Thank you to everyone who came to one or both of the concerts at Charlton Church last weekend!
TWO IN ONE was a most enjoyable mix of different types of music, from Elgar to The Beatles. It was good to host David Burridge with the young players of Revelation Strings again, with their beautiful renditions of pieces such as Ladies in Lavender and West Side Story.
And for the first but definitely not the last time (we hope), ALRIGHT ON THE NIGHT, a superb saxophone quartet from Medway, with bass and drums, whose playing really demonstrated the wide range of the saxophone for different genres of music.
Both groups sounded fantastic in the gorgeous acoustic of Charlton Church.
CHARLTON FINE ARTS proper presented Richard Davies and the Charlton Church organ with a first-rate recital of music for Advent. That brave little organ filled the church and produced an amazingly wide range of beautiful effects in the hands of an expert, showing its perfect suitability to the repertoire Richard had chosen. Charlton Fine Arts thanks Richard for bringing his superb musicianship to Charlton and breathing life into our precious 1870 Bevington organ.
As promised, the candles flickered as darkness fell, and most people lingered afterwards for mulled wine and mince pies.
CHARLTON FINE ARTS will be back on March 9th, 2025, with the Orsay Ensemble, for Brahms and Dvorak! Save the date.
COFFEE MORNING!
NEW GROUP MEETING
Exploring Faith Group at the St Andrew's vicarage on
Mondays 7pm-8:30pm. Everyone is welcome to come to
explore and share our faith together. No problem if you can’t make every
week, join when you can if you’d like to. Please pop Melissa a message on 07825 910116 (cards with my contact details
available in church) if you’re coming –
Rev Melissa.
HIGH TEA AND SING-ALONG AT CURZON COMMUNITY HALL
On October 20th, a luxurious High Tea was served by the Charlton social committee at Curzon Community Hall, accompanied by a highy enjoyable sing-song with the Charlton Buds under the enthusiastic leadership of Chris Tyler. Attendance was excellent and the event raised important funds for the hall. Thanks to the dedicated team who produced mouth-watering food and did all the skivvying.
HARVEST LUNCH
A fine harvest lunch was served to about 40 people, prepared by Jackie Cray and her team. Revd Melissa started proceedings with a prayer of thanks. The guests tucked into ploughman's lunch and fruit crumble. Afterwards, many people stayed to watch Oklahoma, a film selected by Chris Tyler. It was excellent to welcome many people who are not congregation members but value the social contact they have through these church events. Thanks to all those who put on such a lovely occasion.
Charlton Fine Arts, 6th October 2024
Superb international bass, Alan Ewing, and virtuosic pianist Helen Crayford, honoured Charlton with a wonderful recital of songs for the bass voice. This duo was perfectly matched and complimented each other's skill and musicality. The church resounded with Ewing's magnificent voice as he gave most expressive interpretations of his beautifully chosen programme, which ranged from Handel, through Brahms and Ibert to Stanford, Ireland and Tchaikovsky. Crayford delighted us with two delicately delivered Debussy pieces. With Ewing's delightful introductions, which gave rise to much laughter, and the world-class performance given, it was altogether a highly enjoyable afternoon that the audience was privileged to be part of.
Heritage Open Day & Ride and Stride
On Saturday, 14th September 2024, the church was visited by numerous sportily-clad people engaged in the sponsored 'Ride and Stride' around churches. The sponsorship proceeds were to be equally divided between a chosen church and The Friends of Kent Churches. This awards grants to Kent churches to help preserve them.
Conveniently, the date coincided with Dover's Heritage Open Day and this presented an opportunity to display some charming and fascinating old pictures of the previous Charlton Church on the river. Along with this, we mounted a small exhibition about Charlton's famous priest, sometimes called a martyr of the Anglo-Catholic movement, Rev. Sidney Faithorn Green (see Our History) and the brilliant Albert Mummery, 'the father of modern mountaineering', who is commemorated in the churchyard.
Fascinating snippets from late 19th century and early 20th century newspapers gave glimpses of Charlton life, in particular the continual work of parishioners to raise funds for the church and support the local community. The names Green and Cobbe recurred many times, showing that the families of the Charlton clergy were fully involved in this ceaseless philanthropic work. Rev. William Beresford Cobbe was Green's assistant priest for many years.
