The Vicar's Wife

As I mentioned in my last post, this Sunday just gone some stone fell off our church tower, shattering on the paving slabs just in front of the main church doors. I’d thought it was plaster, but in fact the stuff that came off was sandstone. The sandstone has weathered and suffered the effects of pollution since the church was built in 1840 and the stone has started to crumble.

Today a team of workmen steeplejacks [late edit – forgot the word!] have been abseiling around the tower to check all the stone decorations and check that they’re safe. The original chunks that fell off came from a decorative arch over the church clock. When the men went to check the rest of that particular arch, large chunks crumbled off in their hands. So they have removed as much as they can from that side.

I spotted them just as they’d finished on the first side, and went back out with the camera as they were checking the next clock face. That decorative arch isn’t looking so crumbly, but you can see on the right hand side that the bottom of the arch has weathered quite badly (just near 3 o’clock).

Rather them than me, especially in this drizzle

So we’re looking forward to being able to enter through the main church doors on Sunday. That news will be extra welcome to sheepish latecomers who were on full view last week. And then there’s the next step of replacing the stonework that’s been removed. I love our beautiful building but I must admit that sometimes I wish we met in a tin shed.