing more than a memorial of^ d.^parted and extinct piety. (Loud applause.) T Castle we don't wish for anv more-practical uoos than those which it now serves, but we hope, and trust that the Church will for generations, to come be growing and increasing and be of practical use, and a blessing to all future generati ,>»s. (Applause.) I rejoice in what we have w itnessed this day it is in many respects one of the Tsost interesting Churches in the Cour.ty: it is-one that required, in its restoration, to he dealt with great tenderness, judgment, and sktll, and I must say that so far as I am able to j' idge, it has passed through the hands ot one who iscapable ef appreciating the value of the building, and has exhibited a style of restoration worthy of tbe Church and worthy of the architect. (Hear, hear.) 'It has, therefore, afforded me very great pleasure to be present on this occasion. I feel deeply thankful that I have been permitted to wit- ness the restoration of one of crar most interesting churches, in a style which affords me a well grounded hope that it will continue a blessing-for generations to come, and worthy of the purposes for w&ich it is restored, (Load applause.) I The Ven. Archdeacon Clark Mr Chairman.-I have permission to propose another toast: I am not sure that it is is the order it should be given but I have permission to propose it, and I feelthat, at any rate, I ought not to allow any time to pass for fear of being left behind by that inexorable and overpowering of all powers—the railway train. >! have to propose, and it must be in a very few words, the health of, and thanks of all present who take an interest in the restoration of Macorbier Church to, the Committee, through whose esrertions j the work has been effected. We who attend on these occasions, and take our part in the opening- ceremonial, and in the-services, and our part in the minor proceedings of the day, such as the luncheon we have before us now-we and those who will not have to deal with the labour and work of re- storation like this, are not perhaps apt to appre- ciate altogether the labours of those who are en- gaged but I am sure that many of us who have taken part in these proceedings know perfectly well that thanks are due to the committee for their great self denial, and for the considerable expense of labour, time, and money. (Applause.) They give their services willingly and freely-(hear, hear),-they give their hearts to the work. The re- storation of the Church has been a work of love to them: it has been tandertaken freely, and carried through with great pleasure. (Hear, hear.) I must also say that we are indebted to the same committee for the very pleasant hour we have spent here, and for the very handsome luncheon of which we have partaken. I propose the health of the Church Building Committee, and I will couple with it the name of Mr Powell. Mr Powell, suggested that Mr Dunn's name should be associated with the toast, as he had been a most active member of the Committee. The Rev — Huntingdon here proposed, in com- plimentary terms, the health of the President, the vicar of the parish. The President, in returning thanks for himself, also acknowledged the compliment paid to the Committee, remarking that all of them, having but r, 1 z5 one object in view, bad laboured willingly to ac- complish the restoration of the Church, and were grateful for the success that had hitherto attended their labours. The proceedings here terminated, and the com- pany broke up. The Committee, whose labours have been pre- viously referred to, was composed of:—The Rev. J. Lamb, (the vicar) Mr T. Lewis, of Norchard, and Mr Bennett, (churchwardens) Mr J. R. Powell, Mr Dunn, Mr Greenish, Mr Shears, Mr Meyrick, Lydstep; Mr T. Rogers, Mr Williams, I and Mr Gwjther, of Park. We are desired to express the thanks of the Committee to the ladies who so kindly assisted in the preparation of the luncheon, and generously contributed the excellent confectionary with which the table was supplied. The Committee also derived very great assist- ance from Mr T. J. White, of Haverfordwest, under whose supervision the decorations of the room were carried out. The total cost of the re- storation of the Church amounted, as we have already stated, to jEl,400, & it should be mentioned, to the credit of the committee, that the whole of this large sum, with the exception of £J20, has been paid. The amount yet to be raised is so small, that we do not doubt that the Com- mittee, which has accomplished so much, will (Cot permit it long to remain a burden to them. The supplyof provisions at the luncheon was so ample that a considerable quantity remained after I the guests bad left the table. In the evening the pocr of the village, to the number of 70, were as- sembled in the room, which (the decorations