Browse crosses

O/S Grid Ref:  SX/63378/56032       Longitude/Latitude (Degrees+/-):  -3.92323/50.38825  

Map location:  Click here to view map.

Purpose:  Decorative cross on the external church wall.

Size: The cross is set too high up the wall to be measured from the ground.

Information:  The original mosaic cross, on the south facing aspect of the Methodist Church, had been showing signs of wear and damage.  In 2018, it was decided to take this old cross down and replace it with a brand new one of similar design but with a new colour scheme and layout.  The new cross appeared towards the end of June 2018 and a thumbnail photo of the old cross appears to the left of this paragraph.

On the wall, beside the main entrance to the church, sits a plaque that records that a panel of the New World Tapestry was worked on at the church. The New World Tapestry, which at one time was the largest stitched embroidery in the world, even larger than the Bayeux Tapestry, depicts English attempts at the colonisation of the American continent between the years of 1583 and 1642.  The tapestry consists of 24 panels, with each one covering an event and period of time throughout the whole colonisation period.  Each panel measures 11 feet by 4 feet (3.4 by 1.2 metres), with the whole tapestry extending to 267 feet by 4 feet (81.3 by 1.2 metres).  Work on the tapestry commenced in 1980 and took 20 years to complete.  It was originally on display at the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum but, since that establishment's closure, it has been held in storage by the Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives.  

It was the fourth panel that was worked on at this church relating to the Roanoke Colony and Fort Raleigh in the year 1586.  The Roanoke Colony, also known as the Lost Colony, was based on Roanoke Island which today is in Dare County, North Carolina. The images sewn into the panel revolve mainly around the strengthening of Fort Raleigh, with two of the main scenes showing workmen sawing a large plank of wood and two others digging holes. The names mentioned in the panel include Sir Francis Walsingham (Expedition backer), Ralph Lane (Governor of the colony) and Thomas Ford (Mayor of Plymouth). Work on this panel was started in 1986 and finished in 1990.

Our thanks go to Chris Taylor for bringing this cross to our attention and for keeping us updated on the replacement cross.