News of Old Kirk Braddan
Regular services
News (including occasional services)
Goods for sale
Other facilities (weddings, filming &c)
The Friends of Old Kirk Braddan
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News of Old Kirk BraddanRegular services News (including occasional services) Goods for sale Other facilities (weddings, filming &c) The Friends of Old Kirk Braddan |
The Friends of Old Kirk Braddan welcome you to Old Kirk Braddan, the former parish church of the parish of Braddan.
All visitors are welcome —
Old Kirk Braddan is open every day during daylight hours.
Click here for more information about Old Kirk Braddan, and here for pictures of some of the features of the church and churchyard.
| 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays May to September |
6.30 pm | Evening Service followed by celebration of Holy Communion | |
| St Stephen's Day (Boxing Day – 26th December) |
10.00 am | Holy Communion | |
| 3.00 pm | Carol Service | ||
| Palm Sunday (16th March 2008) |
9.30 am | Parish Communion begins in Old Kirk Braddan with a procession to the Parish Church led by Douglas Town Band |
It was wonderful to see Old Kirk Braddan transformed with its welcoming decorations for Easter Day, by comparison with the Lenten bleakness on Palm Sunday for the opening of the Parish Communion Service. Our thanks to:
Following on from news of the £500 raised on both Snowdrop Tea Sundays, the safe contents for the past 2 months amounted to a further <£500 – this included extra donations during the Carol Service and Snowdrop Teas as well as donations from casual visitors over this period. All most welcome contributions towards the refurbishment identified at the Quinquennial Inspection in the autumn.These works and other improvements in and around OKB are progressing slowly towards their initiation:
AND further information about the wall safe in the Vestry referred to in Frank Cowin’s Short History of Old Kirk Braddan (available on the “West End Shop” table). Caroline, whilst delving into the secrets in the Museum Library, found a photo of the safe (by the Revd. E H Stenning MA) in the “Braddan Churches” File Box. On the back of the photo is the following inscription:
“Homemade safe in Old Kirk Braddan Church West End. Set in the main wall. Dated 1817. Supposed to have been made by the Carroin family of Ballacarroin, smiths, at the Strang. The mechanism of the locking arrangement is very clever and secure. The initials are supposed to be those of the workmen. W Cubbon 25/9/20”.
This interpretation of the inscription is somewhat at variance with the History which interprets the initials as follows:—
TH = Vicar TC= Clerk HWCo= maker
Could both interpretations be reconciled? Say the Vicar is “TH”, could “Co” be an abbreviation for “Carroin” so that the maker is indeed “HWCo”? Is “TC” the Clerk? or yet another Carroin along with “VC”? For now this latest discovery seems to raise more questions than answers to the mystery. WATCH THIS SPACE FOR ANY FURTHER CLUES/ANSWERS.
And some additional FACTS. -- The Carroin smithy used to stand on the Strang Corner. Part of the property is now ‘Smithy House’ and the Strang Shop. The remains of the Smithy can be seen behind the shop going towards Coronation Terrace.
Reverting to the subject of improvements – WHAT, you may ask is the massive erection of scaffolding dominating the south-west aspect of the churchyard? Well, to complement everything else, the Athol Memorial is being cleaned, courtesy of the Vicar and Wardens.
So, in due time, and all things being equal, and given a fair wind (and all other aspects of the weather being favourable) Old Kirk Braddan could -- just might -- be spruced up and in full running order by the end of the summer -- after next!
Meanwhile—
The Annual General Meeting of the Friends of Old Kirk Braddan is to be on Wednesday 7th May at 7.00 pm in Old Kirk Braddan.
Details of future events will be published nearer the time when closures for refurbishment have been finalised.
Souvenirs etc featuring pictures of Old Kirk Braddan available for sale on the Sales/Information Table include:
| Regular postcards | 20p |
| Cross photograph postcards | 50p |
| Jigsaw postcards | £1.50 (including envelope) |
| Key-rings | 50p |
| Fridge magnets | £1.00 |
| Pads of Post-it notes | £1.00 |
| Photograph notelets | 20p (or 6 for £1) |
| Wordsworth's Thoughts on the Isle of Man (booklet of poems with complementary photographs) |
£2 |
| Christmas cards | 6 for £2.50 |
| Notelets | 5 for £2.50 |
| Mugs | £5.00 |
There is a wide selection of second-hand books in the box pews to the right of the altar. Just put your payment in the honesty box.
On the Sales/Information table there are also samples of the John Millar Nicholson prints which are available to order:
| Framed | £35.00 |
| Card mounted | £10.00 |
| Unframed | £5.00 |
Samples and order forms for items not on show, combined with membership applications forms, are on the Sales/Information table.
Group conducted tours of the church or graveyard (with or without refreshments) by prior arrangement (01624 675523 or 629370).
Weddings may be solemnised at Old Kirk Braddan if authorised by the Bishop's special licence. In suitable cases filming may be permitted in the church or churchyard, and the church may be booked for concerts. A fee may be charged. For further details apply to the Vicar (01624 675523).
Isle of Man Registered Charity No 308
| Chairman | Peter Watson 19 Vicarage Park, Braddan, Isle of Man IM2 2QB 01624 629370 |
| Secretary | Caroline McDonald Harold Cottage, Strang, Braddan, Isle of Man IM4 4TE 01624 851782 |
| Treasurer | Albert Dudgeon ACIB 7 Hilltop Rise, Braddan, Isle of Man IM2 2LF 01624 661769 |
The Friends of Old Kirk Braddan, a registered charity, was founded in 1982 by the Rev Clifford Bradley, then Vicar of Braddan. Its aims are —
Click here for the constitution of the Friends of Old Kirk Braddan
If you would like to become a Friend of Old Kirk Braddan, click here for an application form (combined with an order form); alternatively contact Peter Watson, 19 Vicarage Park, Braddan, Isle of Man IM2 2QB (01624 629370).
The Friends of Old Kirk Braddan have been responsible for raising the necessary funds to pay for the various phases of restoration over the last 22 years:—
| Phase I | ||
| 1984 | Making the building water-tight Re-roofing the main body of the church and tower Re-casting of bells |
£17,250 |
| Phase II | ||
| 1991-2 | Lime-wash interior Restore east end of church including the three-decker pulpit, box-pews, wall panels, dados and Murray Monument Refurbish vestry Install electric circuitry |
£28,850 |
| 1993 | Polycarbonate window coverings | £1,000 |
| 1994 | Tower pinnacles and interior roofing | £4,900 |
| Phase III | ||
| 2004 | Restoration of pews under gallery, wall panels and dados | £48,000 |
| TOTAL funds so far | £100,000 | A recent survey suggested that necessary expenditure for maintenance over the next 5 years would be £30,000. |
| In addition there is:- | ||
| Phase IV – work still to be done | ||
| ? | Flooring and pews in the main body of the church Restoration of the gallery Repointing exterior stone-work |
£50,000 |
WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT OVER THE PAST 22 YEARS
PLEASE CONTINUE TO HELP US PRESERVE THIS HISTORIC BUILDING