Three Sutton Saints Set For Saint Helens
St.Helens, of course, derives its name from a chapel that was dedicated to Saint Helen, the mother of Constantine the Great. What's quite amazing and receives little local coverage, is that Sutton is well on course to having a unique shrine containing the mortal remains of not one, but three saints!
Attached to St.Anne and Blessed Dominic Church in Monastery Lane is a shrine to Dominic Barberi, Elizabeth Prout and Father Ignatious Spencer. Passionist priest Dominic Barberi was beatified by Pope Paul VI in 1963. Now a report in the Catholic Herald entitled 'Cause of nun who worked with Manchester poor makes progress' describes how a large file which details Elizabeth Prout's life of 'heroic virtue' is set to be passed onto the Vatican. A Mass will be held on June 29th celebrated by Archbishop Patrick Kelly of Liverpool which will conclude the local phase of the 'Cause', as it's known.
The Catholic Herald's article on the Cause of Elizabeth Prout - Click to read
The Catholic Herald's report of June 20th describes how Elizabeth Prout will be one of only four English men and women whose Causes for sainthood are being considered by the Vatican. One of them is Fr. Ignatius Spencer a relative of Winston Churchill and great-great-great uncle of Diana, Princess of Wales. His Cause for ultimate Canonisation was opened by Archbishop Derek Worlock of Liverpool in 1992. So half of the English Causes set for scrutiny by Rome have their mortal remains in Sutton! Plus Blessed Dominic, of course. You can read more about the trio of prospective Sutton saints at St.Anne & Blessed Dominic's Website.
F.W. Free in his fabulous book "Our Heritage in Sutton and Bold" (1979) sums up the shrine far better than I ever could:
"So here in a lovely shrine, especially built for the purpose, are the mortal remains of the son of an Italian farmer, the son of a noble English family and the daughter of a good Protestant family. Their lives may have ended, but their inspiration lives on in those around them and in others farther afield who make pilgrimages to this sacred shrine to gather the faith, courage and hope that sustained these faithful three who now rest with with their Maker."
Making the Big Art 'Dream' a Reality
(For a taster of Mel's photographs, click on any image below - then point at the full-size picture that appears to reveal the 'Next' / 'Previous' buttons)
A model of the artwork known as ‘Dream' (pictured above), that will be sited at the top of the old Sutton Manor spoil heap, was unveiled at the World of Glass in St.Helens last Wednesday. Since then there’s been a fair bit of local hostility towards the concept (e.g. postings here). Much of the criticism has, I think, been through misunderstandings of the design and its funding. There's been little appreciation of the hard work that Mel, Gary Conley and the others have put in over the last three years.
The former mineworkers in the St.Helens Big Art Project Focus Group pictured outside the old Sutton Manor Colliery gates in 2007.
The criticism has been wide-ranging. Many don’t like the design as it doesn’t directly relate to mining and others simply claim that the money could be much better spent elsewhere, even on the new Saints stadium (!). Although St.Helens Council (and Liverpool Biennial) have been providing considerable support, none of the money is sourced from council tax coffers. It’s been hard-won from a wide range of sources including the Arts Council, Forestry Commission, North West Coalfield Communities Regeneration Programme etc.
The focus group are not downhearted by the criticism. In fact Mel said that they were expecting it! The group had visited Gateshead where Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North was unveiled in 1998 and were regularly told by locals how they’d initially hated the structure but have grown to love it. All art, of course, is subjective and public art is invariably controversial.
I’m pleased to hear that the team have thought through concerns over vandalism and it won’t be that easy for the mindless ones in Sutton Manor to damage ‘Dream’. The plan is to cast it from concrete with a white, almost luminous, finish and a special anti-vandal coating. The structure, which will depict an elongated face of a nine-year old girl, will be sunk deep underground so there'll be no danger of it collapsing during strong winds. Lights will be positioned around the circular plinth to give the face a somewhat ghostly appearance at night. A spotlight situated in the top of the head will at certain times of the year shine a powerful beam skywards.
Mel told me that the 20 metre high structure that's set to tower over the M62 will be made from 26 blocks and each will take a week to construct. Tenders are currently being taken from manufacturers but work can’t begin until the all-important planning permission has been obtained. It will be touch and go whether the artwork can be made and installed in time for the Channel 4 TV series, although the team have planned for this possibility and do have a contingency in mind. Mel confirmed that the first of the four-part prime-time series, which was originally scheduled for transmission this month, will now be broadcast on Sunday November 23th, 2008 and then on the three following Sundays.
