What to wear to church in England?
cen0...@centuryinter.net
While visiting the UK this summer, I am especially interested in attending
Sunday church services while I am there. What is appropriate for a woman in
her late 20s to wear to church in England? Or, at least, what would be
inappropriate to wear?
Can I pretty much just wear whatever I'd wear to church in the US? Any do's and
don'ts I should know about?
Thanks a bunch.
Kellie
Tony Shelbourne
Kellie
I take it you're talking Church of England mainly. Well, it depends on the
church. If you're in some inner city "happy clappy" evangelical church, then
anything more than jeans & sweatshirt might seem overdressed. If you're at
St Paul's Cathedral, put on your best summer frock & your Gucci shoes!
In smaller towns & village churches, people still generally wear their
"Sunday best". For women that usually means skirt or dress rather than
trousers, plus a hat if you feel comfortable in one.
By the way, don't limit yourself to Sunday services. IMHO quite the most
moving & aesthetic service is the weekday choral evensong in the larger
cathedrals. Usually about 4.30 or 5.00 pm. The best English church music has
been composed for evensong. Settings of the Magnificat & Nunc Dimitis, by
composers such as Stanford and Howells, heard in the magnificent
surroundings of an English cathedral are enough to make the most confirmed
aetheist suspect the existence of a supreme Being.
Regards
cen0...@centuryinter.net wrote in message ...
Barbara Vaughan
cen0...@centuryinter.net wrote in article
<N.011898....@anxp1.vp.centuryinter.net>...
> While visiting the UK this summer, I am especially interested in
attending
> Sunday church services while I am there. What is appropriate for a woman
in
> her late 20s to wear to church in England? Or, at least, what would be
> inappropriate to wear?
>
> Can I pretty much just wear whatever I'd wear to church in the US? Any
do's and
> don'ts I should know about?
You can wear what you would wear in the US. In rural areas people may be a
bit more conservative than in London. I would say that a skirt or slacks
and any kind of blouse or pullover would be fine anywhere. I think shorts
would be pretty much out.
Barbara Vaughan
David
In article <N.011898....@anxp1.vp.centuryinter.net>,
cen0...@centuryinter.net writes
>While visiting the UK this summer, I am especially interested in attending
>Sunday church services while I am there. What is appropriate for a woman in
>her late 20s to wear to church in England? Or, at least, what would be
>inappropriate to wear?
>
>Can I pretty much just wear whatever I'd wear to church in the US? Any do's and
>don'ts I should know about?
>
>
>Kellie
Well, I am not a churchgoer but today I went to a funeral, in an
Anglican church. I dressed formally ( in dark colours, wearing a hat).
Very few were so dressed. It was a big funeral of a very eminent lady
in our area.
There were people in jeans, padded jackets, short coats, ladies in
trousers etc. In fact, I felt overdressed. Out of about 200 people,
three wore hats and about 4 wore black. Colours were often bright and
clothes were predominantly casual.
I don't know what one wears to church in the USA but unless it's a
bikini, I imagine you'd be OK!
--
Marie
Barbara Vaughan
Tony Shelbourne wrote:
>
> Kellie
>
> I take it you're talking Church of England mainly. Well, it depends on the
> church. If you're in some inner city "happy clappy" evangelical church, then
> anything more than jeans & sweatshirt might seem overdressed. If you're at
> St Paul's Cathedral, put on your best summer frock & your Gucci shoes!
My daughter's choir was the guest choir at St. Paul's for a week in 1995
(Sunday services and daily evensongs.) Unless things have changed a lot since
then, you won't be needing the Guccis. Some people may dress this way, but
there will be a significant contingent in jeans, so that if you have nice
slacks or a simple skirt you won't feel at all out of place.
> In smaller towns & village churches, people still generally wear their
> "Sunday best". For women that usually means skirt or dress rather than
> trousers, plus a hat if you feel comfortable in one.
I would say the same for the hats and Sunday best dresses. Even if half the
women have hats, the half that don't will keep you comfortable.
> By the way, don't limit yourself to Sunday services. IMHO quite the most
> moving & aesthetic service is the weekday choral evensong in the larger
> cathedrals. Usually about 4.30 or 5.00 pm. The best English church music has
> been composed for evensong. Settings of the Magnificat & Nunc Dimitis, by
> composers such as Stanford and Howells, heard in the magnificent
> surroundings of an English cathedral are enough to make the most confirmed
> aetheist suspect the existence of a supreme Being.
