Village Voices - January 14, 2011

This Friday, January 14th, there is whist in the Village Hall, brought forward from next week, as the Pantomime, The Lost Land of Narkurs, takes to the stage on Thursday the 20th, Friday the 21st and Saturday the 22nd.

A reminder that if you need to change or buy a pantomime ticket, you should get in touch with Mike Cooper on 892681, before it is too late!

Another amendment to the notice in the parish magazine about village hall bookings. For the time being, please contact Jackie Saxby on 211513 for all Village Hall bookings and payments.

Everyone using the Playing Field will be grateful for the excellent drainage work instigated by the Parish Council, which really works.

The lines of the drains are clearly visible and the contractors worked well to get the levels right, so at last the water drains away from the heavy clay soil. We were very fortunate to get the work done before the cuts in grants came into effect.

Last Thursday`s WI meeting had a packed programme, with a glowing account of our Christmas activities – the party and entertainment, the Christmas lunch and the outing to the Pantomime in Hastings. The President presented a cheque for £1095 to a representative of St Michael`s Hospice, who told us that it costs four million a year to care for their patients, who are also cared for at home and who often return to active life after their treatment.

We also heard from our two Police Community Officers, who will return in May to tell us more about their role in the community.

The very entertaining talk by Tony Smith about Art and Fraud in Art set us thinking about the story behind a picture, whether it was genuine or not. He brought a print of a portrait of the Kaiser and his retinue, where the faces were, in fact, cut out of a magazine! There was a puzzle picture of a boat named Tudor, arriving with a cargo of knights in armour – but who were they? All very intriguing. For the artists among us there were constant tips about composition and colour, so we were inspired to look and learn.

It was interesting to remember that our January 2010 meeting was cancelled because of the snow. It was the talk about Tom Crean, the Arctic explorer.

As the church organ is being repaired at present, the church will be locked when the work is not in progress and church services will be accompanied on the grand piano.

There can`t be many parish churches that can boast a grand piano in their north aisle and an organist like Bob Andrew, who will is equally at home on either instrument. We are very lucky.

The Parish Communion this Sunday is at the usual time, 9.15 am

PATRICIA SPEEDY, Longstone, Powdermill Lane

WHATLINGTON

There will be a meeting of the Parish Council next Thursday 20th January, in the Village Hall starting at 7pm. If you would like to know what is going on in your village please do go along.

When thanking everyone who purchased Christmas cards, note cards and postcards in aid of the Appeal fund last week, I forgot to thank Whatlington Garage, Whitechapel Fireplaces and The Royal Oak, for buying cards, especially designed for them, and the Royal Oak also for selling cards on the church’s behalf.

Many thanks also to all those from the village who also purchased cards sold on behalf of the Appeal Fund.

Last week I promised you that I would let you have details of the presentation given to the village by the Parish Church on plans for the restoration of the 13th century church.

I have not included photographs as they would just take up too much space but if you would like to see any of the examples (photographs) I feel sure that Jeffrey will show them to you.

I have also left the wording as it was presented

St.Mary Magdalene Church

Whatlington: The Way Ahead

Background

The present church building dates form the 13th Century, it is probable that it replaced an earlier building, possibly timber, which may in turn of replaced a Saxon church, probably destroyed by the Normans in October 1066.

Our forebears built the church to the Glory of God, to worship our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thursday 15th July 2010

The fire began in the Gallery, most likely caused by an electrical fault in the organ reading lamp.

The Fire Brigade were unable to pinpoint the definite cause, so we have to adopt the most likely one.

The panelling inside the roof created a cavity through which the fire rapidly spread.

3 Photographs were shown of fire showing the fire spreading through the roof, from the Organ Loft and the rafters which were Victorian.

What is the Church building for?

The church exists today, as it did when it was built, as a place of worship for our Lord Jesus Christ.

The building does not have a viable future without an active congregation.

Church buildings are not museums, they are home to living congregations, which are the church militant.

What is the church?

The church is the people, not the building.

Jesus said ‘ I am the way, the truth and the life, no one may come to the Father except through me.’

The building’s walls echo to the prayers of generations past.

We are only the present custodians, our task is to make the church fit for future generations to worship in.

The Victorians

As the building stood before the fire, it was much as the Victorians left it after the restoration on 1862.

In 1862 it was much changed to bring it up to the standards of the time and to make it fit for purpose in Victorian England.

The Vestry and Tower date from the 1862 restoration, as did the pews and much else.

The fire gives us an opportunity to make the church building better suited to the needs of our time, to play our part in securing the building for future generations and to make it a comfortable place of worship as a centre for the Christian Faith in our village.

We must be both sympathetic to the character of the building and it’s history, yet mindful that it is home to a living congregation.

Photograph looking down the Nave from the Chancel, post fire and a photograph of the South side of the church, post fire.

The Roof

The roof timbers shown in the last slide are not, as was at first thought all Victorian.

The Victorian rafters were those over the Gallery where the original Bell Cote was replaced.

The majority of timbers are in fact medieval and may even be the original ones.

It now looks as though a significant part of this medieval roof can be saved

This is subject to an archaeological survey & a further report from the structural engineer.

A quote from Stephen Friar’s book ‘A Companion to the English Parish Church’

Many church roofs were renewed or substantially restored by the Victorians in the nineteenth century and (as with all Victorian restoration) the degree and quality of the work varies considerably. In some cases architects were anxious to retain as much of the roof as possible, but often alterations were made in pine and not in accordance with the original design.

This applies in many ways to the roof at Whatlington

Photograph showing the view from the Organ Loft

Progress to date

Initial progress after the fire has been slow, but when dealing with an historic Grade II listed building it is necessary plan carefully.

The church is now protected with a scaffold and corrugated sheet roof.

Care was necessary to secure items which have survived the fire and a number of items have been removed to safe storage.

Much research has been done and we now have a clear outline of what we hope to achieve.

Photograph of the scaffold works in progress

Planning

The church is effectively exempt from conventional planning regulations in many areas.

These are devolved to the diocese.

We must apply for a Faculty for all works.