I expect that when the doubters and cynics have watched the series and the 'Dream' becomes a Sutton Manor reality, they will develop a greater understanding of the ethos and thinking behind the art project. I personally can’t wait! SW
It's 'Heaven' at the Chapel in Sutton Oak!
Pictured with Fitzmaurice's creation is Paul Jones, the energetic chairman of the Sutton Oak Welsh Chapel Preservation Society. With his partner Caroline Owen and a small team of volunteers, Paul has worked wonders in making badly needed improvements to the building that was constructed in 1845 from industrial waste. As previously reported here, the restoration is a work in progress with plenty more to do but great strides have been made.
Ten days ago there was an attempt to break into the building which was foiled by Paul having spent 15 years in the security industry. Although the front door to no.2 Lancots Lane was kicked in, the presence of alarms and CCTV deterred the unwanted visitors. "I was out of our front door and at the chapel in 2 minutes flat" says Paul after being tipped off about the break-in.
Last Saturday night (26th April) the chapel held its Titanic Night with the New Street Singers performing, which went down well (pun intended!). More badly needed funds were raised to help in the preservation of the historic building and Paul and Caroline have plenty more fund-raising ideas up their sleeves, including an extension of their refreshments service. The chapel has been open for visitors every Wednesday and Friday for a year or so now with teas and coffees served inside. Now tables and chairs have been obtained and soon visitors will be able to sit outside and enjoy their beverages whilst watching the Sutton Oak world go by. A bit like the street cafés of Amsterdam, if only a very little bit!
Plus Paul is close to finalising arrangements for the resumption of the Sunday services with a number of Welsh ministers all keen to conduct non-denominational services. As Paul says:
The Welsh are back again in our chapel - great!!! 
Chairman of Sutton Oak Welsh Chapel Preservation Society Paul Jones with Leo Fitzmaurice's mobile road sign 'Heaven'
Sutton Oak Welsh Chapel Visiting Hours:
Wednesday 10.30am - 4.30pm and Friday 9.30am - 4.30pm.
The Welsh Chapel Arts & Crafts Group meet every Friday at 6 - 8pm
UPDATE An article on the Chapel has been published in Whalley's World in today's St.Helens Star. Read it HERE.
CLICK AN IMAGE FOR A LARGER VIEW
Heaven at the Sutton Oak Welsh Chapel - Sutton - St.Helens - Sutton Beauty
Brickfields £2m Makeover Well Underway
Sutton Beauty uncovers evidence of supersized moles at the Brickfields site!
11,000 tonnes of earth have been moved onto the site (photographed 15th March '08)
In May more mature trees will be planted in Brickfields, so that we won’t have to wait too long for a decent sized woodland when the work is completed early next year. A central avenue of English oaks is to be created along with some cherry trees and pines in order to provide variation for folk like me who tend to wander from one area of woodlands to another!
Simon Brown is the Works Supervisor for the Forestry Commission in the North West and says:
It’s a real pleasure watching the site changing on an almost daily basis. When we’ve finished local people are going to be really pleased with the results. There will be plenty of opportunities for everyone to enjoy the outdoors, whether it’s walking the dog, cycling or running. The project also includes a 20-year management plan so people can be confident that this new woodland will be kept in good condition.
The latter is especially good news as it’s so easy for sites to deteriorate and become dumping grounds. Sutton Mill Dam is an unfortunate example. However, the Forestry Commission and their chums at Mersey Forest do have a good track record for keeping sites they manage in good nick. Completion of the project, by the way, is expected to be in March 2009. Sutton Beauty will be updating with regular progress reports.
CLICK AN IMAGE FOR A LARGER VIEW
Brickfields Community Woodland - Sutton Manor - St.Helens - Sutton Beauty
'Friends of Sutton Park' - Friends Indeed!
New sign and noticeboard welcoming visitors to Sutton Park, St.Helens
As Sutton Beauty in human form rested his weary bones on the bench in Sutton Park near the ice-age boulder on Saturday morning, he saw two twin girls dressed in matching pink having a whale of a time playing in a sea of daffodils, while their parents studied the splendid new noticeboard that the Friends of Sutton Park support group have recently had installed.
To his right, to the park's northern corner, two lads were fully occupied climbing a tree. "Hope they don't fall ", Sutton Beauty thought, remembering that St.Helens Hospital was, fortuitously, only yards away! It was, however, a pleasant scene which summed up what green open space is all about.
