A Beautiful English Country Church

Even if you're not particularly religious, churches can be fascinating places to visit.  They have a history so have stories to tell.  They are also galleries of wonderful craftmanship.

The beautiful church of St Nicholas Moreton in Dorset is small but beautifully formed.  

Apparently T E Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) wasn't particularly religious, although his mother was.  So when he died, the service was held in this church and he was buried in the little cemetery close by.  

The church was damaged by bombs in 1940 and as part of the refurbishment, 13 hand-etched glass windows replaced the damaged ones.  The windows were by Sir Laurence Whistler who was said to have revived the art of glass engraving in the 20th century.

I've never seen etched glass in church windows before but they let in a lot more light than the traditional stained glass (don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with stained glass and the way the changing light plays with the colours and reflections within the building). But the etched glass lends a distinct, ethereal quality to the building, making it feel quite heavenly!