Inspire me

Spread the love and spoil your beloved. We’ve got fascinating, unique and beautiful places to share. St Valentine, St Dwynwen and St Raphael all link love and lovely churches. Our churches host weddings, with all the traditions and rites we adore. And there are the romantic poets, buried beneath their floors and grassy churchyards. There are so many reasons to #lovechurches but what are yours?

Let's fill our Blue Monday with beauty and explore some of the gorgeousness that this deep, sultry, and serene colour has to offer.

The building of churches, whether for monasteries or public use, was an early sign of the growing influence of Christianity. What is astounding is how many elements of these earliest buildings survive today. This list includes churches where ancient fabric dates from pre AD800, and all are still being used.

The Twelve Days of Christmas was first published as a rhyme in 1780, with the tune coming from an arrangement of a traditional folk song in 1909. All together now! On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Just 13 villages endured the two world wars without a single life lost in combat. They don't have traditional war memorials but most have erected a plaque, stained glass or roll of honour to remember those from the village who fought, and as an expression of gratitude for their incredible luck in surviving both wars with no casualties.

Throughout ancient and medieval times displaying and maintaining the bones of the deceased was also a way to honour the dead and visiting them is a fascinating reminder of mortality, one of the only certainties in life.

We appreciate the little churches in life. Church buildings come in many varieties, from old to new, urban to rural, and big to small. Here is a beautiful selection of the smallest churches in Britain.

In 2018 the Royal Air Force celebrates its 100th birthday. Up and down the country there are many links between churches and former airfields. Churches often house poignant reminders of brave aircrew, worth seeking out for the stories that they tell.

Most ancient churches started off as simple wooden structures, but were soon adapted. Now, wooden churches are, therefore, rare in the UK, whether they have survived for centuries or are relatively new.

London is teeming with chapels of all shapes and sizes, often out of view of the main tourist routes and, sadly, many people miss them. Here are some often unseen gems to explore.