Bishop hails miracle of reborn Horncastle church after its tower collapsed
A bishop has given his blessing to what has been described as an ecclesiastical miracle after a village church in Horncastle rose from the dead.
Just over six years ago, the tower at St John The Baptist in High Toynton crumbled and collapsed without warning.
The historic church, a well-used community hub, was forced to close, and experts labelled its restoration “mission impossible”, likely to cost more than £250,000.
But on Sunday, villagers and parishioners gave thanks for the official reopening of the building at a service of re-dedication by the Bishop of Grimsby, the Right Reverend Jean Burgess.
The service was the culmination of an admirable fundraising campaign, bolstered by a £200,000 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, that brought High Toynton together.
"Our thanks go the generosity and enthusiasm of all the individuals, professionals and locals who have helped with this amazing project,” said church secretary Alison Bell.
"This was only the second time in the church’s 154-year history that we have had a visit from a bishop. The first was when the Victorian church was rebuilt in 1872, replacing the original 13th century building.”
The momentous day’s events began with a Rogation Walk, which is a traditional, community-oriented procession around the village to pray for the protection of agricultural land and crops.
This was followed by a ‘bring and share’ feast in the Gravel Pit Lane church, off Tetford Road, and then the service of re-dedication, with tea afterwards.
It is believed that the tower collapsed because of weaknesses in the structure. Too big for the main building, it was maybe even built on the site of a medieval graveyard, which meant voids underneath.
Alison told the BBC: “It was a bit dodgy from the start, and had to be held tight by metal braces even before the end of the 19th century.
"We have always been led to think the Victorians did everything right, but even contemporary books note that the materials used were poor.”
Nevertheless, the collapse left villagers “in horror”, and at the time, the Rev Canon Charles Patrick, rector of the Horncastle parish, compared it to “a dramatic earthquake”.
The restoration work was carried out by Booths Stonemasonry, a Lincoln-based architectural conservation business, led by Paul Booth, who was head mason at Lincoln Cathedral until 2017.
Rebuilding the tower would have been too expensive. But the west end of the church has been redesigned, complete with new porchway, entrance and restored nave, built using the original stone where possible.
Proud Paul says: “The work took about six months to complete. The new-look church is not only a place of worship but also a community space that can host events.”
Vicar Mr Patrick, who oversees seven churches within the parish, is full of praise for the way High Toynton rallied round to save the church.
He said last year: “It has been wonderful. This is only a small community, but its dedication and hard work in seeing this project through has been fantastic.
"The first phase was all about making the west end secure and whole again. And the next phase involved all the internal furnishings, such as a new kitchen and toilets, to make the church a real community facility.
"I must also pay tribute to the stonemasons, who have been so good to work with. They were very skilled and knew their job.”