'A phoenix rising from ashes' -- Horncastle village church restored after tower collapse

Just over five years ago, the tower at St John The Baptist Church in High Toynton crumbled, forcing the historic church to close its doors.

At the time, the Rev Canon Charles Patrick, rector of the Horncastle parish, said: “It was very dramatic.

"The tower at the west end of the church completely collapsed. It came down very quickly. The village probably thought it was an earthquake!”

Cue complex plans to restore the Victorian structure at a cost of more than £250,000.

The High Toynton community raised a substantial sum for scaffolding to save the building, and a £200,000 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund provided a massive boost.

The Covid pandemic led to delays. But now there is finally light at the end of the tunnel, with the initial phase of the project only weeks away from completion and St John’s, on Gravel Pit Lane, off Tetford Road, likely to be fully open to the public again in June.

The work has not only resulted in a restored west end of the church, complete with new porchway and restored nave, built using the original stone where possible. It has also succeeded in bringing the village together, creating a sense of collective pride.

Mr Patrick, who oversees seven churches within the parish, said this week: “The way the local community has pulled together has been a wonderful thing.

"It is only a small community, but their dedication and hard work in seeing this project through has been fantastic.

“I must also pay tribute to the stonemasons, who have been so good. They are obviously very skilled and know their job. They have been good people to work with.

"The first phase has been all about making the west end of the church secure and whole again.

"Funding is in place for the next phase, which involves all the internal furnishings, such as a new kitchen and toilets, to make the church a real community facility.

"Since the collapse, we have been able to hold a few services and events at the other end of the church. But the grand re-opening of the whole building is pencilled in for the weekend of November 15 and 16.”

One of High Toynton’s great characters, Kenny Bell, 72, who helps to maintain the churchyard, told the BBC: “We were devastated to see the state of the church after the collapse.

"But the change now has to be seen to be believed. The phoenix can rise from the so-called ashes.

"Something so dreadful has, in the end, had a positive feeling of bringing people together.”

St John’s was originally constructed in the 13th century but rebuilt in 1872. The tower had been an addition to the church but was considered “too big for the main building”. For many years, it was held tight by metal braces before being underpinned during the 1980s.

After the collapse, stonemasons initially described the restoration as “mission impossible”. But now they are proud of what they have achieved.

"When the village held an open day, there was so much positivity and feedback,” said Paul Booth, managing director and founder of Booths Stonemasonry, the Lincoln-based architectural conservation business behind the project.

"The new-look church will not just be a place of worship but also a community space, hosting events such as classes and dances.”

Paul was head mason at Lincoln Cathedral until 2017, and most of his team also worked there, so they brought guaranteed expertise to the High Toynton scheme.

"Our work started last October, so it will have taken us about six months to finish.

"It probably looked complicated, but structural projects are among our specialisms, so it was fairly straightforward for us.

"We have years of experience and it was planned so carefully to make sure there were no unknowns.

"The driving force behind the project was Irving Patrick, a consultancy based in Lincoln, and we also worked alongside architect Carl Andrews, director of Soul Architects in Worksop.”