not having been removed) yet wore its gay appear- ance, and were most liberally entertained. The treat was very much enjoyed by the humble guests, and was presided over by the Vicar, Church- wardens, Mr Powell, Mr Dunn, Mr Greenish, and other members of the Restoration Committee. We have previously referred to the great in- terest which surrounds the Church and village of Manorbier, and it may. not be out of place here to insert the following extract from a re- cently published sketch of the birth-place of the celebrated Giraldua :— Dr. Johnson's remarks will be recollected, that one of the old castles in Wales would contain all that he had seen in Scotland, The castle most accessible by rail and road is that of Manorbier, and many will argue that it is also pre-eminent in attractions. Such at least was the opinion of that famous old writer Giraldus Cambriensis, who was a native of the village, and who has described it in glowing words well worth quotation. The castle called Maenor Pyrr, that is, the mansion of Pyrrus, who also possessed the island of Chalday, which the Welsh call Jnys Pyr, or the island of Pyrrus, is distant about three miles from Pembrocb. It is excellently well defended by turrets and bul- warks, and is situated on the summit of a bill extending on the western side towards the sea. port, having on the northern and southern sides a fine fishpond under its walls, as conspicuous for its grand appearance as for the depth of its waters, and a beautiful orchard on the same side, enclosed on one part by a vineyard, and on the other by a wood remarkable for the projection of its rocks, and the height of its hazel trees. On the right band of the promontory, between the castle and the church, near the site of a very large lake and mill, a rivulet of never-failing water flows through a valley rendered sandy by the violence of the winds. Towards the west the Severn Sea, bending its course to Ireland, enters a hollow bay at sume distance from the castle and the southern reeks, if extended a little further towards the north, would render it a most excellent harbour for shipping. From this point of sight you will see almost all the ships from Great Britain which the east wind drives upon the Irish coast daringly brave the inconstant wave and the raging sea. This country is well supplied with corn, sea fish, and imported wines and what is preferable to every other advantage from its vicinity to Ireland, it is tempered by a salubrious air. Demetia [this denotes a province much more extensive than Pembroke], therefore, with its seven Cantreds, is the most beautiful as well as the most powerful district of Wales; Pem- broch, the freest part of the province of Demetia and the place I have just described the most de- lightful part of Pembroch. It is evident, therefore, r, that Maenor Pyrr is the pleasantest spot in Wales; and the author may be pardoned for having thus extolled'his native soil, his genial territory, with a profusion of praise and admiration.' The lake, the vineyarfl, and the mill have all disappeared, and the old light and festivity of Manorbier seems for ever to have departed; but this castle by the sea is still almost unique in its picturesque attraction. As Mr Gosse points out the sea-bird, pursuing a straight line from this little bay of Manorbier, would find no rest for its foot until it reached the Southern Pole. Looking westward, headland upon headland stretches out j'in long perspective, ayd the sea works galleries in the projecting cliffs. You may pleasantly spend some hours in working through the details of the ¡/ old castle. It has a distinctive character of its own; it is not a battlemented fortress like Pembroke Castle, designed for solid work in the wars, hut was a choice country residence of one of high rank and high estate:; and a careful examination will indicate that those old days possessed better no- tions of luxury and convenience than are generally ascribed to them. Some rooms are even still in a habitable state, or might be easily rendered so. It is doubtful whether the largest room extant was kitchen or chapel, and the double idea has been carried out in our modern days, for divine service has sometimes been held here, and sometimes it has served as a banquet room for summer travel- lers. Mr Spurgeon has done the oratorical here, to the great astonishment of the natives. After passing through the gateway, where you easily trace the double portcullis, you enter on the green turf of the broad inner court, where men-at- I arms would be drawn up for service, or all the inhabitants of the little village which nestled be- neath the shadow of the castle might take refuge in the time of danger. The old Flemish character 'I of the village is still visible, notably in the charac- ter of the old church tower."