Progress report – 7th October 2022
Regular readers of this Bulletin will remember than we found a skull and other bones buried in the choir vestry. These were re-interred earlier this week by the Rector, using the committal prayer from the Book of Common Prayer, appropriately as these are likely to have been original burials in the 19th century or earlier.
The memorials outside the church where we need to dig a trench for the massive heating pipes are now being moved – or at least some of them are. We have just come across another snag, fortunately a minor one. One of the memorial stones covers a massive brick vault.
The memorial is to four members of the Twycross family – Mary who died in 1837, Olivia (1853), James Twycross (1862) and George (1890). It was once very grand with railings around the side which were probably removed in the war. It is certainly very solidly built, which is more than we can say for a lot of the memorials in the churchyard.
There is space to reroute the trench for the pipe so the memorial stone will now be put back into position. When reinstated the stone will be much cleaner than it was!
Thank you to all of you who are continuing to give to the appeal – following our appeal last month, and will update you as new numbers come in. Please continue to pray about what you might give yourself and that all may give generously. The web site has all the details. Think how you can be creative and get sponsored or donate to buy a chair in memory of someone or donate to our organ or main appeals.
Although the building itself is closed, worship continues in The Cornerstone on Sundays (8am, 9.30 and 11.15) and on weekdays (Tuesday and Wednesday at 10 am and Thursday at 9 am) and the bell ringers have access to the tower. There is still access to almost all the churchyard either through the lychgate in London Road or the double gate in Norreys Avenue. The memorials by The Cornerstone and by the vestry door can be accessed by arrangement with the Parish office.
