Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Weathervane Wednesday ~ An Ancestral Church in Trafalgar Square

I post another in a series of weather vane photographs every Wednesday.  This started with images of weathervanes from the Londonderry, New Hampshire area, but now I've found interesting weather vanes all across New England and across the globe.  Sometimes my weather vanes are whimsical, or historical, but all are interesting.  Often my readers tip me off to some very unique or unusual weathervanes, too!  If you know a great weather vane near you, let me know if you'd like to have it featured on this blog.

Today's weather vane was photographed in England.


Do you know the location of weathervane post #335?  Scroll down to find the answer.






This beautiful weather vane was photographed at the church of St. Martin in the Fields, in London, England.  It is a beautiful landmark that can be seen from quite far away in the city.  This has been a church since medieval days, when it really was "in the fields" and not in the middle of a city. Classical music lovers will recognize the name as the venue for many chamber music recordings, and there are still over 350 performances a year in this church.
 
Although many church buildings have stood on this site over the centuries, the building you see today was rebuilt in 1726 after the Great London Fire. It is the parish church for the British royal family, as well as for the prime minister at 10 Downing Street.  The steeple is 192 feet tall, with the weathervane above it. The gilded weathervane is a banner with a punched starburst inside. We were able to photograph this weathervane a few weeks ago when we were in London for the Mayflower Historic Sites tour. 

My 9th great grandparents, Thomas Treadwell (about 1603 - 1671) and Mary Wilson (about 1603 - 1685), were married here at St. Martin in the Fields, in London, on 24 June 1633 before the Great London Fire in 1666.  They came to New England in 1635 aboard the ship The Hopewell and settled in Ipswich, Massachusetts, where they had five children including Nathaniel Treadwell (1637 - 1726), my 8th great grandfather. 

The St. Martin in the Fields website: http://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/   

A PDF brochure for the "Topping Out" ceremony at St. Martin's when the weathervane was regilded in 2007: 
http://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/uploadpdfs/pressreleases/ToppingOut2007Sept.pdf   

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday ~ Weathervane Wednesday ~ An Ancestral Church in Trafalgar Square", Nutfield Genealogy, posted November 1, 2017, (
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/11/weathervane-wednesday-ancestral-church.html: accessed [access date]).

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