If you recall, the local community fought off plans in January 2007 to convert part of the public park, which was created in 1903, into a temporary car park. (See this post and this post). As a result, with Ward Committee and council support, the Friends of Sutton Park were founded last July. A bulb planting day with the kids in Robins Lane school took place in October and a new fence is being erected. I expect that the group, which meets in the Red Lion, have more improvements in mind.
The next meeting of the group will be on April 1st (no fooling!) in the Red Lion at the corner of Robins Lane and New Street in Sutton, St.Helens at 7pm. All are welcome.
(Click an image for a larger view)
It's Titanic Month at the Welsh Chapel
Inside they found evidence of inhabitation by drug users and vagrants, which took them a considerable amount of time to clean up. Since then the industrious pair, who are supported by a small team of volunteers, have reopened the chapel and have ambitious plans to preserve the building which dates back to 1845.
I was walking down Lancots Lane a couple of weeks ago and saw Paul, paint brush in hand, giving an exterior stone surround a good coating. Paul, who serves as chairman of the Sutton Oak Welsh Chapel Preservation Society, exudes a remarkable passion and enthusiasm for the Welsh Chapel and clearly enjoys talking about the building's history and his own family connection with the old church. Paul and his partner Caroline have created a wonderfully, friendly environment within the chapel which was built largely from industrial waste. There's an open house atmosphere with plenty of folk popping in for a cuppa, from police community support officers to workers at nearby factories.
Inside Sutton Oak Welsh chapel are the original yellow pine pews
There's plans to resume Sunday services in April. It's simply too cold to hold them in winter as there's no heating. A heritage lottery grant will be made before too long and it will be needed. There's plenty of work still to be done but what they've achieved so far is quite remarkable. In the meantime Paul is looking at other fundraising ventures, including a car washing service outside the chapel!
Paul tells me that he met Caroline in Manchester at a Titanic exhibition. Consequenty after last year's success, April is once again Titanic Month in Lancots Lane! All kinds of memorabilia connected to the ship and the 1997 film will be on show from Wednesday April 9th, including a glass-shaped dolphin necklace with jiblets of real coal from the actual ship. The New Street Singers have been pencilled in to perform at the Welsh Chapel again on April 26th. Eighty-five people turned up to hear them last year. They're expected to not just sing the hymns that were sung on board the Titanic shortly before it foundered, but they will also perform their own version of Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On.
Banner outside the Lancots Lane building - the dragon is back!
The chapel is currently open all day Wednesdays and Fridays. Why not drop in for a visit and cup of tea or coffee? You're guaranteed a warm welcome. Donations to their coffers are always welcome too!
Edit 22/3/08
The Sutton Oak Welsh Chapel Preservation Society are looking for volunteers to help out at their chapel, anytime on Wednesdays or Fridays. You can help by polishing the church pews, clearing up, gardening, brushing up or simply by meeting and greeting visitors or making a decent brew! Also the team are looking for help when their Sunday services start. Contact chairman Paul Jones on 07861117678 or by email.
CLICK AN IMAGE ABOVE FOR A SUTTON OAK WELSH CHAPEL PHOTO-ALBUM
(Point at each image for the 'Next' button)
Sutton Times Have Been A-Changin' !
A view north towards St.Helens with Sherdley Park in the background.
St.Nicholas's graveyard and the old cub hut are in the foreground.
I'm indebted to Martin Gauckwin, who describes himself as "born and raised in Sutton", who has kindly forwarded two photographs taken from St.Nicholas church tower during the 1960s. The picture above was taken in April 1964, just a few weeks after Bob Dylan had released his third album entitled 'The Times They Are A-Changin'. I expect that Mr. Zimmerman wasn't necessarily thinking of house building in St.Helens, but he could well have been as Martin's extraordinary pictures remind us of how much the area has been developed in such a short span of time.
As you can see in the photograph (above) which looks north / north-west of the New Street church - with Marshalls Cross Road and Sherdley Park in the background - there's nothing but fields past St. Nick's graveyard and the burnt out cub huts in the foreground. Sherdley Park's old entrance gates can just about be made out at the top of the picture. In the days prior to St.Helens Corporation acquiring the park in the late '40s, these were locked at night by the Hughes family.
If memory serves (I need to check this with the local history library) the land was sold in 1966 for around £250,000. Apart from Sutton Cricket Club and Sutton Park at the picture's top right, the fields have all now gone, metamorphising into Balmoral Avenue, Stathmore Grove and Sandringham Drive etc. In fact if you click on the pictures you'll see Google Earth's impression of how the area looks today.
