St Peter & St Paul Parish Church At Christmas Time

St Peter & Paul Parish Church in Blandford town centre,
still standing tall  & strong  throughout the centuries

St Peter & St Paul Parish Church in the town centre of Blandford Forum, is the most well known Georgian land mark that the town has - and rightly so as this beautiful and historic town focal point is second only to Georgian churches in London.

The Church of England always welcomes Blandfordians
 as well as out of town visitors and tourists
to St Peter & Paul Blandford Parish Church
and Minister / Vicar / Reverand / Rector... Tim Storey
 has even  made headlines in a national paper
but that's another story...get it ? sorry couldn't resist !

The Church folk are always very friendly and welcoming and even if you are not a Christian they always make the time to have a quick chat or if needs be a more lengthy conversation so that they may be of help if you need someone to talk to, which is a good thing, as we all have our ups and downs including us people at The Blandford Buzz and perhaps even yourself dear reader -though I hope your life is more up than down !

9 o clock on a Sunday morning is Holy Communion time at St Peter & Paul Blandford Parish Church 

As you can probably see in the above photograph, the exterior stone work of St Peter and Paul Blandford Parish Church has a type of greenish hue to it, which is apparently down to the longevity of the building and the fact that it has been built with soft green Wiltshire sandstone - as well as Portland stone.  The church was re-built in 1732 following a fire which tragically set most of the Blandford town centre ablaze, however the phoenix rose from the ashes so to speak - (The Blandford Buzz hopes no offence has been caused by this analogy but a Christian anology doesn't instantly spring to my mind) as Blandford now proudly has this archtectural treasure in it's midst.

The Christmas Tree in St Peter & Paul Blandford Parish Church
is nicely decorated and looks sparkly and festive day & night

The members of Blandford Parish Church have made a great effort to decorate their Christmas tree with baubles and lights and it really compliments the inside of the church giving it quite a homely feel.

What a wonderfully ornate architectural setting
to partake in Holy Communion, which after this pic was snapped
was shortly to follow - so The Blandford Buzz  was lucky to be able to take this snap !

The Blandford Buzz arrived with just about 5 minutes to spare before the Sunday Holy Communion service started at 9.00am and so these photographs were taken hurriedly but they nevertheless showcase St Peter and St Paul Blandford Parish church in all of it's Georgian finery !

The red church candles make an attractive Christmas display and provide the church goers
at St Peter & Paul Blandford Parish Church with a focal point to say a quiet prayer...

The Blandford Parish church has many different areas of prayer and at Christmas time

just before a service is about to begin or at anytime that the church is open, it is easy to see why this area illuminated by candle light is an attractive area for worshipers to have a prayer or for visitors to pray or simply meditate.

The nativity display towards the front of the inside of  St Peter & Paul  Blandford Parish Church
looks simple but not tacky and it really evokes the historical and religious aspect of Christmas.

The Blandford Parish church always exhibits a nativity scene and each year it always looks warm and homely, so maybe it would have been quite warm and homely in the stable over 2 thousand years ago, when baby Jesus was borne to the world... 

This nativity display at Blandford Parish Church
got me humming Mary's Boy Child ...

The photos on today's blog post show, St Peter and Paul Blandford Parish Church is well worth a visit, whether you live in Blandford Forum or one of the surrounding villages or nearby towns - or perhaps you will be passing through Blandford Forum, some time during the Christmas season or even in the new year, so if you find yourself in Blandford Forum, be sure to remember to visit this historic church in the town centre, as you will always be greeted with a warm friendly smile by the people who frequent it !

Disclaimer: The Blandford Buzz is not affiliated to the Church of England or St Peter and Paul Blandford Parish Church or any other religious organisation and The Blandford Buzz has not been paid or sponsored to write this article on this blog post, though The Blandford Buzz was given permission to take the photographs inside the church, which are featured on this post. 

The Blandford Buzz can't resist embedding the video of Mary's Boy Child by the 1970's pop group Boney M - here it is below - though you may catch yourself singing this song unawares for the rest of the day... 'til I write & You read again...x