A WALK THROUGH THE GARDEN

At the entrance to the charming close stands the lych-gate with its distinctive green hammered-copper roof. In England coffins are often carried to the lych-gate (lych meaning, in Middle English d ialect, "body"), where a preliminary service was held before entering the church. The founder of our church intended the lych-gate to be a place of rest and comfort for wayfarers. The roof is thus appropriately studded as if with many scallop sh ells, the emblem of the ancient Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage. The lych-gate was built by Frederick Clark Withers in 1896, one year before the first Dr. Houghton's death, and was given by Mrs. Franklin Delano.

Inside the lych-gate is a welcoming statue of Christ the King, with hand lifted in blessing. Under the gates enclosing the statue are the words: "Come unto me and I will give you rest." On the left is a water fountain (no longer working) with the inscription: "Whosoev er drinketh the water that I shall give him shall never thirst"; and on the right is a stone lectern for a Bible. Many people are drawn to this outdoor shrine, and often passersby stop for silent prayer before this image of Christ.

A black wrought-iron fence extends from both sides of the lych-gate to separate the church garden from the busy street. This fence also goes back to the days of the first rector. A good view of the Empire State Building can be had from this vantage point as i t peers over the discreet riot of towers, pinnacles, and gables forming the exterior of the church.

In the middle of the garden is a three-tiered fountain given in memory of Edward W illiam John Peirce in 1991 by his wife, Constance. It replaced an earlier wrought-iron fountain. In spring ancient azaleas show their magenta flowers, and a white dogwood tree blooms nearby. Flowers of various kinds add to the garden's charm, and there ar e even two clusters of fruit-bearing fig trees. Some of the flowers and trees have been given in memory of loved ones. For example, in 1992, Mrs. Louise Martin gave daffodil bulbs in remembrance of her son Jeffrey, who was an outstanding countertenor in t he choir. The dogwood was given in the early 1970s by choristers Christopher and George Ryan, in memory of their mother. Eric Jones, senior warden, oversaw the general improvement and revitalization of the garden in the early 1990s.

Facing the church building, one sees on the left the five-story rectory, built in 1854, and, panning to the right, the gabled windows of the Episcopal Actors' Guild above the Chapel of the Holy Family, th en the main (bell) tower, then the tower of the Chapel of St. Joseph of Arimathea, and finally the south transept, on the right.

Two statues adorn the garden. Near the rectory gate, an ancient Italian statue called the Madonna of the Garden, given in memory of Susan Ruth Budd in 1926, and by the St. Joseph Chapel tower, a contemporary statue called Metamorphosis, which is a winged figure by the sculptor George Pissarro.

Often on a sunny day, people come from nearby office buildi ngs to spend their lunch hour in the garden, lining the walkways as they catch the sun and drink in the peace and repose of this unique and blessed place.

Updated 7/15/97