We thank Paul Wells of the Dover Society for his excellent organisation of the Heritage Open Day. Thanks also to Marianna Lorenc, historian at Woodhouse in Co. Waterford, Ireland (connected with Charlton via Mrs Jane Selina Beresford Cobbe) for kindly researching references to Charlton in newspapers of the period.
This photograph shows on the right the window dedicated to Mr Lawrence, who had been Charlton's choirmaster and headmaster of the Charlton boys' school for 40 years. The decision to raise subscriptions for this window was made at a meeting chaired by Rev. Green in 1909.
THANKS TO CHRIS AND MAGGIE TYLER FOR ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL BINGO EVENING
30 people attended the latest Bingo evening, which was run very professionally as ever by Chris and Maggie Tyler. The Raffle proved popular and a very pleasant evening was enjoyed by all.
ARCHDEACON EXITS
Archdeacon Darren Miller officiated for the last time at Charlton, having stood in on numerous occasions over the past months.We are very grateful for his friendship and support and for the energy and positivity that he has brought with him. 
CHORAL EVENSONG 14th July
We were delighted to welcome the Thanet Chamber Choir to Charlton with their director Greg Tassell and organist-pianist Petra Hadjuchova, to sing a choral evensong - a welcoming service for Revd Melissa as she begins her ministry at Charlton. This beautiful afternoon service gives time and space for quiet contemplation as the day draws to a close. The service was officiated by Revd Melissa herself.
The service was preceded by tea, kindly provided by parishioners. With the choir stalls finally restored to their intended position, the true beauty of the church was revealed. The sonorous introit, Bruckner's 'Locus Iste', sung at the back of the church, provided a moving start to the service. Stanford's lovely Evening Service in G followed, with a superb treble solo effortlessly sung. The lyrical Cantique de Jean Racine was the anthem, accompanied on the piano. The service was altogether a memorable occasion.
CHARLTON CHURCH CELEBRATES 130 YEARS
On Saturday, July 13th, Charlton Church threw open its doors again for a splendid Community Open Day. This year we were celebrating 130 years since the present Charlton Church was consecrated. A delicious celebratory cake made by Vanes Bakery was cut by Revd Melissa. We were entertained by the choir of Charlton C-of-E Primary School, Charlton’s own Worship Band and the Melody Makers choir. On the big screen, innumerable pictures of past events and excellent shots of the church were shown, while punters young and old tried their hands at the tombola, shove ha’penny, beeswax candle rolling, the coconut shy, doughnut bobbing and other games. An excellent barbeque was on the go all day, and the cake stall did excellent trade. Face-painting was available, also a toy stall and displays by Dover Beekeepers’ Association, Dover Disability Association and the Prospect Corner Community Allotment. A display of choice produce was brought by Astley Avenue Allotment. For the writer, the highlight was the dog show: fourteen doggies, ranging from tiny puppies to a Doberman, came to compete for prizes – a lot of fun was had by all. Sincere thanks to the Police Cadets who assisted ably throughout the day, and to all the exceptional Charlton team who contributed their time, talents and resources to make the day a success. Gratitude also to members of other Benefice churches who gave of their time and energy, including Jon Eddolls who took these excellent photographs.
A NEW LOGO FOR CHARLTON CHURCH
We are most grateful to Stefan Setchell for designing our new logo. It combines our Charlton dove with a message about Charlton's role in the community and words chosen by Revd Melissa. This attractive and meaningful logo is brightening up Charlton Church and will no doubt inspire us to sustain and extend our activities in the community and in the church. Stefan is proving invaluable to us, producing publicity material of a very high standard which helps us to advertise our special events and concerts. Thank you, Stefan.
Charlton Church Hall is pleased to host this excellent movement class for children up to the age of 4! To join, see the details below.
Revd Melissa Carter is licensed at Charlton!
