Treasures of our Benefice The Nativity set at Colemere is very old and much used. Each generation has refreshed the paint, and it is brought out each Christmas and set up near the altar. Years ago there was a tradition on Christmas morning that the priest would place the baby Jesus in the manger at the start … Continue reading The Colemere Nativity Scene
Category: History and Heritage
In the Bleak Midwinter – Christina Rossetti
Christopher Jobson takes us through one of his favourite Christmas Carols. Among the nation’s favourite Christmas carols, In the Bleak Midwinter is an exquisitely evocative lyric by Christina Rossetti, sister of the celebrated Pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti. It was originally published as a poem in a monthly magazine in 1872 and in a book three … Continue reading In the Bleak Midwinter – Christina Rossetti
O Come Let Us Adore Him! – (O Come All Ye Faithful)
The history behind this well-loved carol is something of a mystery although common consensus is that it was originally a Latin Christmas hymn, Adeste Fidelis’. It is believed that its first written appearance was down to the actions of manuscript and music copywriter, John Francis Wade (1711-1786) a Roman Catholic. At that time, all … Continue reading O Come Let Us Adore Him! – (O Come All Ye Faithful)