Melbourne

Melbourne, the capital of Victoria in Australia, takes its name from Viscount Melbourne, Queen Victoria’s first Prime Minister. (She bagged the Province as it then was, leaving him with the city.) The title was created in 1781 for his father, Sir Peniston Lamb. Sir P chose it because his family live at Melbourne Hall in the town of Melbourne eight miles south of Derby.

Politics is in their blood. Sir John Coke, Secretary of State to Charles I, was the first of the family to live at the Hall. His descendant, Lord Ralph Kerr, lives there today. He is his brother’s heir presumptive, the Marquess of Lothian, who is better known perhaps as Conservative politician, Michael Ancram. How the Cokes became Lambs and now are Kerrs is a story for another day. It is a fine Georgian house with magnificent gardens laid out in 1704 that take their inspiration from French and German houses and palaces. It is a surprise and delight to stumble upon them unexpectedly.

Admirers of PG Wodehouse (me for one) might like the yew alley. A similar one caused disagreement between Lord Emsworth and his Head Gardener at Blandings.

Across the street from Melbourne Hall is the parish church. It was there when the Domesday Book was compiled but nothing remains of that Anglo-Saxon structure. The church today dates back to the early 12th century. It looks Norman with sturdy circular columns supporting round arches. There is plenty of typical Norman carving at the top of the columns and chevrons decorate the arches – a small scale Durham Cathedral.

It has evolved over the centuries. It is typical of old English churches that they have not been preserved in aspic. To name just a few alterations, in the 17th century the tower was extended vertically to accommodate four bells; in the 19th century windows enlarged for stained glass. One of the most recent pieces is a war memorial window dedicated in 1951.

In 1859 Sir Gilbert Scott restored the church quite sympathetically. He opened up the blocked west door (good) but adorned the west towers with pyramid-shaped pepper pots (not so good, they were removed in 1955). Memorials have been added over the centuries; Melbourne hatchments of course and tablets to less exalted members of the congregation. Here are two examples.

I like “urbanity”. It reminds me of the Cornish St Piran who prayed “Hear us O Lord and be debonair …”   – at least according to Arthur Quiller-Couch – a forgotten footnote in literature these days.

I chose this first because of its beautiful design reflecting top and bottom, his service as an altar boy and bell ringer. Secondly, because it is unclear why he died so young. Had he lived a little longer he would have been exposed to the horror of the Great War.

What changes have been made in the 21st century? As you might expect, restoration to the Norman stonework is in progress as much of the mortar needs replacing. Another 21st century alteration is the installation of solar panels on the south facing sections of the lead roofs. They are not visible from the ground but they are up there and apparently save 4 1/2 tonnes of carbon emissions annually. I hadn’t thought of this until I went to Melbourne but church roofs are often screened from sight and so are most suitable for solar panels. Here you can see church with solar panels in its townscape.