The life of an eccentric English booklady.: Serendipity

Monday, 18 October 2021

Serendipity

Sometimes you can come across something beautiful and it is such a surprise and so unexpected, that it stays with you and lights up your imagination.

I had found some wonderful places due to my Welsh Heritage card, given to me by my friends Martin and Madeleine but on this particular Wednesday afternoon, I wasn’t following any plan or searching for a special monument.

The church caught my eye merely because it was so overgrown. It was a very ordinary building, grey and slate coloured but something made me turn round- I thought I might enjoy exploring the old graveyard.

I read the notice-board which said that St Mark’s Church in Brithdir was still consecrated but no longer used for services. However, there was a colony or protected Lesser Horseshoe bats living in its belfry and it was looked after by that wonderful organisation ‘Friends of Friendless Churches’.

I mooched about the graveyard for a while, which was full of huge rhododendrons and overgrown dark slate headstones. To be honest, it was all rather dank and depressing and I nearly didn’t bother trying the church door, as so many are still closed due to Covid.

The heavy door did open and I stepped inside. It took me a few moments to understand what I was seeing. The weak sunlight lit up a scene that glowed with rich colours. I felt I had been transported to a different country- it was the opposite of the simple rather dour interior I had been expecting.

It turns out that St Marks is one of the finest Arts and Crafts churches in Wales and was designed and made by Henry Wilson from 1895-1898. I will put a link at the end of this post in case anyone wishes to learn more.

Colour was the first thing I noticed- towards the altar, the walls are warm red ochre and the ceiling is a beautiful strong blue, the rest is rich warm cream. I looked around and the gleam of metal caught my eye. Both the pulpit and the altar are made of beaten copper- breathtaking and vibrant.

I walked slowly down the aisle, looking to left and right, making for the choir stalls and there I saw a tortoise, carved in the dark wood! So I searched everywhere and found a mouse, squirrel, dolphin and rabbit- although nothing quite equalled the surprise of seeing a tortoise.

I do not know how long I stayed in St Mark’s. Everywhere I turned brought me new discoveries. The clear glass in the windows let in a beautiful light and I sat and gazed at the details on the altar.

I even found a bat! He was lying on the floor under a pew, still and seemingly dead. Then he blinked. I pondered a while, not sure what to do but in the end decided he was safer outside and that he might have become trapped within the church. I gently scooped him up with the visitor’s book and placed him outside on a gravestone in a dark corner where he was hidden from sight by overhanging ferns. He squeaked and spread his wings briefly but still looked rather poorly, so I went to find a leaf, collected some rain drops on it, put it near to his head and then left him in peace.

Entering the church again was such a pleasure. I sat for a while and looked again at all the treasures, nothing disturbed the peace and I felt at home and very happy.

Finally I said goodbye and closed the door carefully. On checking the little bat, I found him perched on the leaf, where had obviously been drinking and he looked much better, so I felt I had done the right thing.

A man I know well taught me how to rely on serendipity when out exploring, he said that sometimes you have to follow your instincts and trust that something good will happen.

Thanks to serendipity I have had the most memorable and beautiful experience.