Looking south towards Mill Lane - Sutton Manor Colliery in the distance.
In the second photograph taken in July 1963, which is a southerly view towards Mill Lane, there is a similarly desolate landscape, apart from the houses on one side of Mill Lane and with Sutton Manor Colliery in the far distance.
The pit was then in its heyday, annually outputting over 300,000 tons of coal with over 1,000 miners and ancillary workers employed. Within a couple of years it would undergo a recruitment drive but despite the National Coal Board's adverts in the St.Helens Reporter in 1966 promising "permanent employment and a secure future", it would close 25 years later. I suspect that many who lost their jobs felt that another track on Dylan's seminal album from 1964, "Only a Pawn In Their Game", would also apply to them!
Sutton Oak Welsh Chapel Update
March looks like being a busy month with the resumption of Sunday services conducted by a Welsh minister, plus visits are being planned from welsh choirs and harp players.
Chairman of the society, Paul Jones (pictured above), says that he's in discussion with the ministry team from Wales about holding other services - including funerals - at the old chapel. Paul writes: "I have had a Welsh minister coming to our little church, quite often to bless the building throughout, quite literally nearly every brick of our church."
Paul and his team are also organising welsh classes in the chapel, which will be open to members of the public to attend (details to follow). Improvements have been made to the building, with the sheds at the side of the church having been demolished and it will be widened up for visitors during the summer.
During January the church will be closed on Wednesdays for repairs and painting etc., but they will be open as normal on Fridays.
Sutton Oak Welsh Chapel in Lancots Lane, Sutton
Paul is also planning a "massive revivalist meeting" in the welsh chapel. He's inviting people from St.Helens who are Welsh, or descendants of Welsh families, to come forward. "We are tracing our history back with the chapel you see, they had a big Welsh meeting back in 1904" writes Paul.
Paul and his partner Caroline can be contacted on 07861117678 or 07975586018 or by email. Happy birthday to the Sutton Oak Welsh Chapel Society!
Friends of Sherdley Park Meeting
It's being held in the Arts Centre at Sutton High School, Elton Head Road, St. Helens and will start at 11 a.m. on Saturday 12th January 2008.
All are welcome.
Talk on Mining & Sutton Manor Colliery
It's a free heritage event and free refreshments will be served in the Coffee Bar from 10.15am. Everyone is welcome. For more information you can call 01744 677081.
Don't forget Sutton Beauty's own page on Sutton Manor Colliery and our own Colliery Photo-Album
Brickfields Woodland Project Approved
St.Helelens Council's planning committee approved the plans in November 2007 with certain conditions, which don't seem to have been put into the public domain as yet. (See this and this post). The St.Helens Star have today finally covered the story, click Here to read. Sutton Beauty has been covering it for thirteen whole months, by the way! The revisions made to the original plans have meant that the schedule has been delayed, so work will now begin in February 2008 with completion expected in March 2009.
Brickfields Community Woodland Update
The proposals include several walking and cycling trails, bridges, nature areas and an eye-catching hill top feature that's intended to become a focal point for the site. The revised plans will be considered at a meeting of St.Helens Council's planning committee on November 6th.
A list of tree, shrub and hedgerow species for planting has just been released. It's very comprehensive and includes English Oak, Silver Birch, Rowan, Ash, Hazel, Wild Cherry, Hawthorn, Holly, Yew, Field Maple, Scots Pine, Dog Rose, Blackthorn, Common Buckthorn, Broom and Wayfaring Tree. A full list can be viewed HERE.
An artist's impression of the project - click for a larger view and an aerial photograph of the Brickfields site as it is now
As there's been some misinformed criticism of the funding for the Manor's Big Art Project, it's worth mentioning the sources for Brickfields. The North West Development Agency are providing £2.1 million of regeneration funding to transform the site, with cash also coming Biffaward, a multi-million pound environment fund managed by the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts. An additional £302,976 has been awarded through the Integrated Countryside and Environment Plan (ICEP), which is an Objective One Project part funded by the European Union. The good folks at Mersey Forest are working to deliver ICEP through Community Forestry.
The work on the site was scheduled to begin on Monday but will no doubt commence when planning permission comes through. When completed the stakeholders envisage Brickfields becoming a valuable area of green space for Sutton locals and visitors to enjoy. This website will be keenly monitoring the project's progress.