On the evening of Wednesday, June 19th, a large congregation assembled to witness and participate in the licensing of Revd Melissa Carter. Archdeacon Darren Miller officiated and a bevy of priests and lay leaders was in atttendance for this important occasion. Benefice Churchwardens processed also with their staves. Hymns chosen by Melissa were led by Charlton’s Alistair Mackie and John Feasey from St Martin’s, the church where Melissa has been primarily employed for the past few years. The sun shone and lovely Charlton Church looked at its best, providing a dramatic setting, with the beautiful rainbow colours of the stained glass reflected onto the stone. Guide-dog Taylor behaved immaculately. Sacristan Jackie Cray and her team had worked hard to create a spacious and attractive seating area at the west end, where a sumptuous feast was laid out, provided by volunteers. There were numerous people from across the Dover Town Benefice present, and the evening was a good opportunity to socialise in a relaxed and celebratory atmosphere. This was a highly significant day for Charlton Church of course, and we look forward very much to supporting Revd Melissa in her work for years to come.
DOVER YOUTH ORCHESTRA ARRIVES!
We are delighted to announce that the Dover Youth Orchestra has chosen Charlton Church Hall as their new rehearsal venue. With space to expand and a good acoustic, the hall is making a good rehearsal venue. It was wonderful on Saturday June 15th to hear the building resounding to their music. Thanks to the delightful Angelika Ciesielska for bringing her merry troupe to Charlton. We look forward to forging a close connection with them and supporting their work for a long time to come.
Now at Charlton!
THE LIGHTER SIDE OF WEILL with PENELOPE TURNER (mezzo soprano) and HELEN CRAYFORD (piano)
On Sunday 5th May, an audience of about 60 was treated to a performance that would have earned accolades in the West End or Broadway.
The superb duo performed music of Kurt Weill and his contemporaries (1920s -1950s) with enormous skill and panache. Crayford’s technical virtuosity and Turner’s compelling voice and dramatic skill made this a thrilling show that commanded one’s attention from start to finish.
Cheers rang out after their first number, Cabaret, and often thereafter. Mack the Knife, September and Youkali were perhaps the most familiar to the audience, but less known numbers - for example, Tell me the Truth about Love (Auden/Britten) and Hotel (Apollinaire/Poulenc) were greeted enthusiastically. Crayford’s spectacular solo items, The Man I Love, I Got Rhythm and Tango Ballade, gave us the chance to enjoy the piano at its best, with lid raised, and to appreciate her astonishing skill as a performer. It was hard to believe that the duo had rehearsed for the first time only the day before.
The audience were welcomed with a drink to take to their tables (Charlton Church was temporarily transformed into a Continental cafe or nightclub, with red and white check table cloths, fresh flowers on the tables and atmospheric lighting). The era was set by a few well-chosen props: a Tiffany lamp and a fern on an elegant stand. Into this convivial atmosphere, the two glamorous performers, suitably attired for the 1920s, sequins and feathers included, brought an air of sophistication that transported us to a different time and place. Refreshments followed the performance and people stayed for at least another hour to enjoy each other’s company.
Enormous thanks to Penelope and Helen for coming to perform in the Charlton Fine Arts Series, to Penelope’s husband James, to Chris and Maggie Tyler and to Shane and Vicki, for their stalwart support. Thanks also to Jonathan Eddolls from St Mary’s Church for taking photographs and to Simon Partridge of Dover Community Radio for attending and interviewing Penelope.
THE CHARLTON FINE ARTS SERIES WILL BE BACK IN THE AUTUMN with more wonderful concerts. WATCH THIS SPACE!
COME AND SING CONCERT
On Saturday 20th April, 35 singers assembled to sing Stainer’s famous work, The Crucifixion, and Handel’s coronation anthem, Zadok the Priest. Under the expert guidance of Rupert Preston Bell (director of Cambridge Renaissance Voices), visiting from Tunbridge Wells where he conducts the parish choir and the King Charles Singers, and superbly accompanied on the organ by Richard Davies, formerly head of music at Dover Grammar School for Boys, a group of people, many of whom had not met before, became a choir during the afternoon rehearsal. Friends old and new enjoyed tea, kindly prepared and served by Jackie Cray, assisted by Sean. The bass and tenor solo parts were beautifully sung by Keith Bryant and Greg Tassell. We are most grateful to Rupert, Richard, Keith and Greg for lending us their time and expertise, to make this a successful and enjoyable occasion. After the concert there was time for more socialising with refreshments. Thanks to everyone who assisted on the day.
