St Michael and all Angels

Church kneelers here are a magnificent example of community art.  Avril Meakin – the heart and mind of the project – recruited local artists to provide images for new kneelers.  These were transferred to canvas by Melita Butterell of the Durham Broderers Group.

The Grey family of Howick Hall feature with one kneeler recording the 1832 Reform Act and another the Great Pie of Howick baked for Sir Henry Grey to entertain his friends on New Year’s Day, 1770.  The Flying Scotsman kneeler hangs alongside one depicting a Sea King Search and Rescue helicopter.  Organisations commemorated include the 1895 Howick Co-operative Society and the WWI Howick Hospital.

A Temnospondyl kneeler refers to the many fossils of the Carboniferous period found in the rocks at low tide.  In 2000, the remains of a Stone Age dwelling were found on the shore line and is the basis for the Mesolithic Hut kneeler.