Church Explorers Week in Doncaster

 

The bus map for Doncaster

Following on from another great day out from Treeton on the buses and trains to Morley in West Yorkshire, where my main objective to have a very good look at the Thornhill Rock used to build the Grade I Listed Morley Town Hall was successfully completed, and I had examined the decorative stones and sandstone used at St. John's church in Ranmoor, my thoughts turned next to Church Explorers Week. 

 

My travel pass

 

I was first informed of this event by the verger at Sheffield Cathedral, a Facebook friend who had taken notice of my many days out from Treeton to visit the mediaeval churches in South Yorkshire and the surrounding counties, starting in Rotherham, which I could get to using my travel pass. 

 

Churches participating in Church Explorers Week 2024

 

Contacting Church House in Rotherham, who didn’t seem to know anything about this event, I was eventually contacted by Chris Ellis, who works as a Church Buildings Officer for the Diocese of Sheffield and has a working background that includes a spell with English Heritage at Brodsworth Hall and at Clumber Park with the National Trust. 

 

More churches participating in Church Explorers Week 2024

Of the 25 churches participating in the event, which I thought was an great achievement on his part, I had visited and gained access to 17 of these, photographed the exterior of 3 others and 3 more in Doncaster did not appear to open except for services and my attempts to ask for a keyholder to open them were not fruitful. The remaining 2 at Snaith Priory and St. Mary’s church in Whitgift, which are both in East Yorkshire, were effectively out of reach. 

 

The bus stands at Doncaster Interchange

 

By now, I had had travelled to very many churches in rural Doncaster, which involved taking the train from Sheffield to Doncaster and then catching a bus, so I decided to concentrate my efforts on getting to the churches in High Melton, Brodsworth and Campsall and also having a look at the exterior of the churches in Marr and Burghwallis. 

 

Churches in Doncaster North and the underlying geology

 

While in this part of Doncaster, which is partly underlain by the Permian Brotherton Formation, I would prepare a British Listed Buildings Photo Challenges for all of these places, as was now the norm for my days out – starting at Marr and then walking to High Melton via Melton Wood.

A walk from Marr to High Melton via Melton Wood