DELIGHTFUL FILM SHOW WITH SUMPTUOUS BUFFET LUNCH
On Friday 19th April, we were welcomed to the church hall for a showing of the wonderful classic, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, starring the beautiful Audrey Hepburn and the suave George Peppard. A delicious buffet lunch was served, courtesy of the Dover Town Council. It was a most enjoyable afternoon. Thanks to Chris Tyler for organising this community event, and to Sean for serving the refreshments.
130 YEARS SINCE CHARLTON'S CONSECRATION
On Sunday 17th March, we were privileged to welcome Rose, the Bishop of Dover, to officiate and preach at Charlton Church. Excellent music was provided by Charles Spanner and his Dover Community Youth Choir. By coincidence, Charlton was celebrating 130 years since the consecration of the new church. After the service, Bishop Rose joined the congregation for coffee, at which a splendid cake made by Vanes was ceremonially cut.
BENEFICE LENTEN TALKS
Four lay leaders of the Benefice spoke and took questions about their lives and faith journeys. The evening was compered by Revd Melissa, and delicious refreshments were laid on by our Sacristan, Jackie Cray, and Server, Sue Jarrold. Thanks to everyone who contributed to a very interesting and pleasant occasion.
KENT POLICE MALE VOICE CHOIR
This superb choir made a return visit to Charlton Church and gave a most entertaining performance to an audience of about 80. The programme demonstrated the great skill and versatility of this professional-standard choir under the expert direction of Martin Rendle. The choir enjoyed singing in the excellent acoustic of Charlton Church and everyone tucked into refreshments during the interval. The evening finished with some hilarious audience participation in the performance of “A Policeman’s Life is not a Happy One.”
DEAL MUSIC AND ARTS VISIT
A large party of primary school children visited Charlton Church to hear a superb brass ensemble from a London music college. The children were clearly fascinated by the instruments and highly entertained by the performances. Gone are the days of subsidised music lessons that gave incomparable opportunities to children in the state sector and supplied our county youth orchestras, conservatoires and professional orchestras with much bright young British talent. So the chance to watch and hear live music is even more important than it was, giving inspiration to the young. Charlton is very happy to play its part in this and we hope that Deal Music and Arts will return soon.
VALENTINE QUIZ EVENING
On Friday, 9th February, a goodly gathering in the church hall enjoyed a special Valentine’s quiz evening. Five teams competed: from St Andrew’s (Andy’s), and representing Charlton, the Best of Buddies, took on Foxy Ladies, East Kent Kittens and the Medway Wheelers. The Foxy Ladies struggled to contain their hilarity, while after an encouraging start, Andy’s fell behind and the Best of Buddies, their morale propped, perhaps illegally, by a mascot in the form of dog Trixie, strode on to victory. Delicious pancakes made by Thelma and served by Grace and Jackie were enjoyed in the interval. Expertly selected questions were delivered with style and good humour by quiz master Chris, and a raffle was organised by Maggie. Many thanks to everyone for an excellent evening. Watch this space for the next quiz date!
BUBBLE CHURCH SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH!
Ten children and their parents were welcomed to the Charlton Church Hall on the afternoon of 28th January, for a great treat – an introduction to church for little ones.
The dedicated team led by Rev. Melissa told Bible Stories with wonderful fluffy puppets, and there were prayers and music. Delicious cakes had been made and were enthusiastically consumed. Taking place on the 4th Sunday of each month, Bubble Church promises to be one of the loveliest and most enjoyable events offered by Charlton Church.
Delicious Epiphany Lunch!
On Sunday 7th January, Charlton celebrated the beginning of the Epiphany season with a delicious lunch served to a large party in the Church Hall. A warming butternut squash soup, garnished with cream and parsley, was followed by a hearty and very tasty beef casserole with all the trimmings. Dessert was a choice between an uplifting lemon surprise and a sumptuous pavlova. It was clear from the babble of talk and the happy faces that the food was much enjoyed and it was altogether a lovely sociable occasion. A million thanks to the hard-working chefs, Jackie and Jenny, and to Maggie, the Social Secretary, for her organisation and the raffle. Thanks also to Chris for manning the CD player and serving at table, and to Michael for setting up. Many thanks to Revd Melissa for attending and for her thought-provoking reflections on the Epiphany. A great time was had by all.
