ALMOST 40 people went on a ‘church crawl’ of places of worship in North Dorset.

They were Friends of the Dorset Historic Churches Trust (DHCT) and toured four parish churches to learn more about their history and hidden features.

It was the first church crawl of 2015, beginning at Fifehead Magdalen near Gillingham, where guests heard a talk on the history and architecture of the church by DHCT trustee Tim Connor.

Fellow trustee Susan Smith told the group about the church’s stained glass windows, and in particular the Good Shepherd window, a rare example of Victorian portrait and landscape artist Percy Buckman’s designs.

After a pub lunch at Buckhorn Weston, the group visited St George’s Chapel at Langham, built in 1921 by the Manger family in memory of loved ones lost in the First World War. It is the only thatched church in Dorset.

The group then made its way to Silton – renowned for being the home of Alfred Bell, a famous Victorian stained glass maker and half of London stained glass firm Clayton and Bell.

The parish church, St Nicholas’, which dates from Norman times, is decorated with Clayton and Bell glass.

The final visit of the day was to St Mary’s Church in Gillingham, originally a Saxon Church which already had a huge parish stretching 41 miles by the time of the Norman invasion in 1066.

The group enjoyed the elaborate memorials and visited the Chapel of the Good Shepherd. Built in the late 19th

century, the chapel features exquisite carvings and a beautiful octagonal font.

Simon Pomeroy, chairman of the Dorset Historic Churches Trust, said: “The Dorset Historic Churches Trust would like to say a big thank you to everyone who joined our trustees for the church crawl.

“These ‘crawls’ offer interested members of the Dorset community the chance to explore some of the fine churches we have around us and discover all their hidden gems inside. We hope to see as many people as possible at our next one.”

The next church crawl is on Wednesday, June 17, 11am, at starting at St Mary’s Church in Melbury Bubb.

New members of the Friends of DHCT are welcome and details are available at local churches.

The trust was established in 1960 by Sir Owen Morshead and provides around £100,000 a year to help Dorset churches and chapels of all Christian denominations with the costs of maintenance, restoration and improving facilities.

Its main source of income is the annual Ride + Stride, which every September.