With this I agree wholeheartedly. I would add that many cathedrals have daily
evensongs, so if you happen to be in a cathedral city on a weekday, check it
out. In the summer months, the regular choirs are often not doing services, as
the soprano parts are usually sung by young boys attending the cathedral choir
schools, who have their holidays in the summer. In some places, the evensong
services will become a spoken evening prayer service; in others, a guest choir
(maybe even from the States!) may substitute.
If you're in England in Auguest, you might want to look into the Three Choirs
Festival, which alternates between three cathedral cities (one is Hereford, but
I'm not sure of the other two.) This is a solid week of the best English church
music, with side concerts, sing-alongs, etc.My daughter's choir was honored to
be featured in this as well.
Barbara Vaughan
N. Bennett
In my small Buckinghamshire village people dress very casually
to go to church, blue jeans not unheard of.
For a visitor wishing to show a pleasing
respect, a nice casual skirt and top would be fine, no need to
dress up (unless you're somewhere rather stuffy I suppose).
--
n...@mu-networks.com
Chris Barker
In article <34C38686...@opr.princeton.edu>, Barbara Vaughan
<bvau...@opr.princeton.edu> wrote:
>If you're in England in Auguest, you might want to look into the Three Choirs
>Festival, which alternates between three cathedral cities (one is Hereford, but
>I'm not sure of the other two.) This is a solid week of the best English church
>music, with side concerts, sing-alongs, etc.My daughter's choir was honored to
>be featured in this as well.
The other two are Gloucester and Worcester.
--
Chris
+___________________________________________________________________+
|This kind of maths is only fine behind closed doors between |
|consenting adults, okay? --Terry Pratchett, on USENET |
+___________________________________________________________________+
Ben Haines
Could somebody kindly copy me the original enquiry ? My software has
failed to send it to me, and, as a churchgoer, I'm interested. I
mean, so far as I know, unless you're at a wedding or a funeral you
wear just what you like. Since God made you, He is unlikely to object
to a view of your knees, elbows, or whatever. On the other hand, if
you displayed those parts in most churches just now you'd freeze
solid.
As you see, I'm intrigued. Please, what was the question ?
Ben Haines, London
Ben Haines
Dear Mrs Barney,
I can think of no clothes warm enough for church about Easstertide
that would surprise anybody else in church. At Anglican and Church of
Scotland weddings and funerals people still dress up, and the black
Pentacostal churches drsss up to the eyebrows for every service, with
ladies in splendid black hats. But at the standard Anglican and
Scottish Sunday services a few older men may still be in suits, a few
women may wear rather unambitious hats, but far the most of the people
wear what they wore the day before to go shopping. As a churchwarden
in south London I put on a suit for weddings and funerals, but my only
elegance on a usual Sunday is that my shirt is spotless, and well
ironed (I do most of my wardening in shirtsleeves, as our church is
fairly warm). My fellow church warden, a delightful, newly widowed,
county style lady, comes on Sundays in skirt and jumper, no hat.
A cathedral or a city centre church has no or almost no parish
catchment area: it follows that people who worship there regularly
have chosen to quit their parish church. So they tend to see
themselves as distinguished (I hope I am not unfair), and most men
turn up on normal Sundays in suits, with perhaps half the womnen in
hats, and few women in trousers. They are nonetheless pleased to see
their cathedral well attended, and supported, by tourists and
visitors, and give not a moment's attention to men without ties, women
in trousers, and so on. Indeed, a thing I dislike about these places
is that the stewards give exceedingly little attention to the
congregation as they arrive, or depart. Still, the whole Church of
England used to be like that: I rather think that the American habit
of coffee after service is the root of our shift towards creation of
community within church. As I often notice, we owe America a lot.
This is part of the reason that for Easter Sunday I did not suggest St
Giles Kirk (which they wrongly call "cathedral": as good Calvinists
they have no bishop). It will have a bigger show than St George's ,
with better music, but will fail to display two of the jewels of the
Scottish Church: sound learning and neighbourly welcome.
If you're still here in high summer a woman might draw critical
comment if she dressed as for the beach, and a bare midriff or hot
pants would perhaps draw irritated glances (I must say they distract
me, but by no means irritate !).
All this is sociology. My last note, to which you have so kindly and
speedily replied, gave my view on the theology.
In short, you can certainly wear to church what you usually wear. My
only tip is to smile back when you thank the person who gives you our
hymnbook and service sheet, and if you like say to her or him that
you're visitng, from the States.
I look forward to learning of your plans as they develop.
Ben Haines