THE OLD - Old Wirral.com

THE OLD CHURCHES OF WIRRAL
wick. It is an old fiddler's stand, a relic
of the days when the choir was led by
fiddles, bassoons, and clarionets. A
ledge near the bottom of the stand shows
where the violoncello or bass viol rested.
In many churches the chancel screen
exhibits very beautiful carving. Its
origin is to be found in the old custom of
hanging a veil during Lent in front of the
altar, so as to cut it off from the rest of the
building during the forty days. This
solemn Lenten veiling was but the reflection
of what had once been the more
primitive method of mysteriously shroud-
ing the place of the Sacramental Presence
from the main body of the church all the
year round ; and a use that had once pre-
vailed unceasingly became relegated to a
season of extra solemnity.
Finally a permanent screen, with a convenient
door in the centre, took its place
to prevent undue intrusion into the
sanctuary.
Wood-carving has always been lavishly
bestowed upon screen work in our parish
churches, but unfortunately little that is
old now remains in Wirral. The destruction
of screens in the Reformation period
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