There are some websites for these churches on the Links page.
This is where I went through my somewhat unsatisfactory baptism. I returned for my sister's in 1976, and abortively went back about five years ago when my usual church was closed and I was looking for a communion service (there wasn't one at St Mark's anyway). And that's all I know about it. I'm sure it's doing terribly good work!
Just a single visit to this church, but obviously a significant one - where an atheist took communion for the first time! A great echoey Victorian barn of a church, and in common with a lot of Victorian churches in poor districts on the edge of cities it was quite advanced Anglo-Catholic for its day. Sadly, 'its day' has now passed - the old church building was declared redundant in 2002, and the church congregation now worships in an adapted community centre nearby. At least they're still going.
Long, dark, medieval, with lights and candles glinting in the dark ... a magically atmospheric and beautiful church. Worship was still '1662 with incense' and so ceremonious the Gospel reading was actually chanted. I first attended worship here on St Lucy's Day, 1991, and walked there crunching through the snow of a December evening. The servers and clergy outnumbered the congregation! The last occasion was on Easter Day 1992. The sun shafted through the clouds of incense, but the celebrant wasn't the Vicar but a stand-in priest who had such a nasal Old-Etonian twang that when he sang, far, far off at the great High Altar, it sounded like Mongolian throat-singing. I understand it hasn't really changed!
Worryingly, this is another church which has now closed! Years ago St John's absorbed St Mary's, the ancient parish church of Chatham, and now has itself been amalgated with the local United Reformed congregation to form 'Emmaus'. The old church was really declining, sadly, having been a thriving and fairly High church at one time. Unfortunately development in Chatham isolated it from the town centre by a ring-road, and the closure of the Dockyard and the economic problems of the town really did it no favours. Emmaus seems to be working well, but the old church was left redundant. At the moment (2006), though, it's housing a vineyard as part of an art project to symbolise the slow regeneration of Chatham! I was Confirmed here and became a server, so I have a lot to thank St John's for.
Designed by Giles Gilbert Scott in 1930, St Francis's represents the final flowering of the Gothic Revival. The site falls away steeply on the east side, so the church culminates in an enormous, dramatic, windowless east end - the rest is a bit more dull! I only worshipped here a year - the congregation wasn't huge but got on well and were trying to discover what God wanted of them, which can't be bad.
I moved house and so, accordingly, moved church - unknowingly to within yards of the most Anglo-Catholic church for 30 miles around, abounding in incense, candles, Benediction, an eastward-facing High Mass on a Sunday, and all sorts. Unfortunately it had become highly eccentric over recent years and acquired a reputation for driving its priests to nervous breakdowns. Its current vicar when I arrived had been sent in by the Bishop to clean it up or close it down, and just succeeded in doing the former. It's now doing pretty well under what it would never have expected having - a woman incumbent. Here I got thoroughly immured in Church life, as server, Church Council member, and even (shudder) Deanery Synod representative. And it fostered my 'vocation' - by the means of the churchwardens making me take services during the 18 months when we had no priest!
This is actually my sister's church, so I can't say much about it really, but I tend to go there when I'm in Dorset. It's an odd beast, built of brick and timber and the only church I've ever been to which is actually too hot on occasion! A villagey sort of church.
St John's is a true oddity - the only English parish church in the care of a theological college. While I was at St Stephen's House studying for the priesthood this was my regular place of worship. The staff and students man the services. It used to be the church of the Cowley Fathers, an Anglican order of monks who were based here in East Oxford. Inside rather austere and chilly - much as you'd expect of a church founded by monks.
St James' was where I served my curacy, a grand church with an 'English Catholic' tradition where the musical side of things is very strong indeed, having been built up over generations. Its soubriquet of 'the Cathedral of the Thames Valley' is possibly a little hubristic as the Thames Valley already has three of its own!
For 8 months I was 'on loan' to the church of St Jude, a village-type church not too far from Virginia Water, during its vicar's absence serving with the TA. They are a good lot there, and the experience was really worthwhile. For me, anyway. You'd have to ask them. At least the place is still standing.
St Barnabas, Iford, Bournemouth
All Saints, Burton Dassett
St Ninian's, Whitby