CHRISTMAS AT CHARLTON CHURCH
There was a lovely range of services at Charlton in the lead up to Christmas, including the Stations of the Nativity. The church was beautifully decorated by devoted Sacristan, Jackie, and her assistants. At the Christingle Service on Christmas Eve, children dressed up to present a live nativity scene, even including the donkey. The Midnight Mass was an atmospheric service led by the Revd Richard Woods. The traditional Christmas Fair on 9th December was well-attended: there were carols from the Charlton Buds, delicious refreshments and numerous stalls selling crafts and other gifts. Thank you to all those who worked so hard to make it a success and to make Christmas at Charlton special.
SERVICE OF REMEMBRANCE, 5th November
Revd Melissa Carter led a beautiful and touching Service of Remembrance for All Souls. On entering the church, she offered each member of the congregation the choice of a lovely cross of olive wood or a pure white pebble, as aids to reflection. The opening hymn was “Abide with me, fast falls the eventide”, the final one “The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended”. In an inspired touch, Sacristan Jackie Cray and Server Sue Jarrold had arranged low tables in the shape of the cross, covered in tea lights, and the congregation was invited to approach and light the candles in memory of their loves ones. The congregation had previously submitted the names of their passed loved ones, and these, along with numerous photographs, were shown on the large screen, accompanied by suitable subdued music chosen by Chris Tyler. Thank you to everyone who made this service a special and memorable time.
BENEFICE SERVICE AT THE MARINA CURVE, 17TH SEPTEMBER 2023 "Christ our Anchor"
For the first time, congregations from all four Dover Town Benefice churches met for a service, held at 10.30am at the Marina Curve. Fortunately the weather remained dry and the wind was fairly light. Approximately eighty people attended. Presiding were Revd Catherine, the town rector, and Revd Melissa, the vicar, but much of the service was ably lay-led by Alistair Mackie of Charlton Church. The sermon was delivered by Lay Leader Henry Coates of St Martin's. The sea nearby provided the theme, "Christ our Anchor". There were contributions from each church in the form of readings, prayers and music: these included an anthem from the robed choir of St Mary's and songs from both Charlton's and St Martin's Worship Bands. Acknowledging the different styles and traditions of each church, the Charlton servers were present with incense and bells, readings were taken from different versions of the Bible and there was a Taize chant from St Andrew's. Thanks to Revd Catherine for organising the event, and particular thanks to Alistair Mackie for planning the service and working hard to make it a reality.
AMERICAN SUPPER
On Saturday, September 1st, an American Supper was held in the spacious Charlton Church, the theme this time being 'Songs that include a place name'. An excellent evening was enjoyed by all. Thanks to Chris Tyler for his hard work in organising the occasion, providing a varied mixture of songs from different eras with videos and photos to match. Thanks also to Maggie Tyler for running the raffle, and to Richard Harman (Churchwarden) for his practical assistance.
REV ANGIE
Charlton Church said a sad farewell in August to Rev Angie Stupple who has been our focal minister for some time. Angie left to develop her new role of Spiritual Care Chaplain at the Pilgrims' Hospice in Canterbury and to spend more time with her family in Ireland. We are extremely grateful that we benefited from her care and spiritual guidance, her excellent preaching and her ready smile, and wish her every happiness as she pursues her path.
VISIT OF BISHOP ROSE
On Tuesday, 23rd May, 2023, Charlton Church was delighted to host the Bishop of Dover, Rose Hudson-Wilkin, in the Church Hall, as part of her official visitation of the Dover Deanery.
We were treated to a fascinating talk from the Bishop, largely focused on her own life and spiritual journey. She talked openly about her family background and touched on the subject of discrimination. The Bishop also mentioned the challenges she faced as Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons.
Questions were taken from the floor and the lasting impression was of the strength of Rose’s religious certainties.
We were very grateful to the Bishop for her visit and thought-provoking words.
CHARLTON CHURCH OPEN DAY