Sunday was always a busy day, and an exciting one. We would wake to hear mother lighting the fire with the black kettle hanging on the hook above, singing her favourite hymns […]

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Sunday school was at 10 o’clock, the Rector and his wife were in charge of the older children and two goodly souls took care of the youngsters, who were taught the children’s hymns and told Bible stories […]

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At 10.45 we set off for the Church which was at the top of the School Lane, for Morning Prayer. If old enough to be in the Choir we entered the Church by the side door, where we had to be pretty nippy as bats had a habit of hibernating between the top of the door and the stone work, and there they hung upside down until we opened the door, and then “plop”. We passed through the Kemp Chapel into a small cubicle where we put on our linen caps and capes […] Then all came to life—The organ blower started to pump, the Rector’s wife started to play, swaying from side to side as she did so, in we filed and the service began.

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We were a medley choir, some with good voices and some with bad, but all made a merry noise. 

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[At the end of the sermon] we all said ‘Amen’, the organ blower put away his comic, and started pumping like fury, the organ played and the final hymn was sung, as we thought of our coming dinner [at home], meat dumpling or pea-soup and light dumplings. 

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At 6 o’clock come hail rain blow or snow we were ready to start off for Evensong […] We loved the Evening Psalms and Hymns, but found it difficult to stay awake during the sermon […] At Evensong we always sang a verse of an evening hymn which we called Vespers.

Saviour breathe an evening Blessing

Ere repose our spirits to seal. 

My very favourite was this:

Thus may we abide in union

With each other and the Lord

And possess in sweet communion 

Joys which earth cannot afford.