Tower – Teas – Toilet
Did you know that the base of the tower at Scarning Church was probably built in the 13th century? The rest of the tower and most of the church was built in the 14th century. So, the tower has stood there since well before ‘Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492’, and Queen Elizabeth the First’s navy repelled the Spanish Armada in 1588. Interestingly, if you look carefully at the south wall of the nave you can see some fragments of barley twist carved stones which probably came from an earlier church on the site.
Not surprisingly the tower needs some TLC in the 21st century. You may have noticed that the base of the tower is fenced off for safety reasons. The church has been placed on the Heritage at Risk Register, which should help when we apply for grants. As Historic England says, this is not a reflection on the way that the building has been looked after over the years but simply the result of age.
The church is a grade one listed building with some notable features. If you are not familiar with it, please call in some time. It is open every day. Have a little sing and you will be rewarded by the very special acoustic. Even the pews are relatively comfortable!
As well as doing the work on the tower, we want to install a new floor for the bell ringers so that we can have an accessible toilet and a storage facility in the base of the tower. We also want a small kitchen for serving drinks etc. The aim is to make the building more user friendly and suitable for a wider range of community activities – and this should help us to secure grants towards the project.
Now for some serious numbers. The works will cost in the region of £400,000. We hope the whole village will get behind the project so that we can present a strong case for grant funding, and that individuals and organisations will help with fund raising events.
Speaking of events, please see the adverts elsewhere for the Coffee Morning and Yard Sale on 1 July, and Cream Teas in Corinne and Michael Steward’s delightful garden at Broadway Farm on 2 July.
We want to set up the 3Ts Project Team to spearhead the campaign. If you have relevant experience and would like to be involved, please contact Tim Farnham (timfarnham1@icloud.com) or Sue Rockley (suerockley84@gmail.com). They will be delighted to hear from you.
Please help us ensure that Scarning Church tower stands proudly for many more centuries.
Thank you
Sue Rockley
